The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers (WGA):

Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay) and
David Berenbaum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Their World Is Closer Than You Think

Plot:

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.

Plot Keywords:

Fantasy Land | Dysfunctional Family | Closing Credits Sequence | Great Aunt | Hill Giant

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Freddie Highmore	...	Jared Grace / Simon Grace
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Helen Grace
Nick Nolte	...	Mulgarath
Sarah Bolger	...	Mallory Grace
Andrew McCarthy	...	Richard Grace
Joan Plowright	...	Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick
David Strathairn	...	Arthur Spiderwick
Seth Rogen	...	Hogsqueal (voice)
Martin Short	...	Thimbletack (voice)
Jordy Benattar	...	Young Lucinda
Tod Fennell	...	Helen's Co-Worker
Mariah Inger	...	Nurse
Jeremy Lavalley	...	Tow Truck Driver
Lise Durocher-Viens	...	Mrs. Spiderwick
Tyler Patrick Jones	...	Additional Performer

Also Known As:

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Las crónicas de Spiderwick (Argentina) (Mexico) (Peru) (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Les chroniques de Spiderwick (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A Spiderwick krónikák (Hungary) [hu]
As Crônicas de Spiderwick (Brazil) [pt]
De Spiderwick kronieken (Netherlands) [nl]
Die Geheimnisse der Spiderwicks (Germany) [de]
Kronika rodu Spiderwicku (Czech Republic) [cs]
Kronike Spiderwick (Croatia) [hr]
Kroniki Spiderwick (Poland) [pl]
Spiderwick (Sweden) [sv]
Spiderwick - Le cronache (Italy) [it]
Spiderwick fortællingerne (Denmark) [da]
Spiderwick günceleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Spiderwick krønikene (Norway) [no]
Spiderwicki kroonika (Estonia) [et]
Spiderwickin kronikat (Finland) [fi]
Ta hronika tou Spiderwick (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

96 min | 107 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | Netherlands:6 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Ireland:PG | Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | South Africa:10M | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | UK:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | USA:PG (certificate #43900) | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:Atp | Germany:6 | Peru:PT | New Zealand:PG | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:7 | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Kennedy/Marshall Company, The

Trivia:

Film prints were shipped to some theaters under the fake title "Widow".

Goofs:

Continuity: Durring the fight scene in the house, Jarred throws several tomato bombs at the invaders. He is shown having only 1 in his hand throughout the scene. But when he throws the bomb and new one appears in his hand.

Quotes:

Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick: [showing scars on forearm] If they say 'suicide' and you say 'goblins', this place is where they put you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-02-16)" (2008)

It's no bedtime story.

Spiderwick Chronicles is a dark delight of Harry Potter-type goblins, ghouls, and griffins with violence enough to make it a howler for the nine year old but a sleepless night for the seven.

Arthur Spiderwick decades ago wrote a private field guide to faeries, a much sought after tome by gremlins who hate them.

Besides the usual CGI gymnastics is the now common dad-is-gone-by-divorce-and-mom-is–frazzled motif, along with the usual nobody-believes-me-but-I-can-see-them suspense builder. The production design of the old mansion is Psycho-worthy, and the ever serviceable James Horner provides the right chilling music.

Not to be missed, however, is the shape-shifting leader of the baddies played by Nick Nolte, whose freaked out visage eclipses the shock of his infamous California mug shot.