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Parents' Guide to

Charlotte's Web (1973)

By Common Sense Media, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Heartwarming tale of love and friendship.

Movie G 1973 94 minutes
Charlotte's Web (1973) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 4+

Based on 13 parent reviews

Crystalite23
Crystalite23 Parent of 3-year-old
February 4, 2023
age 4+

Enjoyable and classic

My 3 year old loves this movie. It did spark some discussions about death, loneliness, and friendship…but I didn’t mind explaining things in an age-appropriate way. It has great songs and kiddos will enjoy it if they love animals.
Michael Hussey H.
Michael Hussey H. Parent of 1, 3 and 4-year-old
February 12, 2017
age 6+

This movie is NOT a "Heartwarming tale of love and friendship."

First of all, parents need to know that this is an incredibly powerful movie that centers around life and death and will fascinate and potentially upset your precocious little ones. Death is not something we've spoken about very much to our young children, particularly with respect to the death of loved ones. While watching this movie you will come to love Charlotte as much as Wilbur does, and her death will affect you and child alike. "The next time when we watch the movie, will Charlotte come back alive?" she asked at the end of the movie, trying to come to terms with what she'd just seen. Soon after, she broke down into tears and sobs the likes of which we've never seen; abject sadness. Though I was proud of her for grieving, I felt terrible that I hadn't properly prepared her for what she was going to see. Based on these reviews, I wasn't aware of how heart-wrenching a move this was.
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Baby pig Wilbur (voiced by Henry Gibson) is the runt of the litter, but a kindly farmer spares his life. Wilbur is befriended by Charlotte (voiced by Debbie Reynolds), a wise spider. When Wilbur learns he's going to be killed for bacon, he's in despair. Charlotte comes up with a plan to save his life. She spins webs with messages that read "Some Pig" and "Radiant." Wilbur becomes a national celebrity, and his life is spared. Unfortunately, Charlotte's life is coming to an end. She spins an egg sack, fills it with hundreds of eggs, and quietly dies. Wilbur guards the sack until Charlotte's babies are born. Most leave, but three stay on the farm, and Wilbur loves them almost as much as he did their mother.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Based on the classic E. B. White novel, CHARLOTTE'S WEB is a touching story, but it has several flaws. The animation, though good by Hanna-Barbera standards, pales next to even the lesser Disney features; kids with shorter attention spans may find it slow-moving; and some older kids won't buy into the sentimentality. Despite all that, it's a movie well worth sharing with your family, because of its enduring messages about friendship and love.

The movie's barnyard musical menagerie is amusing and child-friendly. Templeton the rat (voiced by a hilariously sly Paul Lynde) has most of the comic highlights, including a rousing song number in which he gluttonously pigs out in a junkyard. Sequences with baby animals will appeal to the youngest members of the audience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about which people are the most important in each of their lives. What can each person do to show their friends and family that they love them? Families may want to do an art project constructing "webs" of encouraging phrases made of yarn and construction paper fore each member of the family, similar to the ones Charlotte creates for Wilbur.

Movie Details

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