James and the Giant Peach

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James and the Giant Peach

PG

Released Apr 12, 1996

1h 20m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Featuring stop-motion animation and live action, this inventive adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's tale follows the adventures of James (Paul Terry), an orphaned young British boy. Forced to live with his cruel aunts (Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes), James finds a way out of his bleak existence when he discovers an enormous enchanted peach. After rolling into the sea inside the buoyant fruit, James, accompanied by a crew of friendly talking insects, sets sail for New York City.

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Critics Consensus

The arresting and dynamic visuals, offbeat details and light-as-air storytelling make James and the Giant Peach solid family entertainment.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Dahl himself thought his book would be impossible to translate into film, and for all the ingenuity that's been thrown at the screen, perhaps he was right. This overgrown peach never ripens.

Feb 23, 2018

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Dave Kehr

New York Daily News

The film is a technical tour de force, featuring a wealth of inventive design ideas. But James never develops the emotional dimension that Nightmare possessed.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 11, 2014

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

A snappy, fun adaptation that entertains young viewers without speaking down to them.

Nov 11, 2014

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

As such, the film is a strong piece for youngsters, but doesn’t quite resonate on other levels.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 4, 2022

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Underrated animated film from director Henry Selick

Nov 14, 2021

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Zaki Hasan

Zaki's Corner

...valiantly attempts to convey the amazement and childlike sense-of-wonder so characteristic of the late Dahl's books, and while it does succeed occasionally, more often than not it falls flat.

Rated: C

Apr 12, 2019

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Student: Jake M

Why does this film even show a boy as an orphan getting adopted by a spider? That is just so creepy and will give me nightmares for crying out loud! This was not a critical failure but is a commercial failure, prompting Skellington Productions to be absorbed into Walt Disney Pictures. The ending after the credits was a nightmare, making a person lose in a scary game that was set up.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

TROY S

There is sooo much I like with this movie. It has imagination, a sense of wonder and characters you either love or hate. And the blend of live action and stop-motion animation is a delight. The songs incorporated in this story is not very memorable but sweet and fit their purpose. And you simply have to love to hate Margoyles and Lumley in their parts as the aunts from hell.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

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Jeremiah D

it so cool hope for the james and the giant peach 2

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/24

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Dale R

This is a live action and stop-motion animated film based on a 1961 novel by the same name. The animation was done by the same studio that did The Nightmare Before Christmas and is once again produced by Tim Burton. Burton’s influence can be seen in the early live action segments. Paul Terry plays the live action James and voices the animated James. Acting he does a nice job, but this is also a musical and his voice is too airy for my tastes. Music wise, this movie has a few decent songs, but most of them are forgettable. This is the first Disney film to employ Randy Newman as the song writer and it isn’t his best work. The other voice actors include: Simon Callow, Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Leeves, Susan Sarandon, David Thewlis and Miriam Margolyes who all do a great job. There are a few darker moments in the film that younger audiences might be scared of. The movie did feel rushed to get to plot points and not much time to breathe. Some of the visuals, however, are great! I’d recommend at least one viewing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

Teddy B

A very noble and commendable effort whose technical accomplishments are outstanding, but the added elements whose purpose it is to flesh out the story are quite egregious and mostly just serve to stall the runtime.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

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Noe G

James and the giant peach is my second favorite Tim Burton, animated film I give this film a 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

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Henry Selick

Director

Paul Terry

James

Joanna Lumley

Aunt Spiker

Miriam Margolyes

The Glowworm

Pete Postlethwaite

Old Man

Simon Callow

Grasshopper

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Synopsis

Featuring stop-motion animation and live action, this inventive adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's tale follows the adventures of James (Paul Terry), an orphaned young British boy. Forced to live with his cruel aunts (Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes), James finds a way out of his bleak existence when he discovers an enormous enchanted peach. After rolling into the sea inside the buoyant fruit, James, accompanied by a crew of friendly talking insects, sets sail for New York City.

Director: Henry Selick
Producer: Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi
Screenwriter: Roald Dahl, Karey Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Roberts, Steve Bloom
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures, Skellington Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.9M
Runtime: 1h 20m
Sound Mix: Surround

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