Search - Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure on DVD

Heartless sacrilege.

Robert Jenkins | 05/06/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to follow up a beloved movie like Charlotte's Web. However, the writers of this sequel seem to invite antagonism by botching everything that made the original Charlotte's Web so magical. This is always true of sequels made decades after the original. I gave this movie the benefit of the doubt because I always want to believe that the things I liked as a child have some kind of Midas Touch (i.e. Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake). But Charlotte's Web 2 goes out of its way to assert its inferiority to the original. Also, this sequel is just creepy. For example, by the time that this movie takes place, Wilbur has somehow grown sideburns. Ew! And Wilbur's dignity is all but gone. Sure, he's a pig, but in the original movie we never saw him sticking his nose in a pile of dung and enjoying it. What's in the next one - will he actually be eating it too? Another disturbing aspect of this sequel is the change in Fern Arable. The once spirited girl who fought to save Wilbur's life is now a chipped-tooth hick who is only interested in winning a state fair prize for an enormous homegrown tomato. Perhaps the most horrifying thing about this movie is that it is centered around Wilbur trying to save a newly befriended black sheep from being sold. The black sheep's greatest fear is that he'll be used to make sweaters for people, but the writers actually decided to name him CARDIGAN(?!). Overall, I believe watching this sequel just stole an hour and a half of my life."

Not bad, but not up to the original

Robert Jenkins | Celina, TX United States | 04/23/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"We bought this DVD as an Easter present for our kids. My wife and I both have very fond memories of the original, and I was curious to see how this one stacked up. I really didn't think it was a bad movie at all. It concerns the continuing adventures of Wilbur the pig, Templeton the rat, and the rest of the barnyard critters of the original, including Charlotte's three children that we met at the end. There's a new baby lamb on the farm, Cardigan, who is ostracized from the other sheep because of his black fur. Wilbur, a pig who definitely knows the value of friendship, takes the lamb under his wing (so to speak). When a trip to the good old county fair results in Cardigan being sold to a neighboring farmer, Wilbur's concerns for his friend leads him, Templeton, and Charlotte's daughters on an adventure to find their friend.The animation of the movie is very well done, much better than most direct-to-video releases, and the background paintings and such were also well done. In that regard, I was very pleasantly surprised. The voice-over acting was fairly faithful to the original, although I must admit to missing Paul Lynde as Templeton. The songs in the movie are OK but nothing particularly outstanding. I did notice, however, that time has been kind to Wilbur, melting quite a bit of weight off of him and giving him a nice cute patch of fluffy hair on top of his head. Fern, Wilbur's human friend and savior from the original, also appears to have gotten younger, and her friend Henry Fussy is nowhere in sight.Basically, this is a cute movie, but it is nowhere near the absolutely stellar quality of the first. If you are someone, like me, who remembers the original fondly and think this might be a good movie for your kids, don't be afraid to pick it up. Your kids will enjoy it. However, if you are thinking that it will be as much of a classic as the original, I am afraid you will be disapponted. Still, all in all, it is a decent movie on its own."

Wonderful

Anne Bowers | Hollis Hills, New York United States | 08/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie seque was great. So often a sequel misses step from te original, but not this time. Grandkids who watched this are 2 and 4 and they enjoyed it over and over and over. Wonderful movie. I recommend this one."

A Heartfelt Sequel

gobirds2 | New England | 04/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very good follow-up to the original. It has the charm of the original that should be enjoyed by the younger viewers. However, the drawings are a total departure from the simplicity of the original. That rough and innocent look in some ways demonstrates the delicate power of the original's script that made it so appealing and heartwarming. But there's enough warmth of the heart to go around in this one that most viewers shouldn't be disappointed. I suppose that if you grew up with the original you may still yearn for that beloved simply told tale. But remember that was your day. Now it's theirs."