Entertainment

"Some pig" is what Charlotte the spider writes about Wilbur in Charlotte's Web.

Paramount

Wilbur the pig (voiced by Dominic Scott Kay) and Charlotte the spider (voiced by Julia Roberts) in Charlotte's Web, which opens Friday.

And "some movie" aptly describes the endearing adaptation starring Dakota Fanning as Fern, the little girl who first saves and names the little porker. Julia Roberts leads a star-studded voice cast as Charlotte, who rescues the pig afterward. Fans of E.B. White's 1952 book have waited a long time for a live-action large screen version of this timeless tale that tenderly touches on unlikely friendships, the power of words, the sadness of death and the hope that lies implicit in the circle of life. There was the sweet 1973 animated film version with its own fine voice cast (Debbie Reynolds as Charlotte, Henry Gibson as Wilbur and Paul Lynde as Templeton the Rat) and many stirring local stage productions.

But it took Walden Media, the company that has made its mission the adaptation of quality children's literature for the big screen, to make this vibrant, flesh-and-blood leap in a manner true to Garth Williams' original illustrations. Working with Paramount Pictures, Walden brings the same earnest attention to quality as it did with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Newbery Award winning Holes by Austin-based author Louis Sachar.

Dakota Fanning shows spunk as Fern, who promises to nurse the runt when her dad is about to kill him, saying he's just one too many for the mother pig to feed (a scene inspired by one of White's earlier, discarded openings). Thanks to Fern, Wilbur (voiced by Dominic Scott Kay with the appealing wonder of a kid discovering the world) flourishes, but when he grows too big for the house, her parents persuade her to sell him to a nearby farm.

Most of the animals at the farm aren't interested in Wilbur. Then he befriends a spider, Charlotte, whom the others find repulsive (a nice additional dimension added to the script by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick). When the animals let it slip that Wilbur will be killed for ham in winter, Charlotte decides to save him.

But how? In a twist on the old mouse and lion tale of how the smallest creatures can help much bigger ones, Charlotte convinces the world that Wilbur is special by writing words about him in her web: terrific, radiant, humble.

Under the unabashedly go-for-the-heart direction of University of Texas alum Gary Winick (of 13 Going on 30), Ms. Roberts brings a maternal yet elegant twist to Charlotte, a metaphorical writer's writer whose passion for finding just the right word is evident from her initial greeting: "Salutations." Parents may have fun picking out other voices behind the animals, including Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, Reba McEntire, Cedric the Entertainer and Southern Methodist University grad Kathy Bates. But the kids' favorite will be Templeton the rat, the self-serving, scampering scrounger of scraps who brings back words for Charlotte for a price. As voiced by Steve Buscemi, Templeton is the ultimate narcissist, but one who ultimately reveals a gentle side, too.

Also nice for kids: Charlotte's Web goes for the oft-neglected G-rating. That means children of all ages, even those not old enough to read, can enjoy the journey.

E-mail nchurnin@dallasnews.com