HBO Max has released a three-part animated adaptation of E.B. White’s classic children’s novel Charlotte’s Web, now available for streaming.
The adaptation follows Wilbur, a young pig in a barn who encounters the titular spider Charlotte along with fellow animal residents, and the pair form an unexpected bond. The project was produced by Sesame Workshop and features animation from Toronto-based Guru Studios. Academy Award winner Luke Matheny serves as showrunner, executive producer, and writer, working alongside director Yurie Rocha.
Matheny recognized the timelessness of White’s 1952 novel, and its previous onscreen iterations had left an impact on him. “What I really remembered about it was how emotional I got at the end, which I think was probably a new experience for me, in terms of that kind of surprise devastation that would happen at the end of a cute children's story.” Matheny said of watching an animated adaptation when he was in elementary school. “But I also understood it felt like a good, meaningful ending to the story [and] that probably made me grow in ways I didn't quite understand at the time.”
In developing an adaptation of such a beloved work, Matheny said the goal was to create “the definitive version of the material, which is ambitious in one way, maybe foolhardy in another.” With its 138-minute runtime (46 minutes per episode), Matheny realized the benefit of this project was the ability “to flesh out elements of the book that maybe were a little cryptic.”
Although E.B. White died in 1985, Matheny was able to work with the White estate on the project, receiving notes from White’s granddaughter Martha. “I really needed the blessing of the White family to feel like I had done my job,” Matheny said.
The project boasts an impressive cast, including Amy Adams as Charlotte; Elijah Wood as Adult Wilbur; Griffin Robert Faulkner as Young Wilbur; Jean Smart as Narrator; Cynthia Erivo as Goose; Randall Park as Templeton; and Chris Diamantopoulos as Homer. “I was surrounded by geniuses,” Matheny said of the experience working with the voice actors. “It was just a wonderful cast.”
Adams as Charlotte was a standout performance for the showrunner, who said Adams is “for my money, the greatest Charlotte to date. She was just such a natural fit for the material and can strike that elusive balance of warmth, humanity, kooky humor, and eccentricity.”
Matheny was also warmed by how deeply the show resonated with its voice actors, noting how actor Jean Smart’s experience touched him.
“She teared up a little bit when she delivered that line,” Matheny said. “The voice director asked her to do it again, but without the tears. And then Jean just broke down sobbing, saying, “I can’t help it” which, frankly, happened to many people throughout the making of this thing. It’s very emotional material. At some point you just end up crying because it’s too much.”
Charlotte’s Web has long been known for eliciting an emotional response from readers across generations; Matheny believes it’s a story that “taps into some primal fears about losing a parent. But then it just leaves you with a very life-affirming, positive feeling even though you suffered through some real pain before you got to the ending.”
As to what he hopes viewers can take from this new adaptation of a beloved story, Matheny said, “I just hope that families watch this together and go through the full range of emotions together and perhaps have meaningful discussions afterward. This is entertainment that should be experienced with people you cherish, and I hope that’s what people do.”
