James and the Giant Peach — An Underrated Stop-Motion Classic?

Joshua Hunter takes a trip back to the year 1996 for a review of James and the Giant Peach, Henry Selick's part-live-action, part-stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved novel, produced by Tim Burton. The film follows orphaned James Henry Trotter as he escapes his cruel aunts and sets off on a fantastical journey to New York City inside a giant, magically animated peach, alongside a cast of oversized insect companions voiced by Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Sarandon, and Simon Callow. Joshua breaks down why the film's stop-motion visuals and offbeat storytelling still hold up nearly three decades later, digs into Randy Newman's score(how did I not know this was his score?), and gives his honest verdict on whether this one deserves its status as a certified-fresh family classic — or if it's aged like a rotten peach.

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