La tela di Carlotta

I saw the film because it was based on a classic tale...and I know Oprah was going to be the female goose. The pig, rat and spider are cute - in an animal-sort-of-way. The cows were hard to hear. So I tried to listen for when they were talking. Maybe there was other noise then or they spoke under their breath. But I got a kick out of the crows.

I Barnyard the Cows all had udders. The male and female cows alike. At least this one is more authentic - true to the species. The close-up of the spider and web is extremely well done... and all the oral animation matches the mouth movements.

Oh yeah, and i learned some BIG words, too. Like: languishing. More-for-kids movie.

I'm not sure where all of the criticism of this movie is coming from! My wife and I watched and enjoyed every moment of this children's classic and didn't feel cheated in any way by the telling!

The story is close to the children's book but a couple of goofy crows are added with the voices of Thomas Haden Church and Andre Benjamin. They only added a mild comic subplot but didn't affect the telling in any way. Every time I hear THC's voice, I always see his character from Wings blabbering on about something mundane! He's quite silly as a starving crow!

If you want high drama this year, go see Apocalypto, or Blood Diamond... for good family entertainment, Charlotte's Web is the perfect counter to any heavy story lines from those other movies!

Charlotte's Web has always been one of my favourite children's books. When I was ten, I used to imagine having a pig as my pet and tear at the disconsolate ending.

One of the classic stories of loyalty, trust, and sacrifice comes to life in this live-action adaptation. Dakota Fanning plays Fern who keeps an unlikely pet of Wilber the pig. As winter comes, the family decides that Wilbur would make delicious smoked ham on their dining table. It was the 'ugly' and small spider with a big heart, Charlotte who saves his life with her web and words.

More than a decade ago, the world was thrilled by Babe, the courageous sheep chaser. During that time, the CGI was considered ground-breaking, thus Wilbur may not be as celebrated as Babe. (I remembered I swore off pork for a week after Babe.) Although the movie boosts a heavyweight cast of Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates and Cedric the Entertainer, it was Academy Award Winner Julia Roberts who breathes in life into Charlotte with maturity and genuineness.

Pardon me, but I never found Dakota Fanning cute or sweet in any way. (She was really quite irritating in War of the Worlds.) Perhaps she is too mature and smart for her age, and thus somebody younger and more innocent may be suitable for the role of Fern.

Children of all ages should be thrilled by talking animals and a charming storyline by E.B. White. This is a moving story to teach them about life and death, trust and friendship. Adults may be a little impatient at the bland storytelling, and most would have already known the ending.

The final scene will still tug heart strings and do bring your Kleenex. Do not be too skeptical, and you will enjoy this magical and childlike fantasy.

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Bring your Kleenex. Maybe it's just coz I'm female, or maybe it's coz my mother read this book to me when I was little -- but every time a new word appeared in that web -- tears rolled down my cheeks!

It's very charming. They have kept to the time frame of the book -- it looks like the 1930s-1950s. They haven't tried to "modernize" it with pop culture references and silly jokes like so many kids' movies nowadays do.

Fern isn't break dancing with the pig. (No, there are no musical numbers.)

Fart jokes were kept to a minimum. (I think they are required by law nowadays to put fart jokes in all children's entertainment.)

They didn't dumb down the lovely words E.B. White used -- Charlotte uses her grand language as she speaks to Wilbur and spins her webs.

I kept thinking of "Babe" at the start of the movie. A white runt pig saved. Similar barnyard companions. Even the voice of Wilbur sounds like the voice of Babe. (Even tho Babe was voiced by a 32 y.o. woman and Wilbur by a 9 y.o. boy!) But I think the writers of Babe must have been fans of the classic "Charlotte's Web".

Steve Buscemi as the voice of Templeton the Rat is just perfect. (Poor guy even has a rat-like face -- is that why they cast him?) And the CGI animation is flawless. You can't tell the animated animals from the real ones. Flawlessly blended.

That little pig is SO cute at the beginning -- I just wanted to watch him play in the mud for 10 minutes. (But no, they kept the story moving along.) They even tried to make the spider cute, but that's quite a challenge. Still Julia Roberts' soothing motherly voice helps. (Nevertheless, the little girl next to me climbed into her grandma's lap when the spider appeared.)

And Dakota Fanning, as always, is a darling.

So go -- and if you loved the book as a child, bring plenty of Kleenex!

It's a beautiful movie and wonderfully true to the book. A fan of EB White's brilliant work, I could recite the last lines alongside the movie. The friend I went with is a die-hard fan of the older, animated Charlotte's Web; his only complaint was that this one had fewer musical numbers (read: none). Also, I felt the beginning and end credits act as somewhat of a homage to the animated version.

The voices are very well cast; Julia Roberts is a comforting and delightful Charlotte, and while the opening shots of the spider made some in the audience go "Ew," we grow, like the barn animals, to embrace her warm nature. I found her quite beautiful in the end.

Steve Buscemi is perfect as Templeton. Knowing John Cleese is behind the head sheep makes it even funnier. And Dakota Fanning finally gets to play a little girl being a little girl.

It only made me tear up twice, but I'm a big softy. Take the family, the kids, and anyone who's ever enjoyed EB White's classic story.