Charlotte’s Webb
By Cory Peynado, Blockbuster.co.uk

“My webs were no miracle, Wilbur. I was only describing what I saw. The miracle is you”

When you’re standing in front of all your boys and you mention that you’re looking forward to the new movie “Charlotte’s Web” from the popular children’s book, you can’t be surprised if you don’t get many hi-fives back. It’s a common misconception that movies of this particular ilk have the words “only kiddies need apply” attached to them, but this only means that people are missing out on some of the most charming and wonderful stories available.

Despite being written in 1952 I think it’s still a little presumptuous for me say that we all know the story (I certainly didn’t) but I’m sure we’ve all heard of the book. Hugely successful from the outset the book has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 23 languages. Needless to say it’s carries a lot of weight in the world of children’s stories today. Also this will be its second outing into the world of film, the previous version being an animated feature released in 1973.

The story focuses on Wilbur the pig, a sweet little character who, amongst all the others in the litter, doesn’t get his fair share from his mothers teat. Not seeing any use for him the farmer decides to take an axe to him and this is where Fern (Dakota Fanning) comes in. She manages to persuade her father to keep the piglet that she has become so attached to and pretty soon Wilbur goes to live in the barn with all the other animals. However, it’s not too long before Wilbur learns that, come winter, his fate still involves being turned into bacon.

In the barn Wilbur meets up with a variety of creatures, all of them wanting to put their own opinions across. The most useful out of this new gang is Charlotte the spider, who is currently outcast by the others because of her looks. She cleverly suggests using her delicate web’s to weave out some carefully chosen words in order to keep the farmer from ending Wilbur’s life, but the task will definitely not be an easy one.

Dakota Fanning is what really makes this movie shine for me. It’s pretty well known that she is one of the best young actresses of her generation and the evidence for this seems to be in every performance she gives. Her love and compassion for the animals is what spurs us on throughout the film and by the end we are pretty much on first name terms with every cute animal we see.

Babe was a huge success simply because it had a great story and it made us really care about the character. This movie so far has been its only real rival because it carries the same sort of qualities only this time its based on one of the most well known stories of our time. In the same way the book didn’t just appeal to kids, this film has a heart-warming message for adults too. A must for all the family.