James and the Giant Peach

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James and the Giant Peach

PG

1996

1h 20m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

166 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Featuring stop-motion animation and live action, this inventive adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's tale follows the adventures of James (Paul Terry), an orphaned young British boy. Forced to live with his cruel aunts (Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes), James finds a way out of his bleak existence when he discovers an enormous enchanted peach. After rolling into the sea inside the buoyant fruit, James, accompanied by a crew of friendly talking insects, sets sail for New York City.

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Critics Consensus

The arresting and dynamic visuals, offbeat details and light-as-air storytelling make James and the Giant Peach solid family entertainment.

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Neal Justin

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Aug 5, 2026

3.5/5

Lots of top names, including Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon, lent their voices, but it's the inventive animation that is the real star.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Apr 10, 2026

James flags slightly when it lands in New York, but this is still a charming entertainment with a freer and bolder visual style than anything Disney has done in years.

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Martin Hoyle

Financial Times

Apr 10, 2026

The result of this mixture of real-life actors and stop-motion animation is formulaic and mechanical.

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Larry Ratliff

San Antonio Express-News

Aug 24, 2026

2.5/4

The necessarily dark forces and forced story line prevent this classic children's story from ripening to its full potential.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jul 31, 2026

For all of its imagination and color and wonder, it’s a dark fantasy of escape and friendship in a cruel world.

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Dennis Lim

Independent on Sunday

Apr 10, 2026

Although much of the book's magic remains, this is clearly Disneyfied Dahl.

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Connor H

@RT94169796 Sep 26, 2026

An absolute gem. The stop-motion is flawless, the set design is gorgeous, and the writing is sharp and heartfelt. Selick made something truly magical here — can't believe this flopped at the box office. 9/10.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 24, 2026

James And the Giant Peach = a 3.5 star Movie!

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Joanna T

@aerialgirly92 Sep 6, 2026

It's an ok Disney movie. I can see why I've never watched it before & why it isn't as popular as Disney princess movies. This one def had a lot of fantasy + adventure, which isn't bad but none of the songs were catchy enough to stick. Story: James has 2 mean aunties who he lives w/ since his parents died. He dreams of going away, maybe to New York, where his parents promised they would vacation. 1 day a man shows up & gives him magical green specks. They cause a tree to produce a giant peach. The aunts take advantage of this for tourism money. James befriends bugs who he can talk to due to green magic. They're in the peach when it rolls out to ocean. They enslave seagulls to sail them. They eat some peach for food. They make it to NY. James refuses to go back to aunts. The bugs grow big. They all become family & continue on their journey. They all end up living big lives in NY.

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 11, 2026

Um filme esteticamente bizarro e de tom bem irregular que falha em capturar a magia do livro de Roald Dahl. O stop-motion é bem feito, mas a narrativa e os personagens insetos geram mais estranhamento do que diversão.

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Drew M.

@Stonehands211 May 14, 2026

A good fantasy wish fulfillment children’s film. I mean that complimentary. Becomes infinitely better once the stop-motion comes into play. The sea pirates sequence is easily the best in the film. I’m kind of surprised how well this film is received here as it’s very British with its humor.

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Ben W

@Username618 Apr 25, 2026

10/10 for effort. Have you seen The Fool of The World and the Flying ship?

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Henry Selick

Director

Paul Terry

James

Joanna Lumley

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Synopsis

Featuring stop-motion animation and live action, this inventive adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's tale follows the adventures of James (Paul Terry), an orphaned young British boy. Forced to live with his cruel aunts (Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes), James finds a way out of his bleak existence when he discovers an enormous enchanted peach. After rolling into the sea inside the buoyant fruit, James, accompanied by a crew of friendly talking insects, sets sail for New York City.

Director: Henry Selick
Producer: Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi
Screenwriter: Roald Dahl, Karey Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Roberts, Steve Bloom
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures, Skellington Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.9M
Runtime: 1h 20m
Sound Mix: Surround

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