In an era when movie studios are using talking cars, mischievous woodland creatures, and scary houses to sway the collective attention of children everywhere, Charlotte's Web has turned to an unlikely but time-tested source: a particularly bright barn spider. Over the years, virtually everyone has read E.B. White's beloved children's novel Charlotte's Web. Its values and moral compass continue to guide each new generation of readers.

Admittedly, this second version of the grade school staple (following an animated feature in the '70s) certainly has its heart locked down in the right place, lending more substance to it than such recent, shallow efforts as Barnyard or Material Girls. But alas, Charlotte's Web doesn't spin up enough pizazz to make it anything more than average, a pleasant enough family movie with honorable intentions and a ho-hum means of fulfilling them.

Our story takes place on a quiet little farm in a quiet little town, where a girl named Fern (Dakota Fanning) is about to make some very big waves. One early morning, she saves the runt of a litter of pigs from meeting a terrible end. Naming the plucky piglet Wilbur, Fern fawns over and takes care of her new charge, up until the point her parents have had a little too much and send him to live at a relative's farm.

At first, Wilbur (voiced by Dominic Scott Kay) faces a fairly cold reception from some of the other barn animals, from Ike the Horse (voice of Robert Redford) to Samuel the Sheep (voice of John Cleese), but one denizen steps up to offer her friendship: Charlotte A. Cavatica (voice of Julia Roberts), a creepy but intelligent spider who deals out advice to little Wilbur and tries to help ease the transition of being away from Fern. When Charlotte she sees the prospect of this spring pig destined for the dinner table on Christmas Day, she kicks into motion a plan to save Wilbur's life by proving to the careless humans that even the smallest creatures can be special too.

One of the reactions I commonly get after seeing a family film I didn't enjoy so much is, "Well, it's meant for the kids, not for you." This is often quite true (although I like to think my inner child and I keep in touch sometimes), and I'm always sure to add in a review that even though I didn't fully appreciate a flick, the little ones are sure to get a kick out of it. The same goes for Charlotte's Web. While I was underwhelmed by the movie as a whole, kids and those who grew up reading the book will probably walk away feeling completely entertained. The film has a simple charm, and instead of overloading the viewers with motormouthed characters or nonstop gags, Charlotte's Web takes a leisurely approach to spinning its story, patiently laying out its themes and crafting out a nice, easygoing atmosphere to wrap itself in.

The zippy jokes are kept to a minimum, which makes such side characters as two crows (voiced by Andre Benjamin and Thomas Haden Church) who find their attempts at absconding with some corn thwarted by a scarecrow all the more amusing. Danny Elfman's melodic score also does wonders for lending certain scenes just the right magical tone.

Alas, Charlotte's Web doesn't remain so tethered together in certain departments. The jokes, although used sparingly, contain a number of corny, tiring puns. The voice cast, while impressive upon first glance and creating a couple of perfect matches between actor and character (especially Steve Buscemi as the eternally-hungry Templeton the Rat), doesn't leave much impact. Roberts seems to be reading her lines for a Hallmark commercial; Redford is used all too little; and I had no clue that such performers as Kathy Bates, Oprah Winfrey, and Reba McEntire were even in the cast, as their parts felt like stock roles anyone could've filled. And, although I don't particularly care for Dakota Fanning, I gave her a fair chance here, but she still came up with a stilted performance. I think she was trying too hard to play one of these "wise beyond their years" kids that apparently only exist in the movies.

So what if I didn't fully appreciate Charlotte's Web? It's still a likable film all in all, and were I to have kids, I'd definitely show this movie to them -- after going through the book first, of course. 

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated "G" -- all ages admitted.)