The film's a technical tour de force, with flawless stop-motion animation and some imaginatively realized live-action sequences. What's surprising here is how much of Dahl's misogyny is allowed to surface.
Comment
09/03/08
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
96
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:50
Fresh:48
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: The arresting and dynamic visuals, offbeat details and light-as-air storytelling make James and the Giant Peach solid family entertainment.
Runtime: 79 mins
Genre: Childrens
Synopsis: This Disney film combines live action with stunning stop-motion animation as it tells the story of a child's fantastic adventure. In the live-action prologue, a recently orphaned British boy... [More]
Starring: Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes, Pete Postlethwaite
Director: Henry Selick
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Reviews for James and the Giant Peach
This irresistibly mad plot and the superb animation is only slightly let down by some of Randy Newman's more forgettable compositions.
09/03/08
The vocal cast are great fun, and the animation is smooth and vibrant. Except for a few treacly songs, this is great entertainment for all.
01/01/00
No review available.
12/21/04
On the whole, the movie is a success. I still hope that children and their parents will read this wonderful book together, but it's nice that there's a movie they can see, too.
01/01/00
No review available.
03/31/05
The film is generally quite faithful, retaining the book's humor, familial spirit and even its darker edges.
01/01/00
This very unconventional tale is well-told with an imaginative combination of live-action and stop-motion animation, all colored with Selick's uniquely dramatic, preternatural aesthetics.
06/05/02
Mrs. Ladybug sums it all up with one marvelous line, though: 'It's better than aphids.' Who am I to argue?
01/01/00
No review available.
09/21/05
Handsomely animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic.
04/09/03
No review available.
02/08/04
It's ripe to bursting with visual effects a heady combination of stop-motion and computer-generated imagery.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe narrative is shallow
06/10/05
No review available.
07/01/05
No review available.
03/18/04
Marvelously inventive fairy tale based on Ronald Dahl's 1961 children's book.
08/27/02
The latest in an impressive string of first-rate movies for kids.
09/03/08
Top CriticThis weird story has been transformed into a playful, visually arresting experience with more than a few allusions to The Wizard of Oz.
01/01/00
Top CriticJames and the Giant Peach, the latest animated film from Disney, is a technological marvel, arch and innovative with a daringly offbeat visual conception. But it's also a strenuously artful film with a macabre edge that may scare small children.
01/01/00
Top CriticLatest News for James and the Giant Peach
May 09, 2009:
Exclusive: The Art of Coraline with Henry Selick
Henry Selick, the animation mastermind behind such Certified Fresh classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach adds another gong to his cabinet with... More...
May 18, 2006:
Cuaron & del Toro to Do Dahl's "Witches"
Two of Mexico's most excellent filmmakers, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro, are planning to get together and mount a new cinematic adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The... More...
April 05, 2006:
Selick Meeting with "Monsters"
Henry Selick, the wonderfully talented filmmaker behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, has set his sights on a new project: The very popular... More...
February 07, 2006:
"Shrek" Helmer Catches Barker's "Thief"
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of a new partnership that should please all the Clive Barker fans out there: Seems that "Shrek 2" co-director Kelly Asbury will head... More...
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