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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.

Community Reviews

age 4+

Based on 13 parent reviews

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.
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.

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.

Movie Details

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