Charlotte's Web (1973)

Before Babe there was Wilbur from "Charlotte's Web". I remember having the book read to me in elementary school and this was during the time when the film was released on home video. This gave way to the most successful resurgence in popularity of a non-Disney animated film. The animation of the film isn't perfect when you compare it to the Disney films of the time like "The Aristocrats" and "Robin Hood". "Charlotte's Web" though has one thing that those films do not: a balance between heart and humor. The story I feel is one of the best examples of self-sacrifice in literature. The adaptation from the book was well done and the songs stick in your head but that is not surprising considering the songwriters.

The opening song and montage featuring Fern and Wilbur was perfect in introducing the kind of heart this movie has. Being raised by a girl, Wilbur has a different mindset than an ordinary pig. He values life and upon hearing that he will be killed come autumn, he mentions all his reasons for living. From a storytelling point of view, this set of lines is important because we need to hope for Wilbur's salvation. When "Charlotte's Web" was read to me as a child, I could not image who the mysterious voice was that Wilbur hears even though the cover of the book and its name should have been a dead giveaway. This is a compliment to E.B. White and the animated film also does a nice job of keeping kids in the dark who have not read the book. The casting is how they accomplished this. You don't expect the sweet but authoritative voice of Debbie Reynolds to be coming out of a tiny spider. Wilbur as a grown up pig didn't really work for me. The filmmakers who made "Babe" knew that they would have to keep him a piglet in order to keep the sympathy of the audience. For this movie, I like Wilbur better as a piglet in the barn than as a grown pig after "Mother Earth and Father Time". When I found out as an adult that the Sherman Brothers were the songwriters on this film, it made perfect sense and I could not believe that I didn't find out sooner. My favorite songs are "We've Got Lots In Common", "Mother Earth and Father Time", "A Veritable Smorgasbord" and "Zukerman's Famous Pig". The best comedy in the whole movie comes with "A Veritable Smorgasbord" and its reprise. The film captures how White described Templeton in the book after his night gorging at the fair. The gags during Templeton's feast are pretty funny. The Barbershop version of "Zukerman's Famous Pig" is very catchy, a little more so than "That's What Friends Are For" from "The Jungle Book". In the book, Charlotte dies after Wilbur has left the fair with her egg sack. Having her die in Wilbur's presence may be a little intense for kids but on the other hand, this climax is such a wonderful way to introduce drama for young filmgoers. The film needed the montage as Charlotte dies.

The cast members of this film all had successful careers, especially on television and cartoons. There are too many coincidences because of this to name them all but I will mention a few. I remember as a kid my mom commenting on how big a star Debbie Reynolds was as I watch this movie. I haven't seen much of her other works to be honest and so to date, "Charlotte's Web" is what I know Reynolds for the most. I do know that she is the mother of Carrie Fisher and that she presented the Sherman Brothers one of their Oscars in the early 60's. Reynolds' best acting in the whole film is at the fair when Charlotte is slowly dying. The way she finishes the reprise of "Mother Earth and Father Time" in whisper is very sad and dramatic. The comedy that Paul Lynde provides as Templeton is excellent. I love his lines "What are ya gonna do with it?" and "I suppose the next thing you want me to fetch is a dictionary." Rex Allen was the perfect choice as the Narrator because he sounds like a country father telling his kids a story. Pamelyn Ferdin was very sweet as Fern. Funny enough, Ferdin is now an animal rights activist. I also enjoyed Agnes Moorehead's work and it was nice to see Don Messick's name in the cast (aka Scooby-Doo). Irwin Kostal has worked with the Sherman Brothers in many previous films starting with "Mary Poppins" in adapting their songs for a full cinema orchestra. He did a great job too.

This is the best Hanna-Barbera animated feature film. They were the kings of television animation in the 60's and early 70's and when you compare their small screen animation with the big screen animation, there is a difference. They definitely put more work into "Charlotte's Web" although many others disagree. I guess those critics are too used to the Disney studio's style. Personally, I like Disney's "Robin Hood" better because of its comedy but this film has many good points also that must not be overlooked. The spirit of the book was well portrayed. I value very highly the balance between heart and humor in an animated story and this movie had that balance. I am a fan of the Sherman Brothers and they did amazing work as well.

4 Stars