HOME |
DINING |
MOVIES |
LIVE SHOWS |
ARTS |
UPCOMING EVENTS
ARCHIVES |
ABOUT |
ADVERTISE |
CONTACT |
DISTRIBUTION
entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
<<
Seen, Heard, Noted & Quoted
|
Main
|
Dreamgirls (review)
>>
|
|
|
by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
A Rated G 98 min.
American author E.B. White wrote many things during his lifetime, but he’s most famous for his first two children’s books Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. The two highly popular tales have sold millions of copies and have been immortalized on the large and small screens since their conception. Charlotte’s Web, today the best selling children’s book of all time, can now been seen on the big screen in a new film that uses both live-action and computer animation.
One damp spring morning young Fern Arable (Dakota Fanning) wakes to find that a litter of piglets has been born on her family farm. Her father (Kevin Anderson) sets out to do away with the runt of the litter, thinking a swift death by axe would be more humane than the poor little thing starving to death, but Fern will have none of it, insisting upon caring for the creature on her own. Mr. Arable agrees and Fern names her new pet Wilbur. Despite the protestations of her mother (Essie Davis), Fern treats the wee piglet like a member of the family, feeding him bottles, taking him for strolls in a baby carriage and allowing the lovable little guy to sleep in her bed with her.
Once Wilbur (Dominic Scott Kay) is strong enough to fend for himself, he’s sent to live in Mr. Zuckerman’s (Gary Basaraba) barn with the rest of the livestock. There he meets a group of disinterested animals, leaving Wilbur with no one to talk to but an outcast spider named Charlotte (Julia Roberts). As time passes the two form a powerful friendship that changes life in the barn. Things seem wonderful for Wilbur for a while, but when he finds out that his kind rarely make it to winter alive, his arachnid friend must do everything in her power to save the little guy from becoming Christmas dinner. Using her webs, Charlotte decides to communicate with the humans, letting them know how great this seemingly ordinary pig truly is. Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Robert Redford and Andre Benjamin all lend their voices to characters in the film.
Personally, I vividly remember reading E.B. White’s best selling children’s book in middle school and finding the sweet story of unrelenting friendship highly entertaining. The book, which cemented the greeting “salutations” in my brain, is one of the very few that I can honestly say I remember well from that time period. The idea of a new film using computer-animated animals did concern me, since the story relies heavily on suspension of disbelief to be effective. Luckily, my fears proved to be unfounded.
For the most part, the computer animation in Charlotte’s Web is flawless. You quickly forget that the majority of the characters with major screen time aren’t, in fact, real. Watching Charlotte create her pig-saving web for the first time is breathtaking, filling the viewer with wonder no matter what their age. The tour through Templeton the rat’s hole is incredibly entertaining and detailed, giving the viewer a unique look at the feisty rodent’s heavily stocked digs. Chances are you’ll discover something new down there with each viewing. The amazing advances in CGI technology are showcased here, and with the exception of a few corny scenes (and certainly these are not the fault of the animators but of the story itself), the animation is some of the best we’ve seen yet.
Of course, most people have read Charlotte’s Web, or has at least seen the animated film version of the tale at some point or another. The new film stays quite true to the literary classic, a relief to those who may have been expecting a bastardized version of E.B. White’s charming story. The material translates well on the big screen, allowing those who loved the unforgettable characters a chance to revisit some old friends. Those new to the story, like my 4-year-old daughter who sat entranced the entire time, get a chance to explore a brand new place, perhaps one that they will visit again in book form. While the film did entertain and impress on many levels, some minor potty humor fell a bit flat with me and the majority of the older audience at the screening I attended. Of course, most of the youngest viewers found the fart jokes hilarious, so what do we old folk know anyway?
All in all, this latest version of Charlotte’s Web is a keeper. I hesitate to call anything a modern day classic, but in this case I will make an exception. This charming film is sure to delight the entire family with its adorable animals, amazing visual effects and uplifting message about the miracle of friendship. Charlotte’s Web is one that is not to be missed.
|
|
