When comparing the novel “Charlotte’s Web” with the 1973 animated movie version, there are some obvious differences. A main and initial difference is that the movie is a musical, and the book doesn’t portray a musical aspect to the story. Furthermore, one sees that in the movie, Wilbur doesn’t speak or talk, until he arrived at the Zuckerman Farm, and this isn’t as obvious in the novel as in the movie. When reading the book, when Wilbur first begins to speak, a person may think that the goose was “teaching” Wilbur how to speak.
But in the musical, Wilbur begins to talk from the get go. One can also see that for example, there is no mention of Wilbur’s attempt to escape in the musical, unlike in the book, where it was of crucial importance. There is also the fact that new character were added such as Henry Fuss’ mother, who chases Wilbur out. The relationship between Fern and Henry is stronger in the movie than in the book. Other examples are like the fact that Wilbur saves Charlotte by attacking Avery directly, unlike the book.
There some changes to the film, like the number of spiders that Charlotte gave birth to was 5000, which was not the number in the book. Another important thing for one to notice in the book is the fact that Mr. Dorian the doctor was cut out. In the book, he is very important because he is the first human character to actually be able to understand Fern and Charlotte, and how children may see and hear things. Instead he was replaced by a gosling, who I think was very annoying, because pf constant weird songs and talkative advice.
I think that with these general differences between the book and the movie, I can say that the book is more effective in almost any way. If someone wanted to enjoy reading this book to children, or to simply learn from an academic perspective, the book is the way to go. The movies is great specifically on a comedic and “family time” sense, because there is a lot of music that children can enjoy. But the book also delivers that, and much more. The book has both comedic and also intensive vocabulary for the children to enjoy, and also learn.
An example is the characters’ way of speech. They speak in a unique way, and some of them (such as charlotte) talk with high vocabulary, making the other characters ask what it is, but also for the reader to learn something new. The movie does cover some of it, but it doesn’t match. Having the script of the movie almost identical delivers a sort of boredom to the listener. Reading it to a child is better, instead of watching it in between an average of 10 musicals in the movie. Charlotte’s Web is a book/novel where the impossible and tough because possible.
The Animals and talk with each other, and also save each other’s lives, as Templeton played a major role in saving Charlotte’s life, but also biting Wilbur’s tail to keep him upright, and not fainting. This is also another difference in the book, because Templeton bites him during the end of the book, unlike in the movie. This attempts to show Templeton’s potential for “goodness and heroism” as he was greedy and mean all the time. The movie is great, but it does not compare to the book, by a long margin.
