Every creature which God has made has a place on earth, and even the creepy crawlies have a purpose. So when a barn spider befriends a lonely pig, an odd couple is born which serves a purpose for both of their lives. This animated movie, often overlooked because it wasn't a Disney film, retains a special place in many people's heart because it is a movie with a heart, and even if we can't get inside the brain or hearts of the barn animals seen here, we can look at them in a different light than just something who oinks, clucks, snorts, moos or only comes out at night after the humans who might kill them go to bed.

"Charlotte's Web" is a beautiful story of Wilbur, the runt of a litter almost killed, nursed back to health by an innocent young girl, then returned to his pen in order to serve his purpose to man. That means becoming either a chop or side of ham, and while the other animals can have a purpose without being slaughtered, Wilbur fears his days are numbers. This is where Charlotte comes in, the small spider who begins to chit-chat with him until she is ready to reveal who she is. Charlotte likes Wilbur and agrees to help him avoid the slaughterhouse. So one day when the owners come out, they are stunned to see Wilbur standing underneath the web with the words "Some Pig" written in it. Of course, these rather dumb humans instantly believe that he wrote it, and an instant celebrity is born.

"Laugh-In's" Henry Gibson provides the voice of the sweet Wilbur with plucky Debbie Reynolds a delightful Charlotte. They are surrounded by well known actors as their barn-yard friends, including Agnes Moorehead as a grouchy goose, Paul Lynde as the constantly hungry rat Templeton, and Dave Madden as the very serious ram. Reynolds goes back to the type of gregarious teen role she had played at MGM, singing the uplifting "Chin Up", and dueting with Gibson on "We've Got Lots In Common" where they affirm their friendship. Things get more profound as time decreases for the aging Charlotte, Reynolds bringing on tears in "Mother Earth and Father Time". To alleviate the sadness coming on, Lynde gets a country fair production number, milking every moment for laughs with his song of gluttony. Wilbur himself gets a big production number, sung to him as if he was one of Jerry Herman's big Broadway heroines, Dolly or Mame.

The Sherman Brothers who created some wonderful songs for Disney do the same thing here for this, although the beautiful title song did not get an Oscar Nomination. I always envisioned this being a big Broadway musical and longed to see Reynolds on stage as narrator and singing that song, but all I ended up with was a 2006 remake that lacks the heart of this animated version.