James and the Giant Peach [PG]

James’ life has been miserable ever since his mother and father died and he was forced to live with Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, who beat him, don’t feed him, and make him work work work work work. But when a mysterious man offers James some magic green things, all that changes. After tripping and dropping the green things all over a barren peach tree, a giant peach grows with giant bugs living inside. James, together with his new friends, sets off on the giant peach to New York, a city where dreams come true. 

Based on the classic story by Roald Dahl, produced by Tim Burton, and directed by Henry Selick, James and the Giant Peach is a classic family movie filled with adventure, friendship, comedy, and musical numbers. 

James’ life has been miserable ever since his parents died and he was forced to live with Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker; two nasty women who beat him, starve him, and force him to do nothing but work work work work work. But all that changes when a mysterious old man offers James a bag of magical green things. When James trips and accidentally sends the green things spilling in every direction over a barren peach tree, he thinks he is doomed to be miserable forever, but a ray of hope remains when the peach tree bears a giant peach with giant bugs living inside. Along with his new friends: Miss Spider, Old Green Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug, Earthworm, Mr. Centipede, and the Glow Worm, James embarks upon an epic journey on the giant peach to New York, the city where dreams come true. 

What I particularly love about this film was that it’s a kids’ film, but it also holds a fair bit of entertainment for the adults. The script is very witty and adult and the characterization of the insects is really clever. It’s really a sort of personification: The grasshopper is a British intellect, complete with tails and a monocle, the Ladybug is a lovely English mother with practically everything in her purse, the Centipede is a coarse, cigar-smoking show-off from Brooklyn, Glow Worm is a deaf old operatic lady, Earthworm is a paranoid with sunglasses and an accent, and Miss Spider is an elegant French lady, complete with high-heeled black boots, gloves, scarf, and beret. It’s really clever characterization. 

The movie uses stop-motion animation just like The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride and features wonderfully catchy songs by Randy Newman. And for all those Tim Burton fanatics out there, Jack Skellington even makes an appearance! 

Starring Miriam Margoyles, Joanna Lumley, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Terry, and featuring the voice talents of David Thewlis, Susan Sarandon, Jane Leeves, Richard Dreyfuss, and Simon Callow, James and the Giant Peach is a fantastic family movie packed with action, adventure, danger, great songs, and friendship. I loved it as a kid and I still love it now!