| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Simon Callow | ... |
Grasshopper
(voice)
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| Richard Dreyfuss | ... |
Centipede
(voice)
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| Jane Leeves | ... |
Ladybug
(voice)
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| Joanna Lumley | ... | ||
| Miriam Margolyes | ... |
Aunt Sponge /
Glowworm
(voice)
|
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| Pete Postlethwaite | ... | ||
| Susan Sarandon | ... |
Spider
(voice)
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Paul Terry | ... | |
| David Thewlis | ... |
Earthworm
(voice)
|
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J. Stephen Coyle | ... |
Reporter #2
|
| Steven Culp | ... |
James' Father
|
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Cirocco Dunlap | ... |
Girl with Telescope
|
| Michael Girardin | ... |
Reporter #1
|
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Tony Haney | ... |
Reporter #3
|
| Kathryn Howell | ... |
Woman in Bathrobe
(as Kathrine Howell)
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James' happy life at the English seaside is rudely ended when his parents are killed by a rhinoceros and he goes to live with his two horrid aunts. Daringly saving the life of a spider he comes into possession of magic boiled crocodile tongues, after which an enormous peach starts to grow in the garden. Venturing inside he meets not only the spider but a number of new friends including a ladybug and a centipede who help him with his plan to try and get to New York. Written by Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
I really enjoyed it, and so did my 3- and 5-year-old (and yes, we read the book). The animation and live-action scenes showed a lot of love. Though elements of the story seemed a bit hurried or neglected, they weren't anything a fairy-tale fantasy couldn't absorb in stride. The music works well enough for this non-fan of musicals, and I prefer serviceable and inoffensive tunes to the treacly jingles and melodramatic scores of the usual Disney classics.
My only real complaint would be with the ending, as it really is unclear how the aunts drove across the ocean (did they obtain their own crocodile tongues?), and the slice of NY upon landing has a grim, Munchkin-town quality. Still, everything up to that point has left you with lots of goodwill towards the movie's makers.