Movie Review: Charlotte's Web (2006)
Rated by 3 members
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the younger crowd will probably be
very eager to see this one -- and for good reason. It's
unusually respectful of its much-loved source (E.B. White's
classic novel) and its young audience. While the movie does
refer to the farmer's plan to kill Wilbur for Christmas dinner,
the pivotal (and most potentially upsetting) moment is the
death of a central character, which is followed by appropriate
mourning and recovery by her barnyard friends. Some of the
animal characters are initially unfriendly to a new arrival,
and Templeton the rat scavenges objects and talks about being
selfish and sneaky. Crows attack him, with their point-of-view
shots suggesting the danger he's in. Although 5 is the ideal
age for this movie, 4-year-olds should be fine, too, as long as
they're able to handle the sad parts.
Families can talk about how the different characters learn to accept one another. How do they come to see one another as friends, even though at first they're put off by their differences? Why does Charlotte want to help Wilbur? If you've read the book, how does the movie compare to what you imagined in your head? Families can also discuss the importance of words and their role in the film. How are words important for communicating, even between species? How do they help shape our impressions of others?
Common Sense Media Review
Here's a welcome surprise: A children's movie that's
thoughtful, entertaining,
and enchanting. This newest big-screen version of
CHARLOTTE'S WEB, based on E.B. White's 1952 Newbery
Award-winning
book
mixes performances by real-life actors and animals with
animated mouths, slipping gracefully into the world of the
barnyard without ever doubting its magic. Whether you're new to
the story or already adore the book,
Gary
Winick's movie is a special treat.
At the movie's start, young Fern Arable ( Dakota Fanning, who gives a delicate, utterly convincing performance) watches piglets being born. When she sees that her father (Kevin Anderson) looks about to kill the "runt," Fern is horrified and insists that he let her take care of the pig. Looking into Fern's giant blue eyes and facing her determination, he can't help but agree.
Fern dedicates herself to rearing the piglet, whom she names Wilbur. She bathes him, feeds him, and sneaks him with her to school (hiding him inside her book bag and desk). As cute as these early scenes are (especially little Fern snuggled up in her bed with Wilbur), it's after Fern admits that Wilbur has grown too large to carry along -- leading to his sale to farmer Homer Zuckerman (Gary Basaraba) -- that the film takes a turn into still more delightful fantasy. Because that's when Wilbur begins to talk to his new acquaintances in Zuckerman's barn.
At first, the other animals -- including geese Gussy (Oprah Winfrey) and Golly ( Cedric the Entertainer), cows Bitsy and Betsy ( Kathy Bates and Reba McEntire), Ike the horse ( Robert Redford), and Samuel the sheep ( John Cleese) -- are standoffish. They're reluctant to befriend the "spring pig," who's fated to be served up as the humans' Christmas dinner. But Wilbur (voiced by 10-year-old Dominic Scott Kay) is so sweet, curious, and affable that they're soon won over.
