JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. Directed by Henry Selick; written by Karey Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Roberts and Steve Bloom; produced by Denise Di Novi and Tim Burton for Walt Disney. Starring Paul Terry and voices of Simon Callow, Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Leeves and Susan Sarandon. Rated PG.
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Author Roald Dahl and filmmaker Tim Burton make a good team. They both have slightly sinister, incredibly imaginative views of the world that fit very well together. And the result is a superior family movie.
James is adapted from the late author's modern classic fantasy using, for the most part, the wonderful stop-action animation techniques that producer Burton showcased in 1993's amazing Nightmare Before Christmas. Only such "far out" movie-making methods could do justice to the wildly imaginative story. (Dahl refused several earlier offers to film his book, thinking it would be impossible to accomplish successfully. His widow okayed the current production, and it's a shame the author, who died in 1990, isn't here to see that it was possible, after all.)
As far as my recollections of book go, the movie is generally faithful to the story. And it captures the menacing, yet hopeful tone perfectly. James (Terry) is an unhappy English orphan living with two aunts who studied child-rearing under Cinderella's stepmother. He dreams of going to New York City, where his father told him "dreams come true."
When some magic green squiggly things come into the picture and "infect" an old peach tree in the aunts' yard, a giant peach grows there. And, after a while, James manages to get inside it, where he is transformed into a stop-motion animated figure. He joins a group of boy-sized bugs inside the peach for an exciting journey over the ocean to New York. (If you haven't read the book, this may sound much too weird, but, trust me, it works. I recommend the book highly, whether or not you have kids to read it to.) Along the way, he makes the usual child's adventure story discoveries—he is smart, capable and worthy after all; he finds a caring group of friends who come to depend upon him; and dreams really can come true.
Sensitive younger viewers who haven't heard the story might be frightened or unduly upset by the opening sequence, since James' situation with the aunts really is dreadful. But if parents can prepare them for that part, they will love the movie. The great thing is that the parents will, too. The all-star cast of voices is wonderful. The songs are good, too, but, just as with Nightmare, I suspect some kids might get impatient with the singing and fidget to get back to the action. All in all, though, James is a real treat. And if it can get your 7-10-year olds hooked on Roald Dahl, that's an extra bonus.
May 26, 1996