James & The Giant Peach - 6522

Amazon.com This sunny stop-motion cousin to director Henry Selick's Nightmare Before Christmas was treated more like the proverbial red-headed stepchild upon its 1996 release, and that's a shame. Aside from its bountiful visual recounting of Roald Dahl's inventive children's story, it contains one of Randy Newman's best musical scores, an orchestral delight whose dynamics sometimes contrast dramatically with the manic energy his other Disney animation scores. Those familiar with his body of songwriting won't be disappointed at the rich emotional landscape he covers here, from delicate wonder and heartrending wistfulness to adventures both harrowing and rewarding. True to the story's Anglo roots, Newman's songs playfully evoke some English music hall and a little Gilbert & Sullivan, while he whips the self-performed finale, "Good News," into a full Southern gospel romp. Newman's expressed unusual pride and fondness for this work, and for good reason; it's good to have it available once again. --Jerry McCulley Product description When poor James Henry Trotter loses his parents in a horrible rhinoceros accident, he is forced to live with his two wicked aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. After three years he becomes "the saddest and loneliest boy you could find." Then one day, a wizened old man in a dark-green suit gives James a bag of magic crystals that promise to reverse his misery forever. When James accidentally spills the crystals on his aunts' withered peach tree, he sets the adventure in motion. From the old tree
ASIN: B000001M3D
VSKU: 56JPTK000Y39_ns
Condition: Good