The Disney animated feature James and the Giant Peach is based on Roald Dahl’s beloved 1961 children’s book. Like most well-crafted films made for young audiences, it casts a spell—even when it turns a bit scary. But then, kids like a touch of fright if it’s wrapped in fairy-tale fantasy.
The story, both outlandish and humorous, centers on a British orphan, James (Paul Terry), who has lost his once-doting parents and now lives on a mountaintop with two sadistic aunts, Spiker and Sponge (Joanna Lumley and Miriam Margolyes). They’ve turned the boy into a chore servant, callously ignoring his grief and loneliness.
One day, a strange old man (Pete Postlethwaite) gives James a bag of magical crocodile tongues, which he accidentally spills on the ground. The mixture fertilizes a barren peach tree, producing a single enormous fruit. Inside the giant peach, James finds sanctuary—and a family of human-sized insects, including a brash centipede, an aristocratic caterpillar, a sultry spider, a matronly ladybug, a wise green grasshopper, a glowworm, and an earthworm.
When the aunts come looking for James, the centipede cuts the peach’s stem in panic, sending it rolling down the hill and into the ocean. There, the peach transforms into a floating airship, carrying James and his insect companions across the sea toward New York City.
What follows is a classic children’s adventure filled with chases, escapes, a mechanical shark, ghostly pirates, and magical flights—all leading to a climactic arrival at the Empire State Building and a daring rescue by the fire department.
As in any good fairy tale, the ending is sweetly satisfying. James, surrounded by his new family of friends, settles into a cozy cottage in Central Park—finally home.
James and the Giant Peach. Directed by Henry Selick. Based on the book by Roald Dahl. Voices of Paul Terry, Miriam Margolyes, Joanna Lumley. Duration 1 hr., 20 min. Rated PG. Released 1996 / 2014. Streaming on Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango.
