Lifetime Television premiered this movie tonight. They ought not to have wasted their money. I can't even say that the commercial breaks disrupted the flow of the story. Rather, they were a welcome relief.

With a very slight plot...
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Lifetime Television premiered this movie tonight. They ought not to have wasted their money. I can't even say that the commercial breaks disrupted the flow of the story. Rather, they were a welcome relief.

With a very slight plot about a man pretending to be a priest in order to land the woman he loves, it just drags on and on with one cliche after another until it culminates in a really horrible ode to The Graduate. I strongly suggest you give this one a miss -- I wish I had.

I think all of movie-dom needs to come to an understanding that there are certain movies that just can't be remade. There is, in my opinion, no way to recreate the magic of Splash -- it just needs to be accepted, and then everyone can move on...
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I think all of movie-dom needs to come to an understanding that there are certain movies that just can't be remade. There is, in my opinion, no way to recreate the magic of Splash -- it just needs to be accepted, and then everyone can move on with their careers and lives.

This movie's story is never fully developed, despite the fact -- or because -- it is based on a book. Jojo's acting never rises above awkward, and her face shows very little expression... in fact, no one in the cast really "pops". It's just another ho-hum movie that I don't think even preteens will find all that memorable.

This was such a disappointing movie, typical Michael Bay, but still so much less than I expected. Sort of a cross between Brave New World and Logan's Run, it makes a mockery of the attempt to pay homage to its sources. Even the effects are less...
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This was such a disappointing movie, typical Michael Bay, but still so much less than I expected. Sort of a cross between Brave New World and Logan's Run, it makes a mockery of the attempt to pay homage to its sources. Even the effects are less than spectacular. McGregor, Johansson and Bean turn in mechanical performances aided no doubt by the ridiculously banal script. At no point did I immerse myself in the film's universe, and so I always felt I was an outsider with no investment in the outcome of the story. The predictable ending, a direct copy of Logan's Run, just brings an end to a rather horrifying waste of time and money... both mine and the studio's.

I had the pleasure of viewing this with my niece and nephew the day after Christmas, and was quite impressed; my 5-year-old niece stayed with the story 'til the end, and my 3-year-old nephew held on through most of the film, and didn't fuss when...
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I had the pleasure of viewing this with my niece and nephew the day after Christmas, and was quite impressed; my 5-year-old niece stayed with the story 'til the end, and my 3-year-old nephew held on through most of the film, and didn't fuss when he lost full interest.

The human characters are very thinly drawn, but maybe that's as it should be since the story's focus surrounds the animals. Beau Bridges has a couple throw-away scenes as the moral-bearer explaining abstract concepts to Fern's concerned and slightly dim mother. The brother and aunt almost weren't worth their salaries, unless scenes were left on the cutting room floor.

The revelation for me was Dakota Fanning; I find myself reassessing her acting skills. She actually showed emotions and more than a monotone delivery in this role. It could have been better cast -- there are better child actresses available -- but given the b- and c-list status of the rest of the cast, maybe they felt they had no choice.

For me, the beauty of the movie is the preservation of E.B. White's simple but effective prose, even added scenes stayed pretty clear and direct. The voice work is also commendable. I had to watch the credits (yes, I'm the person you have to crawl over at the end of the film) to identify some of the actors; a welcome change from Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks animation where no effort is made on the part of the stars to even begin to act a voice role. Julia Roberts does a gracious Charlotte, Buscemi a wonderful Templeton and even Wilbur is performed well.

The fact Nickelodeon Movies, purveyors of such idiotic fare as Nacho Libre, produced this was also a surprise and gives me hope for childrens' cinema.

Whether it's a keeper is yet to be determined. As an adult I'm sort of on the fence, I await my sister's ruling as to whether it becomes part of their library or not. Regardless, it's certainly worth the trip to the theater, cost of a PPV, or even the journey to the local video rental when it comes out.