Completely harmless, perfectly paced family fun. Much too overlooked and underrated.

Although 1st prize goes to Paul Terry for being the most goddamn irritating child actor in existence.

This is not a musical. But it sure felt like it should be classified as one. And unfortunately not a very good one either.

Review from my VOD column "This Week on Demand".

Roald Dahl’s source material is perfectly suited to the creepy style of Henry Selick, who makes his sophomore effort with James and the Giant Peach, the tale of the titular young boy who escapes the malice of his evil aunts in an overgrown piece of fruit populated by various insect inhabitants. Blending live action with the stop-motion of his first film (The Nightmare Before Christmas, reviewed below), Selick does justice to the characteristic Quentin Blake illustrations so beloved by fans of Dahl’s books, his characters lovingly tailored to respect Blake’s vision while best serving their newly-added dimensions. Enacted by a delightful voice cast including Richard Dreyfuss, Simon Callow, Susan Sarandon, and Pete Postlethwaite as narrator, it’s a terrific stowaway adventure with a visual inventiveness that allows it to avoid being dictated by the confines of its fruity setting. And let’s not forget the terrific addition of Randy Newman’s memorable songs.

Another film from my childhood that I haven't rewatched in years... This is the bizarre story of an abused orphan boy who is magically turned into an animated figure and sent adrift with talking bugs on a giant peach. The morals of the film are fairly sound, emphasizing the rewards of being kind to one another. The art - a unique mix of clay animation and live action - is also interesting. However, the film as a whole is surprisingly gritty, with a dark tone and some mildly disturbing images. (Guess that comes from being a Tim Burton film.) There's a smattering of mild content (language, immodesty, smoking, and the magic), but nothing excessive. It's an interesting film, but the grittiness dampens the fancifulness and keeps it from being a true classic.

What an odd little movie. I'm not the biggest fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, but it seemed less cheap-looking than this. Good cast--especially Pete Postlethwaite--but the stylized look of the live-action didn't really work for me. And then there's Randy Newman's Toy-Story-outtake soundtrack. No thanks to that.

I think if I had've watched this when I was younger I would have enjoyed it a lot more than watching it today.

While it was still entertaining, it really didn't do much for me. The animated parts were fun and contrasted nicely with the live action segments, but overall, I just wasn't drawn into this world and the characters.

By no means was this a bad movie, I just wasn't into it.

This is a cute one.

Completely harmless, perfectly paced family fun. Much too overlooked and underrated.

Although 1st prize goes to Paul Terry for being the most goddamn irritating child actor in existence.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

While the live action portion isn't outstanding, I love the stop-motion style of animation and the characters James befriends upon his journey inside the giant peach are all very entertaining.
Loved this since I first watched as a 5 year old and it still holds up.

Visually interesting. Otherwise quite boring.

Review from my VOD column "This Week on Demand".

Roald Dahl’s source material is perfectly suited to the creepy style of Henry Selick, who makes his sophomore effort with James and the Giant Peach, the tale of the titular young boy who escapes the malice of his evil aunts in an overgrown piece of fruit populated by various insect inhabitants. Blending live action with the stop-motion of his first film (The Nightmare Before Christmas, reviewed below), Selick does justice to the characteristic Quentin Blake illustrations so beloved by fans of Dahl’s books, his characters lovingly tailored to respect Blake’s vision while best serving their newly-added dimensions. Enacted by a delightful voice cast including Richard Dreyfuss, Simon Callow, Susan Sarandon, and Pete Postlethwaite as narrator, it’s a terrific stowaway adventure with a visual inventiveness that allows it to avoid being dictated by the confines of its fruity setting. And let’s not forget the terrific addition of Randy Newman’s memorable songs.