Charlotte's Web

Voices of: Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, Henry Gibson, Rex Allen, Pamelyn Ferdin, Martha Scott, Dave Madden, Danny Bonaduce
Directed by: Charles A. Nichols, Iwao Takamoto
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Musical
1973

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: To save a young pig from slaughter, a wise spider begins spinning messages in her webs.

Review:

Tim: Although I hadn't seen Charlotte's Web in probably a quarter century, I still vividly remembered it from my childhood. I watched it again with my five year-old son (and 21 month-old daughter). I remembered Charlotte and Wilbur, but was especially impressed when I saw the rat and immediately recalled his name was Templeton. Suffice to say, this movie made an impact on me. It was fun to watch it as an adult. This is a really well made movie and one I enjoyed sharing with my kids.

I had no idea about this as a child, but I was surprised that author E.B. White strongly disliked the movie. It was interesting to read why. I never read the book, so it's hard for me to offer a counterpoint. What I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and it instilled the story deeply into my mind. The movie is obviously helped by the source material. The characters, the story developments, it's all memorable and fascinating for children. I liked that this story addressed some fairly mature themes. I was intrigued to see what my son would think about a story that frankly deals with death. The movie doesn't shy away from this fact of life. We learn early on that Wilbur is slated to be killed. The bulk of the story is about his friend Charlotte trying to prevent him from dying. The movie doesn't try and hide this fact from the audience- Wilbur verbally expresses numerous times that he wants to live. The movie all builds to a crescendo with Charlotte's own mortality, another event that isn't shied away from. My son took all this in stride. I appreciated that the movie addressed these subjects in a mature way and my son rose to the occasion to think about and wrestle with these themes.

The animation is strong- I enjoyed the hand-drawn depiction of these characters. The static backgrounds might not have been wonderful, but they were well drawn and achieved their purpose. The characters are well designed- each animal is depicted in a realistic manner and help display the various forms of farm life. It is noteworthy that the animals (outside of Charlotte) are depicted fairly realistically- they aren't made specifically cute and precocious. I liked that the animals looked realistic.

The voice actors were strong. I loved Debbie Reynolds' work as Charlotte. She's the most memorable part of the film. I can close my eyes and still hear her soothing, kind voice. I loved it. Henry Gibson was fine as Wilbur- I didn't love his voice, but it was distinct. Paul Lynde's voice was perfect for Templeton. Lynde's voice is beyond distinct and it draws you in because it's not quite like any other voices you've heard. It was quite effective.

The story is perhaps the strongest part of the film. You are thrust into the middle of life on this farm and you just inhabit the world with these characters. The movie does a good job of establishing the characters and the premise and the movie maintains a good sense of momentum as the story moves forward. There's a little bit of redundancy to the story, but it doesn't make for a bad viewing experience. This is a story that feels like it teaches as much as it entertains. I really enjoyed the balance between these and it creates a compelling viewing experience.

The songs are mostly good. I know E.B. White disliked them, but I thought they worked. I don't know if there's really a standout song, but each of them reveals something about the characters, the world, or the film's philosophy about life. Some of them do go on a bit long, but they are more positive than anything.

Charlotte's Web is a classic animated movie and I enjoyed it at 37 years old, as much as I enjoyed it as a child. It's an entertaining, memorable movie. My five year-old son enjoyed it a great deal, too. It's so fun to be able to share movies that I loved as a child with my son. We had a good time watching this movie. I actually look forward to watching it again when my daughter is older.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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