Released in 1973 this version of the book with the same name has defined many a childhood. I have some quick investigations and cannot find how much budget Hanna-Barbera had to produce this movie. I do however know that it made $2.4m at the box-office. Starring the voices of Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde & Henry Gibson it also features songs written by Richard and Robert Sherman who had worked on Mary Poppins, Jungle Book and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Do I have time to diverge again, if you listen to score of the lullaby in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang next to the ‘Feed The Birds’ musical score side by side it is virtually impossible to tell them apart. Not the songs but the music they basically used the same song twice with different lyrics. Well they also wrote the songs for this musical cartoon. The critics are similar but not as enthusiastic as myself for this one with IMDb giving it a 6.9 out of 10 while Rotten Tomatoes remembered it better with a 76% score. Onto the plot.
Go read the book!! OK I will lead you into this one briefly as it follows a friendship between a pig and a spider. The pig is the runt of the litter and is due to be executed (fun family movie remember) but is rescued by the farmers daughter who begs her father to raise the pig as her pet. A few weeks later and the pig is old enough to be sold and the farmer plans to sell him to her Uncle. At the new farm a goose finally gets the sad pig to speak but despite being able to speak he is still lonely so he goes off to make friends but no one is really interested and the sheep point out that he is not worth making friends with as he will soon become bacon or ham soon enough. Unsurprisingly this makes Wilbur (the pig) very upset and he is comforted by a spider that shares his sty. Overnight she has come up with a plan that will for sure keep him safe. So by the next morning the spider had written ‘Some Pig’ in her web which gets everyone excited and a media sensation. The next message reads ‘Terrific’ and is another media sensation. They decide to enter the pig in a show (not the spider) and with the help of a rat called Templeton they come up with another word for the pig this time ‘Humble’ and Wilbur wins first prize $25. This ensures the pigs safety and will always be look after back at the farm. Knowing this they all live happily ever after. Which is a total and complete lie as some animals cannot live as long as others so to avoid the sad ending I will write the end of the plot without mentioning the sad conclusion.
Now I have been thinking about this for a day or two and cannot think of a decent analogy only a rubbish one about the evil Mr Saville. This film warmed my childhood and it really is a lovely story and although I have made it sound more savage than it really is there is a melancholy to the story again which makes children realise that not everything finishes with a happy ending. Now this movie reminds me of happy times in my very young days but it also reminds me of something I don’t want to remember either. So, I am torn with this lovely charming movie that I cannot explain why I have a negative vibe for me. The analogy that I keep thinking of is loving something when you are younger and then growing up to discover that you had it all wrong and the beautiful thing was bad in some way. The best thing I can think of is to say you loved the colour of a flower at the bottom of the garden. You grow up and discover that the flower goes that colour when its dying and needs water which you have ignored because you never realised. This is the best I can come up but this movie reminds me of a good thing and a bad thing. However, putting my professional reviewers hat on I gave this score based on what I thought of the film and not memories. Which it gets the score I believe it deserves which is a mighty and loving 80%.
Comentarios