Movie and Film Profile: James and the Giant Peach (1996)

James and the Giant Peach was generally released theatrically on April 12, 1996. Produced by Walt Disney Productions in association with Allied Filmmakers and Skellington Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. Based on the 1961 novel “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl. 

DMFE Rating: ★★★¼☆ (3.25 out of 5 stars)

Caution: Possible Spoilers Ahead!

After his parents are killed, young James Henry Trotter (voiced by Paul Terry) is forced to live with his cruel aunts, Aunt Spiker (voiced by Joanna Lumley) and Aunt Sponge (voiced by Miriam Margolyes). A magical accident causes a peach to grow to an enormous size, and inside it, James befriends a group of human-sized insects. When the peach rolls into the ocean, they embark on a journey, eventually flying across the Atlantic using seagulls and landing in New York City, where James finds a new home and family.

The music for James and the Giant Peach was written and composed by Randy Newman. The soundtrack was released in 1996 and contained the score plus original songs written by Newman, including “My Name Is James,” performed by Paul Terry; “That’s the Life,” performed by Jeff Bennett, Susan Sarandon, Jane Leeves, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow, and David Thewlis; “Eating the Peach,” performed by Jeff Bennett, Susan Sarandon, Jane Leeves, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow, David Thewlis, and Paul Terry; “Family,” performed by Jeff Bennett, Susan Sarandon, Jane Leeves, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow, David Thewlis, and Paul Terry; and “Good News,” performed by Randy Newman.

At the 69th Academy Awards on March 24, 1997, James and the Giant Peach was nominated for Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score) - Randy Newman but lost to EMMA (Rachel Portman).

First released on home video (VHS) on October 15, 1996. First released on LaserDisc on August 13, 1997. Re-released on LaserDisc on December 17, 1997, as a DTS Digital Sound version. Re-released on VHS and for the first time on DVD on October 3, 2000, as a Special Edition. First released on Blu-ray (+ DVD Combo) on August 3, 2010. Re-released on DVD on September 10, 2010). James and the Giant Peach is available on Disney+.

CAST & CREW

• Director: Henry Selick
• Producer(s): Denise Di Novi, Tim Burton, John Engel (Co-Producer), Brian Rosen (Co-Producer), Henry Selick (Co-Producer)
• Executive Producer: Jake Eberts
• Screenplay by: Karey Kirkpatrick, Johnathan Roberts, Steve Bloom
• Production Designer: Harley Jesup
• Art Director(s): Bill Boes, Kendal Cronkhite, Blake Russell
• Directors of Photography: Pete Kozachic (Animation), Hiro Narita, A.S.C. (Live-Action)
• Conceptual Designer: Lane Smith
• Animation Supervisor: Paul Berry
• Editor: Stan Webb
• Music by: Randy Newman
• Original Songs by: Randy Newman 
• Casting by: Robin Gurland, Brian Chavanne, C.S.A., Ros Hubbard (U.K.), John Hubbard (U.K. Casting)
• Cast and Voice Cast: Simon Callow (voice of Grasshopper), Richard Dreyfus’s (voice of Centipede), Jane Leeves (voice of Ladybug), Joanna Lumley (as Aunt Spiker), Miriam Margolyes (as Aunt Sponge and voice of Glowworm), Pete Postlethwaite (as Old Man), Susan Sarandon (voice of Spider), Paul Terry (as James Henry Trotter), David Thewlis (voice of Earthworm), J. Stephen Coyle (as Reporter #2), Steven Culp (as James’ Father), Cirocco Dunlap (as Girl with Telescope), Michael Girardin (as Reporter #1), Tony Haney (as Reporter #3), Kathryn Howell (as Woman in Bathrobe), Chae Kirby (as Hard Hat Man), Al Nalbandian (as Cabby), Emily Rosen (as Innocent Girl), Mike Starr (as Beat Cop), Susan Turner-Cray (as James’ Mother), Mario Yedidia (as Street Kid)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• MPAA Rating: PG
• Runtime: 79 minutes
• Sound: Dolby Digital 
• Format: Color
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Genre(s): Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy (from movies.disney.com)

BOX OFFICE (from IMDb.com)

• Budget: $38,000,000 (estimated)
• Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $7,539,098
• Gross (U.S. & Canada): $28,946,127
• Gross (Worldwide): $28,946,838

RATINGS

• My Rating: 3.25 (out of 5)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Tomatometer) | 66% (Popcornmeter)
• Metacritic: 78% (Metascore) | 6.6 (User Score)
• IMDb: 6.7 (out of 10)
• The Movie DB: 66% (User Score)
• Letterboxd: 3.4 (out of 5)
• Combined Rating: 70.88

MY THOUGHTS

James and the Giant Peach is one of Disney’s strangest and most visually unique films, both one of its strengths and its biggest hurdles. Stop-motion animation has to be admired and is impressive in this film, giving it its own distinctive personality. The characters are charming and carry a lot of emotion through the film, making the “found family” aspect really stick. It’s a creative, offbeat film that stands out for its imagination, which I can truly appreciate even though I didn’t love it. Be sure to stick around after the credits (or fast forward) for a bonus scene. 

Have you seen James and the Giant Peach? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Great care has been taken to be as accurate as possible when it comes to details in each of the entries I post. As with anything, mistakes can happen, dates can be wrong, information not readily available, etc. If you see a mistake, information that is incorrect or inaccurate, or missing information, please contact me at disneymovieandfilmencyclopedia@gmail.com so I can make corrections.