James and the Giant Peach

Inventively animated yet hopelessly uneven, James and the Giant Peach follows a young boy (Paul Terry’s James) as he moves in with his mean, spiteful aunts (Joanna Lumley’s Spiker and Miriam Margolyes’ Sponge) after his parents are eaten by a murderous rhinoceros. James’ miserable existence persists until he’s given a box full of crocodile tongues from a mysterious figure (Pete Postlethwaite’s Old Man), after which point the young boy finds himself able to climb inside his aunts’ oversized peach – where he meets an assorted group of quirky insects (including Richard Dreyfuss’ Centipede, Jane Leeves’ Ladybug, and Susan Sarandon’s Miss Spider). Filmmaker Henry Selick’s efforts at establishing a fantastical, fairy tale-esque atmosphere fall flat virtually from the outset, with the live-action stretch that opens the proceedings setting a surprisingly, almost distractingly low-rent tone that persists for much of the film’s running time. And while the movie does improve considerably once it segues into its animated portion (Selick’s masterful use of stop-motion is inherently compelling, at least for a little while), James and the Giant Peach suffers from an episodic structure that tends to run hot and cold (ie there’s little doubt that certain sequences, such as the troupe’s encounter with ghostly pirates, are far more engaging than others). The increasingly pervasive nature of Selick’s weird-for-weirdness’-sake modus operandi ultimately cements James and the Giant Peach‘s place as a creative but thoroughly underwhelming piece of work, with the film’s undeniably impressive animation style sure to leave fans of the genre satisfied (while others might find themselves wishing for a more substantial storyline).

** out of ****