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 "excerpt": "Charlotte's Web (2025) is a three-part animated HBO Max miniseries adapting E.B. White's 1952 novel, produced by Sesame Workshop with Guru Studio, showrunner Luke Matheny, director Yurie Rocha, starring Amy Adams as Charlotte and Elijah Wood as adult Wilbur, premiered October 2, 2025.",
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 "markdown": "# Charlotte's Web (2025 TV series)\n\n**Charlotte's Web** is a 2025 animated three-part miniseries adaptation of E.B. White's 1952 children's novel, produced by [Sesame Workshop](https://www.edgepedia.org/sesame-workshop) with animation by Guru Studio and released on [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max). All three parts debuted together on October 2, 2025, exclusively on HBO Max in the United States.<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup> The series retells the story of Wilbur, a pig raised for slaughter, and Charlotte, the barn spider who saves him by weaving praise of him into her web.<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/87338/eb-whites-charlottes-web)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Three-part animated miniseries, family audience<sup>[3](https://gurustudio.com/projects/charlottes-web)</sup> |\n| Premiere | October 2, 2025, all three parts released the same day on HBO Max in the U.S.<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup> |\n| Production | Sesame Workshop (producer); stylized 3DCG animation by Guru Studio of Toronto<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup> |\n| Key creatives | Showrunner, executive producer, and writer Luke Matheny; director Yurie Rocha<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup> |\n| Lead cast | Amy Adams as Charlotte, Elijah Wood as adult Wilbur, Griffin Robert Faulkner as young Wilbur, Jean Smart as the Narrator<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup> |\n| Rating | TV-G; Common Sense Media recommends it for age 8+ and named it a Common Sense Selection<sup>[4](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/charlottes-web-2025/details/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/charlottes-web)</sup> |\n| Status | Ended; one season of three episodes, all aired October 2, 2025<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/87338/eb-whites-charlottes-web)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story\n\nThe series follows the novel's plot. Young Fern Arable stops her father from killing the runt of a litter and raises the piglet herself, naming him Wilbur; when Wilbur grows too big he is sold to her aunt and uncle, the Zuckermans, where he befriends the barn spider Charlotte. When Wilbur learns the Zuckermans are raising him for slaughter, Charlotte vows to save him and spins messages praising him in her web, convincing the people around the farm that Wilbur is extraordinary.<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/87338/eb-whites-charlottes-web)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/charlottes-web)</sup> The third part carries the characters to the County Fair, where Wilbur's chance at a blue ribbon and Charlotte's greatest web message decide his fate.<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/87338/eb-whites-charlottes-web)</sup>\n\n## Background and production\n\nThe project was first announced in 2022.<sup>[6](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/animated-charlottes-web-coming-in-october/)</sup> HBO Max announced the completed special on September 25, 2025, describing it as an animated retelling of White's novel from Academy Award winner Luke Matheny, known for *[Ghostwriter](https://www.edgepedia.org/ghostwriter-2019-tv-series)*, executive produced in collaboration with Sesame Workshop, the global nonprofit behind *Sesame Street*.<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup> Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop's EVP and Chief Creative and Production Officer, said the adaptation had been \"years in the making\" and celebrates friendship, empathy, courage, and community.<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup>\n\nThe Publishers Weekly account of the release, indexed by EBSCO, reports that the production involved collaboration with E.B. White's estate and that Matheny aimed to create a definitive version of the story, with a 138-minute total runtime allowing deeper exploration of the book's elements than a single film would permit.<sup>[7](https://www.ebsco.com/articles/literature-and-writing/eede2f8b-a084-5291-a78e-a0a1a7ec6de9/tv-alert-charlotte-s-web)</sup> Matheny has said he remembered how emotionally devastating the ending of an earlier animated adaptation felt to him in elementary school, and that the story taps into primal fears about losing a parent.<sup>[8](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/98748-tv-alert-charlotte-s-web.html)</sup>\n\n## Animation and design\n\nGuru Studio, the Toronto-based animation house also known for *PAW Patrol* and *Sesame Street Mecha Builders*, completed production on the stylized cinematic miniseries in 2024 according to the studio's own history.<sup>[3](https://gurustudio.com/projects/charlottes-web)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://gurustudio.com/about)</sup> Director Yurie Rocha said it was \"an honor to bring the beloved *Charlotte's Web* to a new generation.\"\n\n**Character and world design.** Guru states that each character was crafted to honor White's source material: Wilbur balances realistic proportions with expressive movement, Charlotte evolves from a formidable spider into a graceful, endearing presence, and Fern's design incorporates her Puerto Rican heritage as a modern touch.<sup>[3](https://gurustudio.com/projects/charlottes-web)</sup> The settings follow the book's milieu, from a humble 1940s Maine farm to the Zuckerman home, with every plant, beam, and nail chosen to preserve what the studio calls the environment's honest, untamed beauty.<sup>[3](https://gurustudio.com/projects/charlottes-web)</sup> An Animation World Network feature on the production notes that getting the webs right was a priority for Matheny and Rocha, since the webs are among the story's most iconic elements; the earlier [Hanna-Barbera](https://www.edgepedia.org/hanna-barbera) adaptation of 1973 had used 2D animation with simpler black-line webs.<sup>[10](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/webs-dewclaws-and-barn-builds-behind-making-charlottes-web)</sup>\n\n## Cast\n\nThe ensemble voice cast announced with the premiere includes:<sup>[1](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)</sup>\n\n- [Amy Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-adams) as Charlotte\n- [Elijah Wood](https://www.edgepedia.org/elijah-wood) as adult Wilbur, with Griffin Robert Faulkner as young Wilbur\n- [Jean Smart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-smart) as the Narrator\n- Natalie Chan as Fern\n- Cynthia Erivo as Goose\n- Danny Trejo as Gander\n- Randall Park as Templeton\n- Chris Diamantopoulos as Homer Zuckerman\n- Rosario Dawson as Edith Zuckerman\n- Ana Ortiz as Dolores Arable\n- Tom Everett Scott as John Arable\n- Leith Burke as George\n- Keith David as Old Sheep\n- Patricia Richardson as Widow Fussy\n- Dee Bradley Baker as the Animals\n\nMatheny singled out Amy Adams's performance, calling her \"for my money, the greatest Charlotte to date.\"\n\n## Release and reception\n\nAll three parts, titled simply Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, became available on HBO Max in the United States on October 2, 2025.<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/87338/eb-whites-charlottes-web)</sup> The series later streamed on Hulu and on HBO Max's Amazon Channel as well.<sup>[11](https://www.hulu.com/series/eb-whites-charlottes-web-de811255-b916-4de2-9fac-a5e48d34a540)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/charlottes-web)</sup> A German-language streaming premiere followed on HBO Max on February 21, 2026.<sup>[13](https://www.fernsehserien.de/e-b-whites-charlottes-web)</sup>\n\n**Critical response.** Common Sense Media's review called it \"possibly the definitive adaptation of this timeless classic,\" praising it for honoring the book while modernizing the narrative with multi-layered characters, and noted that scenes involving separation, loss, and death may be sad for younger children.<sup>[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/charlottes-web)</sup> On JustWatch the series holds a user rating of 7.0 based on 235 ratings.<sup>[12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/charlottes-web)</sup> The release arrived during a contraction in U.S. animated series commissions, which fell from 15 children's-animation adaptations of kids' book IP on streaming in 2022 to five in 2025 according to a Luminate industry report published the month before the premiere.<sup>[14](https://luminatedata.com/blog/whats-driving-the-animated-tv-series-falloff/)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [All New \"Charlotte's Web\" Three-Part Special To Premiere On HBO Max October 2, WBD Pressroom](https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-max/all-new-charlottes-web-three-part-special-premiere-hbo-max-october-2)\n2. [E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/87338/eb-whites-charlottes-web)\n3. [Charlotte's Web, Guru Studio](https://gurustudio.com/projects/charlottes-web)\n4. [Charlotte's Web (2025) details, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/charlottes-web-2025/details/)\n5. [Charlotte's Web – Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/charlottes-web)\n6. [Animated 'Charlotte's Web' Coming in October, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/animated-charlottes-web-coming-in-october/)\n7. [TV Alert: 'Charlotte's Web', Publishers Weekly via EBSCO](https://www.ebsco.com/articles/literature-and-writing/eede2f8b-a084-5291-a78e-a0a1a7ec6de9/tv-alert-charlotte-s-web)\n8. [TV Alert: 'Charlotte's Web', Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/98748-tv-alert-charlotte-s-web.html)\n9. [About, Guru Studio](https://gurustudio.com/about)\n10. [Webs, Dewclaws and Barn Builds: Behind the Making of 'Charlotte's Web', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/webs-dewclaws-and-barn-builds-behind-making-charlottes-web)\n11. [Watch E.B. White's Charlotte's Web Streaming Online, Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/eb-whites-charlottes-web-de811255-b916-4de2-9fac-a5e48d34a540)\n12. [Charlotte's Web (2025) – streaming tv show online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/charlottes-web)\n13. [E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, fernsehserien.de](https://www.fernsehserien.de/e-b-whites-charlottes-web)\n14. [What's Driving the Animated TV Series Falloff?, Luminate](https://luminatedata.com/blog/whats-driving-the-animated-tv-series-falloff/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "credit": "\"Charlotte's Web (2025 TV series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/charlottes-web-2025-tv-series. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.",
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 "speakable": "Charlotte's Web is a three-part animated HBO Max miniseries adapting E.B."
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