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James and the Giant Peach, 1996, Walt Disney Picture. 79 minutes.
Age/Interest Level: 6+ years
Lexile Level: N/A
Awards: N/A
Reader Annotation: James’ life was turned upside down after his parents were killed by a rhinoceros. Things get worse when he’s sent to live with his two miserable aunts, but a magic peach changes everything.
Plot Summary: James was quite happy with his parents, but they were killed by a rhinoceros. Sent to live with the evil Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge, things become even worse as they treat him terribly. After saving a spider’s life, he comes to possess a bag of boiled crocodile tongues from a man who claim they’re magic. Unfortunately, he loses them and they slip into the ground. Soon after, a massive peach begins growing near his Aunts’ house. One night, he goes to investigate and discovers it’s being inhabited by a group of human-size bugs. Hearing the Aunts yelling for him, one insect cuts the stem, causing the peach to roll into the night where James dreams of making it all the way to New York.
Critical Evaluation: This adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel does something remarkable in that it does not attempt to cut the bite the original work had. The parents die a horrible death, the Aunts are deliciously evil, and James faces some scary situations on his adventure to New York. However, the heart of the piece remains, and the idea of an unlikely friendship is present. While some scenes are a bit macabre, the work overall is hopefully in tone and, ultimately, very sweet. This is aided by a stellar cast, particularly Miriam Margolyes and Joanna Lumley as Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker who both make it easy to see why James needs to run away.
Why Included: This is a delightful film with an overall sweet message. The use of stop-motion animation and live action sequences gives a cartoonish fun to some of the bleaker scenes which isn’t as available in the book.
Age/Interest Level: 6+ years
Lexile Level: N/A
Awards: N/A
Reader Annotation: James’ life was turned upside down after his parents were killed by a rhinoceros. Things get worse when he’s sent to live with his two miserable aunts, but a magic peach changes everything.
Plot Summary: James was quite happy with his parents, but they were killed by a rhinoceros. Sent to live with the evil Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge, things become even worse as they treat him terribly. After saving a spider’s life, he comes to possess a bag of boiled crocodile tongues from a man who claim they’re magic. Unfortunately, he loses them and they slip into the ground. Soon after, a massive peach begins growing near his Aunts’ house. One night, he goes to investigate and discovers it’s being inhabited by a group of human-size bugs. Hearing the Aunts yelling for him, one insect cuts the stem, causing the peach to roll into the night where James dreams of making it all the way to New York.
Critical Evaluation: This adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel does something remarkable in that it does not attempt to cut the bite the original work had. The parents die a horrible death, the Aunts are deliciously evil, and James faces some scary situations on his adventure to New York. However, the heart of the piece remains, and the idea of an unlikely friendship is present. While some scenes are a bit macabre, the work overall is hopefully in tone and, ultimately, very sweet. This is aided by a stellar cast, particularly Miriam Margolyes and Joanna Lumley as Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker who both make it easy to see why James needs to run away.
Why Included: This is a delightful film with an overall sweet message. The use of stop-motion animation and live action sequences gives a cartoonish fun to some of the bleaker scenes which isn’t as available in the book.