Charlotte's Web is perhaps considered acclaimed writer E. B. White best children's book for its timeless themes on death, change and innocence. Naturally, its popularity would spawn a film adaptation, which came in the form of a 1973 animated musical drama produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Initially released to modest critical and commercial success, the film garnered a massive cult following over the years and eventually spawned its own sequel and another adaptation in 2006, albeit one in live-action. As for the film on its own, while it might not hold a candle to the original book, it still proved to stand well on its own.
The film focuses on a farm-raised pig named Wilbur who makes friends with an intelligent spider named Charlotte who saves him from being slaughtered. Without comparing the film too much to its original source material, the overall tone is mostly consistently dramatic and doesn't shy away in informing the dangers of farm life to Wilbur himself. As such, the plot knows to keep the momentum up in allowing Charlotte to do what she can to cheer Wilbur up in times of gloom, especially without being around his adopted caretaker Fern Arable. Of course, the tone is a bit more toned down for kids since it does strain away a bit from more harshness in favor of schmaltzy relationships between Wilbur and the other farm animals. Nevertheless, for every watered down antic taking place in the story, there is just enough heartbreak and tenderness in seeing a once lonely pig in need of a friend soon become Homer Zuckerman's famous pig. In respecting the original book as much as possible, albeit with some creative liberties, the filmmakers did their homework well enough to leave somewhat of an impact.
As for the characters, thanks in part to their performers, most of them play a key role in the story no matter how minor it may be. In addition to Wilbur's development as a growing pig, Henry Gibson provides him with a genuine array of sadness and discomfort needed to gain empathy in such a terrific lad. Also, Debbie Reynolds adds a lot of warmth and comfort in Charlotte, almost like a mother figure to Wilbur as much as she is a dear friend willing to do what she can for him. Other notable standouts include Paul Lynde as the nasally raunchy rat Templeton, Agnes Moorehead as the brash yet encouraging Goose, Pamelyn Ferdin as the wholesome Fern, and Bob Holt as the pridefully hopeful Zuckerman himself. Admittedly, some characters don't leave quite as much of an impact as one would think, such as Wilbur's gosling friend Jeffrey and Fern's parents, as their basic roles are merely left over once the characters arrive at the fair. Sometimes, in order to sell characters transitioning from pages to pictures, a strong cast can do the trick almost like no problem at all.
Now although Hanna-Barbera has never had a strong reputation for their animation quality, the work done in this film is quite well done. The backgrounds and environments paint the farm areas with lush splendor and colorful palettes, complete with strong layouts and compositions delivered far beyond the studio's television output. Some notable song sequences include some gorgeously crafted effects work that feel as haunting as they do experimental. Perhaps the one step back in the presentation would have to be the character designs, as they feel more like the stock Disney archetypes typically associated with the studio's outcome at this point in time. Thankfully, the character animation is expressive and lively enough to gain some enjoyment from, and seeing the work of animation veterans like Dick Lundy, Hal Ambro, Irv Spence and more is still a nice touch. While definitely not the most visually spectacular feature of this era, it should go without saying that films like this demonstrate why the people at Hanna-Barbera were far more talented than meets the eye.
With all of this said and done, perhaps the biggest downside in the whole feature are the songs done by the Sherman brothers. While none of them are outright terrible, most of them aren't all that memorable enough to warrant singing along to and the lyrics in general feel like they could have just been spoken altogether. While pieces like There Must Be Something More and Chin Up establish Wilbur's relationships with good minded people in his life, others like I Can Talk and We've Got Lots in Common fall flat in how pointless they are. That being said, a few here and there are catchy enough on their own like Zuckerman's Famous Pig and the hysterically laughable A Veritable Smorgasbord, partially thanks to Paul Lynde's energy. However, in addition to the chillingly subtle works of Deep in the Dark and the chorus rendition of Charlotte's Web, Debbie Reynolds makes Mother Earth and Father Time into a genuine tearjerker that could almost be used as a lullaby out of context. Some songs might leave a bad taste in people's mouths while others might leave you with something to take home.
So while Hanna-Barbera's adaptation of Charlotte's Web might lack the strength and vitality of White's original book, its earnest dramatic tone, likable characters, well-cast voices and charming visual accompaniment make it work well enough on its own accord. Unless you're a die hard E. B. White fan, I would recommend this to a general audience who is at the very least curious about this film's mere existence alone. 50 years since its release, it's definitely far from the worst adaptation of an E. B. White story, and the factor of it standing strong for the most part should be noted wholeheartedly.
The film focuses on a farm-raised pig named Wilbur who makes friends with an intelligent spider named Charlotte who saves him from being slaughtered. Without comparing the film too much to its original source material, the overall tone is mostly consistently dramatic and doesn't shy away in informing the dangers of farm life to Wilbur himself. As such, the plot knows to keep the momentum up in allowing Charlotte to do what she can to cheer Wilbur up in times of gloom, especially without being around his adopted caretaker Fern Arable. Of course, the tone is a bit more toned down for kids since it does strain away a bit from more harshness in favor of schmaltzy relationships between Wilbur and the other farm animals. Nevertheless, for every watered down antic taking place in the story, there is just enough heartbreak and tenderness in seeing a once lonely pig in need of a friend soon become Homer Zuckerman's famous pig. In respecting the original book as much as possible, albeit with some creative liberties, the filmmakers did their homework well enough to leave somewhat of an impact.
As for the characters, thanks in part to their performers, most of them play a key role in the story no matter how minor it may be. In addition to Wilbur's development as a growing pig, Henry Gibson provides him with a genuine array of sadness and discomfort needed to gain empathy in such a terrific lad. Also, Debbie Reynolds adds a lot of warmth and comfort in Charlotte, almost like a mother figure to Wilbur as much as she is a dear friend willing to do what she can for him. Other notable standouts include Paul Lynde as the nasally raunchy rat Templeton, Agnes Moorehead as the brash yet encouraging Goose, Pamelyn Ferdin as the wholesome Fern, and Bob Holt as the pridefully hopeful Zuckerman himself. Admittedly, some characters don't leave quite as much of an impact as one would think, such as Wilbur's gosling friend Jeffrey and Fern's parents, as their basic roles are merely left over once the characters arrive at the fair. Sometimes, in order to sell characters transitioning from pages to pictures, a strong cast can do the trick almost like no problem at all.
Now although Hanna-Barbera has never had a strong reputation for their animation quality, the work done in this film is quite well done. The backgrounds and environments paint the farm areas with lush splendor and colorful palettes, complete with strong layouts and compositions delivered far beyond the studio's television output. Some notable song sequences include some gorgeously crafted effects work that feel as haunting as they do experimental. Perhaps the one step back in the presentation would have to be the character designs, as they feel more like the stock Disney archetypes typically associated with the studio's outcome at this point in time. Thankfully, the character animation is expressive and lively enough to gain some enjoyment from, and seeing the work of animation veterans like Dick Lundy, Hal Ambro, Irv Spence and more is still a nice touch. While definitely not the most visually spectacular feature of this era, it should go without saying that films like this demonstrate why the people at Hanna-Barbera were far more talented than meets the eye.
With all of this said and done, perhaps the biggest downside in the whole feature are the songs done by the Sherman brothers. While none of them are outright terrible, most of them aren't all that memorable enough to warrant singing along to and the lyrics in general feel like they could have just been spoken altogether. While pieces like There Must Be Something More and Chin Up establish Wilbur's relationships with good minded people in his life, others like I Can Talk and We've Got Lots in Common fall flat in how pointless they are. That being said, a few here and there are catchy enough on their own like Zuckerman's Famous Pig and the hysterically laughable A Veritable Smorgasbord, partially thanks to Paul Lynde's energy. However, in addition to the chillingly subtle works of Deep in the Dark and the chorus rendition of Charlotte's Web, Debbie Reynolds makes Mother Earth and Father Time into a genuine tearjerker that could almost be used as a lullaby out of context. Some songs might leave a bad taste in people's mouths while others might leave you with something to take home.
So while Hanna-Barbera's adaptation of Charlotte's Web might lack the strength and vitality of White's original book, its earnest dramatic tone, likable characters, well-cast voices and charming visual accompaniment make it work well enough on its own accord. Unless you're a die hard E. B. White fan, I would recommend this to a general audience who is at the very least curious about this film's mere existence alone. 50 years since its release, it's definitely far from the worst adaptation of an E. B. White story, and the factor of it standing strong for the most part should be noted wholeheartedly.