James and the Giant Peach (Widescreen)

 

 

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this is a very sorowful tale of horrible women who mistreat a small child called james.he finds some magic ..........mmmmmmmm.............somethings which effect whatever they touch magicly.eventualy it turns a peach into a giant peach.james gets into it and rides with some bugs across the sea from london to new york.it is animated so no stars again.it is very sad at the beginning,but picks up so some children may get worked up.tim burton is in charge again,so it is a gem.it is one of his best works.the 2evil chicks at the start are terrible and have no real place in a childrens movie.the book is excellent also.our teacher read it to us in the 5th grade.this one is great!

All children should see this, better yet -read it. The book was actually read to my class by our fifth grade teacher and our imaginations really soared.

The movie is a let down from the world I imagined. Also, this movie is not suitable for adults. It hardly held my attention, the songs are weak, and there is very little (if any) embedded adult humor.

Adult Burton enthusiasts should avoid this movie.

james (paul terry) is a nice and quite moral little boy who has two loving parents. while near the beach, he and his mom get killed (although this is not shown since it's a pg film) by a rhinoceros. yes this is a fantasy film in part and there are many magical elements in the film. james custody then is then taken over by two ugly aunts: aunt spiker (joanna lumley from "absolutely fabulous" fame) and aunt sponge (miriam margolyes) who are classic examples of adults who abuse their children. they are the classic example of the trash and evil nature that exist in all wretched adults who seek exploit others
for their wealth. in fact, james's aunts use him as basically a slave to work around the house. they starve him and feed the breadcrumbs that are in the trash. they yell at him when james wants to make new friends and talk to kids who he can't
relate to. nah it doesn't get much lower than quality of life aunt sponge and aunt spiker have on james. one day a mysterious man gives james a mysterious bag full of crocodile tongues I believe, which he says are magic and can make James dreams come
true. In this case, James dream was to go to New York City and see Empire State Building. It was actually both James parent's dreams and James dream. However, even though James parent's are long gone, James still wants to go to New York an accomplish the dream he and his parents set out to do. This is one impressive kid, he has a big heart and the kind of determination that almost no adults have nowadays. That's one lesson of the film right there , which is not to give up on one's dream, it's literally embodied in this great kid. So this special bag of magic combines with a small peach to grow into a gigantic peach which Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker capitalize for their own selfish profits!!!! Now if you think this made James's life any easier youd be wrong. Nope James's life continues as before, even wore as his rich selfish Aunt have become greedier and more manipulative and more vindictive. It's hard to believe that these "aunts" are the blood relative of James. Now before I go on, I couldn't help but think of James and Harry Potter. Sure Harry Potter was an orphan, but he and James are taken in by their slimy relatives who basically want to exploit and abuse them without any rights whatsover. Potter eventually escapes his vile relatives and so does James. Potter becomes one of the most loved characters at Hogwarts and James also near the end (without revealing too much) becomes
one of the most loved kids in the world. Anyhow James interests in the peach grows huge to the point with the aid of the magic bad of tongues , James becomes magically converted to small size and invades the beach. Inside the beach, James discovers a group of zany characters all symbolizing common day insects who have now made James the center of attention. James meeting the characters of Mr. Grasshopper (Simon
Callow), Mr. Centipede (Richard Dreyfuss), Ms. Ladybug (Jane Leeves from Frasier), Ms. Spider (Susan Sarandon), learns that they have been watching him as he is mistreated by his aunts and know that James dreams of going to New York City. Eventually James learns that the characters not only want to go with him but they are going to help him
on his journey as well. This is a great movie about friendship as well. Let's face facts it's not likely James would have gone to New York on his own, but these group of wonderful friends give the help and encouragement to do it, when he needs it.

When James and the group decide on a plan to go to New York City, they're journey is stalled by several dangerous adventures which include a metallic shark, dead caribbean pirates, and the hazardous condition which threaten to end their journey. However that isn't stopping anyone and James and his friends, as a group are determined to make it New York and James is determined to make his and his parents dream come true.... As you can see you can describe the movie any better than better, and the movie itself is loaded with amazing special effects that elevate this entertaining fantasy world that James has now come into contact with. In fact when I first looked at the effects, I thought I was watching another classic fantasy film like in "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and guess what both films were directed by the same great director, Henry Selick. I was success and an eye for greatness embodied in fantasy is a signature for
Selick. He really outdoes himself here.

Sony Imageworks and a trio of great animators provide the stop motion technology and animation that make the world of James and The Giant Peach so fantastic. Speaking of fantastic the voice talents in this film are all great with Sarandon, Dreyfuss , Leeves, and David Thewlis as Mr. Earthworm are great, you can tell
that they captured the characters really well, but the person who outshines them is Paul Terry as James, he give's quite a performance and I couldn't think anyone better to do the role he did. So as you can see James and The Giant Peach is far from being just a kids flick, it's that kind of stupid attitude that shows the true ignorance of so called critics who we'll miss out on the many meanings of films like "James and The Giant Peach". In fact one critic even mentioned that the film brings up ideas by Karl Marx for example the relationship of the slave, and master which are true in some regard, but above this a film that really does capture the spirit of having a dream and not quitting until he or she achieves that dream, because as you watch the ending, you can see in the ending, that James's dream really affects many people, not just himself. I could go and on about how great "James and The Giant Peach" but I think I've nailed everything good about it, all that's left now is to recommend the film to those who haven't seen it.

DVD Details:

Ah, the DVD is excellent coming up with several extra features:

*Commentary

*Behind the scenes on the making of the movie

* A special music video by Randy Newman who wrote several songs for the movie

* A beautiful transfer of the movie shown in letterbox format.

*Theatrical trailer

* About 13 character sketches on the characters themselves giving a glimpse
into the artistic process of the film

* Dolby Digital Surround sound.

As you can see a good DVD definitely worth checking out especially if you want
more details about the film.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie
I am really shocked that anyone could find this film "horrific"! It is far from horrific. I think the aunts are the most entertaining part of the movie. Read more

Published on Mar 8 2004 by grumbling_goat

5.0 out of 5 stars JAES AND THE GIANT PEACH IS COOL
I STARTED TO WATCH "JAME AND THE GIANT PEACH" WHEN WE GOT IT. IN IT JAMES WHO LIVED A WONDERFUL LIFE WITH HIS PARENTS AND WAS GOING TO GO TO LIVE IN NEW YORK WITH HIS... Read more

Published on Dec 3 2003 by STEPHANIE JENNINGS

5.0 out of 5 stars Horrific? hardly...
just because something is animated doesn't necessarily mean that it's for children. it's rated PG for pete's sake! Read more

Published on Oct 26 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars HORRIFIC -- NOT for children!
To list this video in the Children's and Family sections of any store is a gross misjustice to us parents. Read more

Published on Sep 27 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting adaptation of book
As a young child I loved the Roald Dahl books, and James and the Giant Peach was no exception. I was interested in seeing the movie, so I got this movie. Read more

Published on July 20 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars This is not for young children
It is a charming movie, but I thought it was for kids and let my 5 year old watch it. Not a great idea. Read more

Published on May 27 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars I don't think special edition means what they think it does
Roald Dahl's modern classic tells the story of James, an orphan who is treated cruelly by his aunts, until one day a benevolent stranger gives him some magical crocodile tongues... Read more

Published on Mar 22 2003 by audrey

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny! :3
I love "James and the Giant Peach" movie becuase there are little jokes and retorts I think only a teenager (like myself) or an adult would understand. Read more

Published on Mar 20 2003 by invaderjuana

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny! :3
I love "James and the Giant Peach" movie becuase there are little jokes and retorts I think only a teenager (like myself) or an adult would understand. Read more

Published on Mar 20 2003 by invaderjuana

3.0 out of 5 stars wonderful film.. but not 'special' enough....
This is a wonderful & amazing adaptation of Ronald Dahl's classic book. A definite addition to anyone's dvd collection. Read more

Published on Jun 26 2002 by P. S. Rouse

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