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Charlotte's Web Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: G (for some rough action and crude humor including dialogue) Genre: Children, Family Theater release: December 15, 2006 by Paramount Pictures Directed by: Gary Winick Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes Cast: Dominic Scott Kay (Wilbur), Julia Roberts (Charlotte), Dakota Fanning (Fern), Steve Buscemi (Templeton), John Cleese (Samuel), Oprah Winfrey (Gussy), Cedric the Entertainer (Golly), Robert Redford (Ike), Kevin Anderson (Mr. Arable), Essie Davis (Mrs. Arable), Gary Basaraba (Homer Zuckerman) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

E. B. White's Charlotte's Web, the best-selling children's paperback of all time, has remained one of the greatest masterpieces in kid lit for more than fifty years—as a bedtime story with their parents, or perhaps as the book that awakened their own love of reading. And for some, it's a tale unwittingly etched into the brain, thanks to a little sister who wouldn't stop playing the 1973 animated adaptation over and over against her brother's will … but I digress.

Book adaptations are a two-edged sword, capable of causing great anticipation, but also great worry. What seems like a safe bet for a blockbuster hit can quickly turn into an infamous flop if the movie strays too far from the source material, or a dry retread if it sticks too closely to it—and the stakes are even higher when it's a beloved classic like this.

Dakota Fanning as Fern, holding the adorable little Wilbur

Fortunately, this version gets it right. Yes, there are some questionable additions. And at times it plays the book's story too straight. But to quote another classic involving an adorable little swine, "That'll do, pig."

As with Babe, this is the story of a pig hoping to escape his inevitable fate as Christmas ham. Wilbur (voiced by 10-year-old Dominic Scott Kay), the runt of the litter, is spared from Farmer Arable's ax at the pleading of his young daughter Fern (Dakota Fanning), who raises the piglet like a puppy until he becomes too big for her to keep. There's room for him at the nearby farm of Uncle Homer Zuckerman (Gary Basarba), but that's no guarantee that Wilbur won't become bacon by year's end.

Enter Charlotte (voiced by Julia Roberts), a graceful and articulate spider who befriends Wilbur. When the young pig's future seems questionable, Charlotte commits her life to saving him the only way she knows how—with her weaving skills and Marketing 101. By webbing words like "Some Pig" and "Radiant" over Wilbur's pen, she pulls a publicity stunt on Zuckerman and his neighbors ("It's a miracle!"), perhaps proving Wilbur's worth by attracting visitors and, ultimately, winning a ribbon at the State Fair. Anyone familiar with this G-rated story knows there's a happy ending, but not without some twists and tears along the way.

Wilbur meets Charlotte, and a friendship begins

Director Gary Winick (13 Going on 30), with a screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick (Over the Hedge) and Susannah Grant (In Her Shoes), remains true to the story and spirit, apparent even from the narration and sketch drawings used over the opening credits.

But it's not flawless. There are some inconsistencies to the CGI effects. As an animated creation for most of the film, Charlotte is rendered with realism, and there's a terrific scene that plays up the beauty of her work, weaving her first message with the agility of Spider-Man. Templeton, the barnyard's tenacious and gluttonous anti-hero of a rat, is equally entertaining with the necessary comedic relief. But why do those geese look so terrible—like those little toy animal heads on sticks that open and close their mouths when the lever is pulled?

The all-star voice talent is varied, and with mixed results. Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer are the worst as goose and gander Gussy and Golly, ditching some of the book's heart and humor in favor of clichés and stereotypes. Kathy Bates and Reba McEntire aren't much better as a pair of gossiping, gassy cows. But John Cleese is fun, if not predictable, as lead sheep Samuel, and Robert Redford is enjoyable as Ike, a horse with arachnophobia.

Templeton the rat, voiced by Steve Buscemi

But they're all overshadowed by the strength of the key characters. Steve Buscemi was born to play lovable rats—figuratively and now literally. As Wilbur, Key voices the pig with believable love and wonder. And though Roberts seems a little too tired and annoyed in her first scene, you warm up to her tender portrayal quickly after—despite the eight hairy legs.

Give credit to the live actors too, particularly Fanning, who's finally outgrown all those roles as the overly precocious child in a fantastic situation. She's far more engaging as the average girl, making Fern's love for Wilbur all the more genuine and believable.

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