Charlotte's Web: A Classic That Will Live Forever

A few weeks ago we were in Wal-Mart and I saw the DVD version of Charlotte's Web near the checkstand. It was priced at right around $15.00, and into the cart it went. I needed another "kid" movie for my nine-year-daughter to watch, and I had so enjoyed reading the book Charlotte's Web as a child that I thought it would be a worthy purchase.

The truth be told, I also had ulterior motives. A few weeks prior my sixteen-year-old daughter had asked me to get a new movie, and I had told her she could choose. She said she wanted one called "Not Just Another Teen Movie". I didn't know anything about that particular movie but figured the title sounded innocent enough. After just a few scenes I quickly realized that movie was NOT appropriate for any of my kids, and the purchase of Charlotte's Web was partly to pacify them. At any rate, that is another review.

A few days ago my nine-year-old daughter and I sat down for some cuddle time and to watch Charlotte's Web. It made for a wonderful time for the both of us, and since I purchased this movie she has already watched it over ten times.


What is the Movie About?

For those of you who have never experienced the delightful read or the viewing of Charlotte's Web, it is about a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur is born the runt of the litter and is rescued from an untimely death by Fern, the daughter of the farmer who owns Wilbur.

Wilbur doesn't stay a runt for very long with Fern's tender loving care, and when he is big enough he is sold to Fern's uncle, Mr. Zuckerman. Wilbur's ultimate fate is to be dinner, of course. And the other barnyard animals in Wilbur's new home waste no time in pointing that out to him.

Understandably upset by this, Wilbur becomes despondent. But then he hears a small voice call out "salutations" and his relationship with Charlotte is born. She promises to do whatever she can to save Wilbur's life, and Wilbur discovers that he has found a true friend.

Charlotte formulates a plan and puts it into action, weaving words in her spider web to describe Wilbur. She figures that if he becomes famous, Mr. Zuckerman won't kill him.

I am not going to give the entire movie away, but I can assure you that it is worth the viewing. You should realize that the ending is quite sad, and keep this in mind if very young children watch the movie.


Tidbits About the Movie

This movie is based on the book by E.B. White, and it is quite nice to see how closely the movie follows the book. My daughter was also reading Charlotte's Web at the same time, and she was able to compare the effects of reading the story and watching it.

Charlotte's Web is an animated movie, and it is a wonderful cast that provides the voices of the characters. Charlotte is played by Debbie Reynolds, Wilbur is played by Henry Gibson, The Goose is played by Agnes Moorehead, and Paul Lynde is Templeton the Rat.

One of the most delightful aspects of this movie is the music that accompanies it. My heart was touched by a couple of the songs, and the musical composition nicely compliments the story itself. There are just enough songs to make the movie fun for the child viewer, but too many so the child gets bored. A nice mix.

Charlotte's Web is rated "G" and is 94 minutes long. The DVD version is kind of fun because it includes theatrical trailers and a "Meet the Animals" guessing game.

I paid approximately $15.00 for my copy of this classic children's movie, and I consider it to be money well-spent. The ISBN number for Charlotte's Web is
0-7921-7751-7. It can be purchased pretty much anywhere, from real life stores such as Wal-Mart to online vendors such as Amazon.


Final Thoughts

One of the the things I like the most about this movie is the way it describes simple life lessons that will impact a child; things such as how deep and wonderful friendship can and should be, doing things for someone else, and simply caring about others. We have talked quite a bit about the movie since watching it, and my small daughter has expressed a great deal of insight about the story. I find this quite wonderful.

I highly recommend Charlotte's Web for everyone's home video collection. As an adult I enjoyed watching it, and my daughter absolutely loves it.

Happy viewing!