 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
James and the Giant Peach
- Review Date: June 12, 2005
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 1996
Common Sense Media says
Fabulous adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic book.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that in this adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic story young James both loses his parents and is forced to live as a servant to abusive relatives. James risks his life in a trip across the ocean and there's one particularly scary encounter with a toothy shark. The video may inspire kids to build little hot air balloons with candles, as James does, and it may encourage bug-phobic kids to become even more enamored of their insect friends.
What's the story?
James (Paul Terry) has an idyllic life with parents who imagine taking him to New York City -- until they're killed by a charging rhino coming out of a cloud. James suddenly finds himself bunking in the attic of his aunts' home. He's a servant in their home, and the two women threaten that the rhino that killed his parents will return for him if he disobeys them. They also threaten to beat him regularly. James obtains some magical crocodile tongues spiced with "the fingers of a young monkey, the gizzard of a pig, the beak of a parrot and three spoonfuls of sugar" spills them on the roots of a petrified peach tree. Soon, the tree grows a giant peach, and James discovers inside it six insects that become his family.
Is it any good?
The characters in JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, unfortunately, come from central casting: the baffoonish Brooklyn centipede (Richard Dreyfuss), the elderly, hard-of-hearing lightning bug, the femme fatale spider (Susan Sarandon), the gentlemanly grasshopper, the twittering, lady-like lady bug, and the scaredy-cat earthworm. The Spider and centipede flirt with each other, but kids will take it as simple entertainment. The heart of this story, however, is in James, with whom kids who are struggling to find independence and security within their families will identify. The insect characters are mostly loveable, and also learn lessons along the way.
The only drawbacks are musical numbers that seem to only pad the short film's running time (the first is the worst, though later songs will have kids wiggling right along with the dancing characters), and animation that's unlikely to impress kids raised on Toy Story. When even Spider-Man has more realistic computer-generated graphics, kids may roll their eyes at clumsy animation scenes. One scene, in which young James has a nightmare about his aunts coming after him, resembles nothing so much as Monty Python animation on acid. James's head on a cardboard cutout of an insect? Uh, okay. But was it really necessary to throw in yet another form of animation?
What families can talk about
Families can talk about parents or family members who have left a child's life through death or divorce, and how the film makes them feel.
How do we remember the ones we've lost? How does James find a family of friends that provide for him the love he doesn't get from his aunts?
What role does imagination play in James's story? How did imagination make him feel better? How do you use your imagination?
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AGE
Great Kids Movie!!!!!!!
I love this movie. It is great for kids. A lot of frightening situations. One use of ass. The centipede is usually scene smoking an object that looks like a cigar.
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AGE
Bad Movie
I first saw this movie when I was 6 and it scared me! I had nightmares for a long time. I recently saw it again and It isn't a must see for the family at all. The guardians of James are mean, the story line is uninteresting, there are creepy stuff in it, and it didn't teach me anything!
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AGE
disappointing
My kids and I loved the book, but the movie is a disappointment. The filmed sequences are ok, but the animation is crude. But the worst part is that they changed the story so much and took all the fun out of it. We watched it once and I'll donate it to the library. My kids have no interest in ever seeing it again.
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AGE
I love this movie. It has good messages. I like it. Its a fun movie. I would like common sense to change the messages face from sad to happy because it's positive messages, not negative messages. I don't like some people because they're so dopey and crazy about somethings. i recommeded it.
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AGE
Good Movie
It was an over-all good movie, and really good. If your child is easily scared, you should not watch this, due to some "scary" creatures.
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AGE
I watched this when i was about 7 years old and those aunts were really creepy for me! I watched it again and I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't
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AGE
Close to the book, in spirit.
While the movie doesn't hew closely to Roald Dahl's book, it does keep the sense of wonder, both sinister and spectacular, alive.
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AGE
Okey, but not Great.
This movie is okay, but nothing to write home about.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | Henry Selick |
| Cast: | David Thewlis, Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Sarandon |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 79 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 1, 1996 |
| DVD release date: | August 28, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | thematic intensity |
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