Charlotte's Web | | Cast : | Debbie Reynolds, Henry Gibson | | Director : | Charles A. Nichols, Iwao Takamoto | | Studio : | Paramount Home Video | | Format : | Animated, Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | March 01, 1973 | | DVD Released Date : | August 28, 2001 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | G (General Audience) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 16, 2005 | | Summary | "how very special are we, for just a moment to be...." | Content
 | E.B. White's tender story of life, love and loss has never been more eloquently-told than in this classic animated musical version of CHARLOTTE'S WEB, now finally on DVD. It's the story of Wilbur the Pig, and his amazing friendship with Charlotte, a spider who decides to help him when it's revealed that Wilbur is to be fattened for slaughter. Charlotte and her web may just hold the key to Wilbur's salvation. Henry Gibson and Debbie Reynolds add wonderful layers to the roles of Wilbur and Charlotte in their vocal performances. Agnes Moorehead plays the triple-talking Goose with Paul Lynde as the snide, sly rat Templeton. The role of Fern Arable, the young girl who saves the baby Wilbur, is played with shining innocence by Pamelyn Ferdin. The beautiful score by the Sherman Brothers perfectly enhances the story. This is one of those childhood movies you never seem to outgrow. A real family favourite.
Forget the upcoming remake with Dakota Fanning. This will always remain the definitive screen version of CHARLOTTE'S WEB. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 01, 2005 | | Summary | one of the 50 worst films ever | Content
| Everything is wrong in the disaster as all the charm, sadness and drama of this classic is gone. Charlotte should be a hairy spider with a Lucille LaVerne type voice, not a gorgeous arachnid with Miss Reynold's soothing tones. This is a story of friendship and self-sacrifice which is totally missing. And the tragic death of Charlotte, which is the highlight of the story, is simply glossed over. Along with The Cat in the Hat and The Grinch , Charlotte's Web is one of a trio of worst children's films of all time. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 28, 2005 | | Summary | Great for preschool aged kids | Content
| Most movies are too scary for preschool aged children. But Charlotte's Web is perfectly tame and enjoyable. There is death, but it is presented as sad, not scary. This is the only video that my 3-year-old doesn't need to fast-forward through parts of. And, of course, she loves watching it. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 24, 2005 | | Summary | "Some movie!" | Content
| Wilbur (voiced by Henry Gibson) is a porker with a problem: He was born the runt of the litter and to the farmer (John Stephenson), he's not worth the price of feed. The farmer's daughter Fern (Pamelyn Ferdin) steps in and raises Wilbur as a pet. Eventually the hapless curly-tail is sold to the Zuckerman Farm, where he meets an interesting assortment of characters: There's a rude ram (Dave Madden), a gabby goose (Agnes Moorehead), and a ravenous rat (Paul Lynde) named Templeton; but lonely Wilbur finds a true friend in the kindly, wise spider who lives in an upper corner of the pigpen. The spider is called Charlotte (Debbie Reynolds) and once she learns that sweet and shy Wilbur is in danger of becoming bacon bits, she spins the words "Some Pig!" in her web.
Sweet story, soft and gentle animation, cleverly-written but sometimes annoying songs.
Staci Layne Wilson
Author of Staci's Guide to Animal Movies
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| Rating | | | Date | December 22, 2004 | | Summary | This movie really touches your heart | Content
| I don't think you can help but shed a few tears in this movie. It deals a lot with death, and friendship. They don't go overboard with the death theme, they keep it very appropriate for the age group. They talk about how they were going to kill Wilbur because he was the runt of the litter (they obviously don't, but the father goes out with an ax to do it) and how it's a fact of life that pigs are raised to make ham and bacon. Even at the end when Charlotte dies, they don't show her dying, she just sinks behind a peice of wood, but you know she's dead. Death is a fact of life, and one kids are going to have to deal with eventually, and this movie could start an excellent conversation with your children. Watch this movie and buy a box of tissues along with it!! |
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