Charlotte’s Web
Director: Gary Winick
Cast: Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, Dominic Scott Ray, Sam Shepherd
Inspired by the beloved children's novel by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web tells the story of a young pig who is saved from an untimely death by a little girl named Fern (Dakota Fanning) and given the name Wilbur (Dominic Scott Ray). As Wilbur grows up, he learns that come winter, he will be met with a tragic fate. Wilbur’s salvation comes when Charlotte (Julia Roberts), a wise and gentle spider, befriends the lonely, little pig and vows to save his life. As this unique friendship is born, Charlotte uses her gift of spinning words into her web to show the world that Wilbur is truly extraordinary.
Love is one of the most powerful themes in Charlotte’s Web and nowhere is it shown more strongly than in the character of Wilbur and the strong bond of love that connects Wilbur with Charlotte and Fern; a bond that is born from the shared promise that both Fern and Charlotte make to Wilbur to save his life.
When Wilbur is born, he is the runt of the litter and Fern’s father wants to do away with him because his mother can’t feed Wilbur and he’s so small. Fern intervenes and stops her father from fulfilling this awful deed, by promising Wilbur that she, herself, will feed him and take care of him…but that she absolutely would not allow her father to kill him. Fern keeps her promise again when she learns that once again, Wilbur’s life is in danger; this time from her uncle wanting to butcher Wilbur for Christmas dinner. This moment also coincides with Charlotte making her promise to Wilbur; that she will save his life, so he can live to see the snow. I think Charlotte wrote the words “Some Pig” and "Terrific" in her web to describe Wilbur, because she wanted Fern’s uncle to see him in a new light; to see that Wilbur is special and worthy of being saved, rather than being served for Christmas dinner. When Templeton brings her the word “radiant” to describe Wilbur, Charlotte is skeptical at first…until she sees Wilbur looking at a sunset and encouraging the other animals to see the beauty of the final moments of daylight shining on the farm. It is in this moment that Charlotte sees that “radiant” is the perfect word to remind the humans how special Wilbur is. Charlotte’s final act of love for her friend comes when she follows Wilbur to the fair, and spins one last word in her web: "Humble". This word not only describes Wilbur's character perfectly...it is also the catalyst which finally fulfills Charlotte's promise to Wilbur and allows the little pig to see his very first winter snow.
While the humans (apart from Fern) recognized the beautiful words in Charlotte’s web as a miracle, in her heart, I think Charlotte, herself, wrote these words as an act of love; love that she has for Wilbur, as her friend. With Fern’s motherlove and Charlotte’s gift for spinning words in her web, Wilbur sees the snow, at last. Wilbur returns Charlotte’s love, when he chooses to save her children and bring them home to the barn with him, rather than leaving them alone at the fair to die. He and the other animals watch over the egg all through winter, and when the new spiders are born, Wilbur tells Charlotte's three daughters the story of their mother’s beautiful legacy.
I have always had a very special love for Charlotte’s Web. My Daddy even calls me Fern, because like the character in the story, I am also very tender-hearted, and I love animals. This movie illustrates perfectly why this story is so timeless and special and why it has endured for nearly 70 years. The casting for this movie is excellent…particularly for Julia Roberts, who brings the wise and noble Charlotte a beautiful voice. Dakota Fanning was also the perfect choice to play Fern and her love for the little pig reflects her book counterpart perfectly. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Charlotte’s Web.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg
Director: Gary Winick
Cast: Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, Dominic Scott Ray, Sam Shepherd
Inspired by the beloved children's novel by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web tells the story of a young pig who is saved from an untimely death by a little girl named Fern (Dakota Fanning) and given the name Wilbur (Dominic Scott Ray). As Wilbur grows up, he learns that come winter, he will be met with a tragic fate. Wilbur’s salvation comes when Charlotte (Julia Roberts), a wise and gentle spider, befriends the lonely, little pig and vows to save his life. As this unique friendship is born, Charlotte uses her gift of spinning words into her web to show the world that Wilbur is truly extraordinary.
Love is one of the most powerful themes in Charlotte’s Web and nowhere is it shown more strongly than in the character of Wilbur and the strong bond of love that connects Wilbur with Charlotte and Fern; a bond that is born from the shared promise that both Fern and Charlotte make to Wilbur to save his life.
When Wilbur is born, he is the runt of the litter and Fern’s father wants to do away with him because his mother can’t feed Wilbur and he’s so small. Fern intervenes and stops her father from fulfilling this awful deed, by promising Wilbur that she, herself, will feed him and take care of him…but that she absolutely would not allow her father to kill him. Fern keeps her promise again when she learns that once again, Wilbur’s life is in danger; this time from her uncle wanting to butcher Wilbur for Christmas dinner. This moment also coincides with Charlotte making her promise to Wilbur; that she will save his life, so he can live to see the snow. I think Charlotte wrote the words “Some Pig” and "Terrific" in her web to describe Wilbur, because she wanted Fern’s uncle to see him in a new light; to see that Wilbur is special and worthy of being saved, rather than being served for Christmas dinner. When Templeton brings her the word “radiant” to describe Wilbur, Charlotte is skeptical at first…until she sees Wilbur looking at a sunset and encouraging the other animals to see the beauty of the final moments of daylight shining on the farm. It is in this moment that Charlotte sees that “radiant” is the perfect word to remind the humans how special Wilbur is. Charlotte’s final act of love for her friend comes when she follows Wilbur to the fair, and spins one last word in her web: "Humble". This word not only describes Wilbur's character perfectly...it is also the catalyst which finally fulfills Charlotte's promise to Wilbur and allows the little pig to see his very first winter snow.
While the humans (apart from Fern) recognized the beautiful words in Charlotte’s web as a miracle, in her heart, I think Charlotte, herself, wrote these words as an act of love; love that she has for Wilbur, as her friend. With Fern’s motherlove and Charlotte’s gift for spinning words in her web, Wilbur sees the snow, at last. Wilbur returns Charlotte’s love, when he chooses to save her children and bring them home to the barn with him, rather than leaving them alone at the fair to die. He and the other animals watch over the egg all through winter, and when the new spiders are born, Wilbur tells Charlotte's three daughters the story of their mother’s beautiful legacy.
I have always had a very special love for Charlotte’s Web. My Daddy even calls me Fern, because like the character in the story, I am also very tender-hearted, and I love animals. This movie illustrates perfectly why this story is so timeless and special and why it has endured for nearly 70 years. The casting for this movie is excellent…particularly for Julia Roberts, who brings the wise and noble Charlotte a beautiful voice. Dakota Fanning was also the perfect choice to play Fern and her love for the little pig reflects her book counterpart perfectly. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Charlotte’s Web.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg