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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Cynthia Fuchs

In this adaptation of E.B. White's 1952 Newbery Award-winning book, barnyard animals are reluctant to befriend Wilbur, 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. And Charlotte A. Cavatica (Julia Roberts), the spider who spins her webs in the barn doorway, decides to find a way to save Wilbur's life.

Is It Any Good?

5

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.

The one questionable lesson offered by Charlotte's Web is that embodied by Fern. A tomboy through and through, she worries her mother (to the point that she visits a doctor, trying to understand why her daughter spends so much time with the farm animals). When Fern at last abandons her overalls for a pretty yellow dress, mom (Essie Davis) feels reassured. But the film needn't offer this transformation as a sign of Fern's "proper" socialization. Really, tomboys can be mature too.

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