One of my worst film-adaptation nightmares looks like it’s about ready to come true.

Charlotte’s Web, one of my favorite children’s books, was made into a fine animated film decades ago. But with the success of Babe, it became inevitable that the book would be turned into a live-action talking-animal movie.

I hoped and hoped they would do the job with dignity.

But alas, I’ve just seen a preview, and my worst fears are realized:

The trailer prominently displays a moment when a rat is running along a rail and is knocked off by the force of a noisy cow fart.

Yep.

They’ve brought Charlotte’s Web that low.

Sure, it’s only one moment from the preview. But it’s a moment they’re flaunting, and that does not bode well for the film.

I suspect that E.B. White would be even more disappointed than I am.

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