James and the Giant Peachis a weird, wonderful movie from the minds of directorHenry Selickand producerTim Burton. ADisneyfilm released in 1996, it came during the Renaissance boom that saw Disney dominate the box office after a bleak ’80s with no real big hits. Coming after smashes likeThe Little Mermaid,Aladdin, andBeauty and the Beast,James and the Giant Peachwas a bold proclamation that the studio was still willing to take risks.
Prior toJames and the Giant Peach, Selick and Burton found major success with the children’s holiday film,The Nightmare Before Christmas.Burton’s signature goth punk aestheticblossomed in the now-Christmas classic, so the fact that Selik and Burton were once again teaming up for a Disney animated filmseemed to be a recipe for success.But, with its haunting animation, dark story, and oddball insects helping sail a scared orphan boy to New York City, it failed to connect with mainstream audiencesand is one of Disney’s most underrated films.
What Is ‘James and the Giant Peach’ About?
A great adaptation based on the children’s novel byRoald Dahl, it tells the story of a neglected and abused English orphan, James (Paul Terry), who lives with his volatile aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, played by extremely creepyMiriam GargoylesandJoanna Lumley.Always having dreamed of traveling the world, James is visited by the Magic Man,played by an excellentPete Postlethwaite, who gifts him magical, worm-like tongues. They then cause a peach on his property to expand and grow and also turn James into a miniature-sized boy,as the film transitions into stop-motion animation.James then crawls into the peach to discover a whole new world. The peach is inhabited by various insects voiced bySimon Callow,Richard Dreyfuss,David Thewlis,Susan Sarandon, and Gargoyles. The centipedes, earthworms, and spiders, together with James, sail to New York City to start a new life.
Richard Drefyuss Voices a Lively, New York-Accented Centipede
Out of all the crew, Dreyfus shines as a Brooklyn native, Mr. Centipede, with a gruff,heavily accented voice that contributes comic reliefto an at times pretty scary children’s movie. Among all the respectable English insects, Mr. Centipede sticks out like a sore thumb, andDrefyuss’s voice work does an excellent jobmaintaining a vibratothat masks a barely hidden insecurity of failure as Mr. Centipede leads the crew towards New York.
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The most visually stunning scene comes when Mr. Centipede toilswith a group of bloodthirsty piratesunder frozen water, and you can even see acameo of the skeleton head of Jack fromThe Nightmare Before Christmas.It’s a genuinely scary scene, but Dreyfuss’s dry humor balances it out. The similarities to the animation inThe Nightmare Before Christmasare all there, and as the skeleton pirates stretch Mr. Centipede’s spine,the gothic horrorthat has becomeso synonymouswith Burton’s dark styletakes overwhile remaining playful enough for children.
‘James and the Giant Peach’ Is a Dark Musical Fantasy, and a Cult Classic
Selick finds theperfect balance between playfulness and darknesslike he’s done in other children’s movies, such asCoraline. With the film’s combination ofboth stop-motion animationand starting and ending it in live-action,it’s a wonderful exploration of the power of children’s imaginationand their ability to create their own worlds. Dealing with themes of loneliness, child abuse, and sadness,James and the Giant Peachdidn’t talk down to its audience andentrusted kids to understandand handle the subject material.
David Thewlish is particularly moving in his role as theshy, sunglass-wearing Mr. Earthworm.His quivering, shaking voice portrays a certain kind of anxiety that is palpable. As he wonders exactly what he’s useful for in a sweet scene with James, Mr. Earthwormis encouraged to continue to be himself.It’s the kind of film Disney champions, anda moving story about friendship and outsiders. It was destined to fall short,as it proved to be too boldduring a decade where the studio was instead creatingmany big-budget films filled with romanticism. Nowan animated cult classic, it remains a daring, beautiful movie.
James and the Giant Peach
An orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.
James and the Giant Peachis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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