Charlotte's Web
Short description
Charlotte's Web is a family film about a runt pig named Wilbur who is saved from being killed by a farmer's daughter, Fern Arable. She raises him until he is strong enough to move to the Zuckerman farm, where the other animals initially regard him with suspicion or indifference. Wilbur learns that he is being fattened for slaughter, and it falls to a spider named Charlotte, living in the barn rafters, to find a way to convince the farmer that Wilbur is too special to be butchered. She spins words into her webs, turning the pig into a local curiosity and giving him a chance at a different future.
The film is based on E.B. White's children's novel, adapted for the screen by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick. Gary Winick directed it as his third feature, following Tadpole and 13 Going on 30. Dakota Fanning plays Fern, while Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer number among the voice cast, which totals 41 credited performers. Produced by Paramount, Nickelodeon Movies, Kerner Entertainment and Walden Media, the film had a budget of 85 million dollars and took 149 million dollars worldwide, a modest return for a production of that scale. On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from 50,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 out of 10 from 1,493 votes, while critics gave it 7.2 out of 10 across 147 reviews, a warmer response than that of general audiences.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the book of the same name by the renowned American children's author E.B. White, first published in 1952.
- In the dubbed French version of the film, Charlotte was voiced by the famous actress and model Letitia Casta.
- Chloe Greenfield also auditioned for the role of Fern, which ultimately went to Dakota Fanning.
- Because the piglets grew so quickly, 47 pigs were used on the set. Each piglet was trained to perform only one small trick.
- The spider Charlotte introduces herself as Charlotte A. Cavatica, referencing the scientific name of the barn spider, Araneus Cavaticus. This same name, Araneus Cavatica, was previously used in the singular form.
- Tim Burton declined an offer to direct the film in order to focus on his own project, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007).
- For security reasons, early copies of the film were delivered under the title "Bacon".
- Composer Danny Elfman declined to work on "Spider-Man 3" (2007) in order to write the music for "Charlotte's Web".
- The book Fern reads to the animals in the barn is the well-known fairy tale "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey.
- The pair of crows were named Alvin and Brooks in honor of the author of the book, whose full name was Alvin Brooks White.
- Filming took place primarily in the Australian state of Victoria, near Melbourne and in its suburbs. The scenes of the rural fair were filmed in Heidelberg, a suburb of Melbourne, on the football field of the local team. Since the script required the action to take place in autumn, nearby trees were painted with non-toxic orange and yellow paint. Also, specially made doll-mannequins with meticulously crafted faces were used instead of real people on the carousel.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
