James and the Giant Peach (1996)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Henry Selick

Writers (WGA):

Roald Dahl (book)
Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

If you really don't go to the movies, you won't see...

Plot:

An orphan with terrible aunts for guardians, befriends human like bugs who live inside a giant peach, who take the boy on a journey to New York City.

Plot Keywords:

Spider | Peach | Aunt | Centipede | Magic

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Simon Callow	...	Grasshopper (voice)
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Centipede (voice)
Jane Leeves	...	Ladybug (voice)
Joanna Lumley	...	Aunt Spiker
Miriam Margolyes	...	Aunt Sponge / The Glowworm (voice)
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Old Man
Susan Sarandon	...	Miss Spider (voice)
Paul Terry	...	James
David Thewlis	...	Earthworm (voice)
J. Stephen Coyle	...	Reporter #2
Steven Culp	...	James' Father
Cirocco Dunlap	...	Girl With Telescope
Michael Girardin	...	Reporter #1
Tony Haney	...	Reporter #3
Kathryn Howell	...	Woman in Bathrobe (as Katherine Howell)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some frightening images.

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | Finland:S | USA:PG (certificate #34530) | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Germany:6 (bw) | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Allied Filmmakers

Trivia:

The lyrics for the song "Eating the Peach" were written by Roald Dahl.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the end, when the NYC children are rushing toward the peach to scoop out a piece to eat, you can see one little girl running with a piece of peach already in her hand.

Quotes:

James: I can't remember what fun is for.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Enemy of the State (1998)

Soundtrack:

Sail Away

Wonderful

I was surprised that people thought this film was average, or so-so. I found it to me a movie that was so much fun to watch.

Starts out live-action, than it seagues into stop-motion animation. Some of the scenes are very memorable (the pirate attack) and the voices are delightful. Not as good as Nightmare Before Christmas, but every bit as imaginative.