A friendly spider helps out a pig destined to become a Christmas ham.
I'm not ashamed to admit that spiders freak me out (even CGI ones with smiley faces), but the fact that Charlotte's Web also had talking farm animals was enough for me to overcome my arachnophobia and settle down with my kids to watch the latest adaptation of E. B. White's feel-good classic.
With a huge budget, a multitude of A-listers lending their vocal talents, and creepy child star Dakota Fanning starring as Fern, would this be an overblown Hollywood mess, or a charmingly told tale to warm the heart? Neither, actually; it lands somewhere in the middle.
Parts of the film work wonderfully, whilst others fall flat on their face. During the opening credits, brilliant animation perfectly sets the tone: we see a picture-book rural utopia which looks positively magical. But later on we also get fart jokes (I enjoy toilet humour, but here it seems totally out of place).
The script is also a mixed bag: most of the humour is spot on (yes, I actually enjoyed the antics of the two crows); however, the inclusion of a romance between Fern and a local boy seemed totally unnecessary.
The direction is adequate, but rarely rises above 'workmanlike'. However, the effects are fantastica seamless blend of real life footage, animatronics, and computer wizardryand these alone are worth seeing the film for (what else would you really expect from the combined talents of Phil Tippet and Stan Winstons' FX studios?).
Charlotte's Web ain't a patch on Babe or Pig In The City (but then what is?) It is, however, a reasonable way to pass the timeeven if you hate arachnids.
I'm not ashamed to admit that spiders freak me out (even CGI ones with smiley faces), but the fact that Charlotte's Web also had talking farm animals was enough for me to overcome my arachnophobia and settle down with my kids to watch the latest adaptation of E. B. White's feel-good classic.
With a huge budget, a multitude of A-listers lending their vocal talents, and creepy child star Dakota Fanning starring as Fern, would this be an overblown Hollywood mess, or a charmingly told tale to warm the heart? Neither, actually; it lands somewhere in the middle.
Parts of the film work wonderfully, whilst others fall flat on their face. During the opening credits, brilliant animation perfectly sets the tone: we see a picture-book rural utopia which looks positively magical. But later on we also get fart jokes (I enjoy toilet humour, but here it seems totally out of place).
The script is also a mixed bag: most of the humour is spot on (yes, I actually enjoyed the antics of the two crows); however, the inclusion of a romance between Fern and a local boy seemed totally unnecessary.
The direction is adequate, but rarely rises above 'workmanlike'. However, the effects are fantastica seamless blend of real life footage, animatronics, and computer wizardryand these alone are worth seeing the film for (what else would you really expect from the combined talents of Phil Tippet and Stan Winstons' FX studios?).
Charlotte's Web ain't a patch on Babe or Pig In The City (but then what is?) It is, however, a reasonable way to pass the timeeven if you hate arachnids.