Level: B2

E. B. White envisioned a movie of his novel "Charlotte's Web" with real animals behaving realistically. Now, 54 years later, his vision has come to life.

The live-action film version of the classic children's book is true to the original, tugging at the heart and teaching life lessons about mortality, the power of friendship, and the cycle of life.

The cinematic adaptation opens December 15 starring Dakota Fanning as young Fern, and an all-star barnyard community voiced by Julia Roberts (Charlotte), Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, John Cleese and Steve Buscemi (as Templeton the rat).

"E. B. White talked about making a movie about 'Charlotte's Web', if it could be made realistic with real animals. And I guess that in 2006 we can do that," said director Gary Winick.

Stars flocked to the project, a faithful stab at the story of Wilbur, the runt of the litter, who seems destined for slaughter before first being rescued by Fern and later by Charlotte, the spider who lives in the rafters of the barn that is also home to geese, sheep, cows, horses and rats.

Charlotte befriends the young innocent pig and saves him from a butchering by spinning words into her miraculous webs to convince the farmer that Wilbur is "some pig" and worth saving.

Level: B2