E.B. was not a fan of the movies based on his 1952 tale, Charlotte’s Web. He once told The Boston Globe, “The story is interrupted every few minutes so that somebody can sing a jolly song. I don’t care much for jolly songs.” White’s bitterness aside, audiences found much to love about the 1973 and 2006 film portrayals of the ridiculously smart spider’s successful attempt to save her pig friend from slaughter. For one, seeing Wilbur’s quivering pleas for help on-screen only made them all the more convincing.
