This is the cast of characters from Charlotte's Web.
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Main Characters
Wilbur
Played by: Henry Gibson (1973), David Beron (2003), Dominic Scott Kay (2006)
A "spring pig" (i.e. a pig who was born in the spring) whom Fern raised before being sent to live at Zuckerman Farm, where he learns he will be slaughtered by Christmas and has to try and gain praise so he can live his life.- Age Lift: In the book and 2006 adaptation, he's pretty much a piglet and characterized as a child from beginning to end. In the 1973 adaptation, he starts out as a piglet, but is more clearly a young adult porker by the end and in the 2003 sequel. Technically, though, he’s one year old by the end of all versions (and in the sequel), which is pig adolescence.
- Baby's First Words: In the 1973 adaptation, the goose encourages him to speak for the first time; Wilbur's first oral word in that manner is his own name.
- Big Eater: Is described as having a "good appetite" in the book, except when he’s Too Unhappy to Be Hungry.
- Character Development: For most of the story he's completely dependent on Fern and later Charlotte to protect, comfort and advise him, and like a typical child, he has an innocent It's All About Me attitude at times. But when Charlotte is dying, he takes on a proactive protector role by ensuring the safety of her egg sac, selflessly giving up some of his own food to Templeton each day in exchange for his help, and then watching over the egg sac "as though he were guarding his own children."
- Character Tics: He passes out whenever he's scared.
- Cheerful Child: When he's not worrying about his death, he's very perky and optimistic, liking to run around and play.
- Dark Horse Sibling: Wilbur was born the runt of his litter, but thanks to Charlotte and her webs, he becomes a famous tourist attraction and wins a special prize at the county fair.
- Fainting: Loses consciousness whenever someone mentions he is one step closer to being killed and turned into dinner, as well as out of Stage Fright when he receives his medal at the fair in the book.
- Filthy Fun: Likes to play in the mud whenever it rains.
- Friend to Bugs: He's Charlotte the spider's best friend.
- Happy Rain: Is the only animal in the barn who likes rain, as rain makes mud.
- Interspecies Friendship: His two best friends are Fern (a human), Charlotte and her three daughters (spiders), and Cardigan (a lamb).
- Messy Pig: Likes to play in the mud, and in the book, he even sleeps in manure.
- The Runaway: Almost runs away in the book when he's bored and lonely before he meets Charlotte, and in 1973 after Charlotte's daughters leave, before the ram reveals three of them have stayed.
- Vocal Dissonance: In the animated versions, he had a deep adult male voice even as a piglet; averted in the 2006 version, where he sounds like a child.
- Your Days Are Numbered: He is going to be slaughtered by winter, and freaks out over this.
Charlotte A. Cavatica
Played by: Debbie Reynolds (1973), Julia Duffy (2003), Julia Roberts (2006)
A barn spider who befriends Wilbur and helps save him from death with her web.- Adaptation Dye-Job: In the book and 1973 movie, she was grey; in the 2006 movie however, she was changed to brown, but turns grey when she nears the end of her life.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason why she goes to extreme lengths to save Wilbur from getting eaten is because he is the first one who, instead of shunning her for being a spider, befriends her.
- Creepy Good: Trope named by the male goose. Because of her being a spider, many farm animals (sans Wilbur) keep their distance from her, but she’s overall very nice.
- Deadpan Snarker: Not to the extent that Templeton is, but she is just as adept with a good quip.
- Death Song: The Dark Reprise of "Mother Earth and Father Time", which she sings as she's dying in the 1973 film.
- Dying Alone: The book's narration outright states that "No one was with her when she died", while the 1973 film has her shuffle away from Wilbur so he doesn't have to watch her die in the rafters.
- Face Death with Dignity: Charlotte is aware her lifespan is short, but is accepting of this fact, and as it turns out, helping Wilbur gives her life actual meaning outside of just eating bugs. Once satisfied in having saved Wilbur despite dying of natural causes, she merely allows herself to remain at the fairground to die.
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider: While she does imply that Ike attracts flies in the movie, and eats flies herself, she's very amiable to everyone else. She can't help eating flies because that's how her metabolism works.
- The Hero Dies: She passes away after saving Wilbur's life and wins a medal.
- Inexplicably Awesome: It's unclear why or how she can read and write. She just can.
- Meaningful Name: Her full name, Charlotte A. Cavatica, pays homage to the scientific name of the barn spider (Araneus cavaticus).
- Parental Substitute: She's as much of a mother figure to Wilbur as a spider can be to a pig.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: She has a habit of saying fancy words (Salutations, Magnum Opus, Languishing, etc.).
- Short-Lived Organism: Charlotte, being a spider, only lives for about a year, and she dies at the end of the book.
Templeton
- Adaptational Nice Guy:
- In the 2006 version, Templeton is shown to be more caring and supportive of Wilbur than in the book or animated movie.
- Subverted in the animated movie; he's just as selfish and snarky as he is in the books, being voiced by Paul Lynde softens his insults a bit and makes him come across ever so slightly more chummy.
- Balloon Belly: In all adaptations he gets one of these from stuffing himself at the fair for an entire night.
- Big Eater: He loves eating Wilbur's slops, and his favourite part of the fair is the food.
- Catchphrase: "The rat rules!" in 2006.
- Deadpan Snarker: Is commonly mocking people and making quips.
- Fat and Proud: By the end of the book and the 2006 film, Templeton has become hugely fat from having first dibs on Wilbur’s food and glutting himself at every meal. When chided for his weight gain, Templeton shrugs it off, and the 2006 film makes it clear he’s happier now.
- Inexplicably Awesome: Like Charlotte, it's unclear where he learnt to read.
- Jerkass Has a Point: In both the book and the 2006 movie, Templeton is fed up with the constant orders, correctly citing that he never gets a reward, a word of thanks or praise or even a stop to the dirty looks and snide remarks thrown his way for being a rat. Templeton might be a foul-tempered, selfish little twerp, but he never refuses to help before this moment. Taken further in the 2006 movie, in which these trips typically place him in danger.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In the 2006 version. He's negative and snarky, yet in the end he helps nurture Charlotte's egg sac, wrapping himself around it to keep it warm in the winter. Downplayed in the animated movie where while he's still as selfish in the book, his lack of morals is never mentioned.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: In the book he has no morals whatsoever – the narrator even says he would kill a gosling if he could get away with it. He only helps Wilbur and Charlotte because he depends on Wilbur's leftover slops as his main source of food.
- The Lancer: He's the one who finds labels and newspaper clippings for Charlotte to copy down, doing most of her legwork.
- The Pig-Pen: His rat hole is very messy and full of trash, and he wants to keep a rotten egg.
- Sociopathic Hero: All of his major actions in the story are heroic, helping save Wilbur's and Charlotte's childrens' lives; but he's only motivated by his appetite (keeping a permanent pig at the farm means he gets slop for the rest of his life; and Wilbur latef bribes him with more) and he shows no grief or empathy to those he helps. Averted in the 2006 film, where he has a Hidden Heart of Gold and his cynicism is less cruel and more pragmatic.
- Spell My Name with a "The": In the movie, he calls himself "The Rat" (but doesn't let anyone else call him that).
- Temporary Bulk Change: In the animated film, Templeton gets a huge Balloon Belly from the fair, but goes back to his normal size. In the book and 2006 film, however, he eventually becomes permanently fat from getting first rights to Wilbur’s food.
- Tenor Boy: Thanks to his voice actors Paul Lynde and Charlie Adler.
- Third-Person Person: In the movie, he sometimes calls himself "the rat" instead of "I".
- You Dirty Rat!: No one has a very high opinion of him because of his lack of moral scruples and his habit of eating rotten food.
Fern Arable
Played by: Pamelyn Ferdin (1973), Debi Derryberry (2003), Dakota Fanning (2006)
The girl who saves Wilbur.- Adaptation Dye-Job: The text never mentions her hair color, but she's a redhead in the original book illustrations, a brunette in the animated version, and a blonde in the live action movie.
- Adaptational Nice Girl: She's nice in all versions, but in the book she more-or-less completely loses interest in Wilbur after meeting Henry Fussy at the fair, not even bothering to attend Wilbur's medal ceremony in favor of riding the Ferris wheel with Henry again. In both adaptations, her "growing up" arc is softened slightly, and she does attend the medal ceremony, although she leaves partway through it in the 2006 film – even then, she pats Wilbur and assures him that she loves him before she goes with Henry. In the animated film she also wipes his tears away when the humans find him crying after Charlotte's death.
- Age Lift: Is eight in the book, but twelve in the movie.
- Animal Lover: She saves Wilbur's life and is great friends with all the barn animals.
- Childish Tooth Gap: She has one in Wilbur's Great Adventure.
- Friend to Bugs: She and Charlotte are relatively good friends. Though they never speak to each other, she watches Charlotte often and admires her.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Is blonde in the movie, and she's a sweet, animal-loving girl.
- Interspecies Friendship: Has many animal friends.
- Mistaken for Insane: She Speaks Fluent Animal, but her mother doesn't realize this, so when she tells her that the animals talk to each other, her mother thinks she has gone insane and consults the family doctor about it.
- Prone to Tears: She is painfully prone to bursting into tears at the smallest provocation. Wilbur apparently picked up on this trait as she raised him, since he also tends to do it.
- Puppy Love: At the fair, she develops a romance of sorts with her friend Henry Fussey when they ride the Ferris wheel together. This leads to her drifting away from her animal friends.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: In the movie, she seems to be able to understand what the animals are saying.
Barn animals
The Goose (Gwen/Gussy)
Played by: Agnes Moorehead (1973), Laraine Newman (2003), Oprah Winfrey (2006)
A goose who repeats herself.- Department of Redundancy Department: Her "idio-idio-idiosyncracy" is saying things two or three times.
- In-Series Nickname: When she has goslings in the movie, she claims that they call her "Mother Goose".
- Named by the Adaptation: She's just "the goose" in the book and the 1973 film, but is named "Gwen" in Wilbur's Great Adventure and "Gussy" in the 2006 film.
- Shared Family Quirks: Her children say things three times as well as her.
- Team Mom: Loves her hatchlings, is one of the animals who is more patient and understanding with Wilbur, and is sympathetic at Cardigan's plight.
- Verbal Tic: Has a habit-abit of repeating-eating everything she says.
The Gander (Golly)
Played by: Cedric the Entertainer (2006)
The Goose's husband, who's prone to repeating himself, though not as much.- Adapted Out: He doesn't appear in the 1973 film. His role does get taken over by the Goose
- Department of Redundancy Department: In the book, he says things three times, though not as often as his mate.
- In-Series Nickname: Templeton calls him "Father Goose" when the goslings hatch out.
- Named by the Adaptation: He's unnamed in the book, but becomes "Golly" in the 2006 film.
- Papa Wolf: He makes it clear that if Templeton tries to harm the goslings, it will end badly for him.
The Old Sheep (Samuel)
Played by: Dave Madden (1973), John Cleese (2006)
A sheep that lives next to Wilbur- Animal Stereotypes: Defied in the movie. He refuses to "follow" just because he's a sheep and berates his flock-mates for copycatting him since he considers that "following".
- Brutal Honesty: In the book and 1973 version, (s)he is the character who reveals to Wilbur that the humans are raising him for slaughter. In 2006, this role was given to Templeton.
- Gender Flip: In the book, the old sheep is female. In both the 1973 and 2006 films, he's male.
- Named by the Adaptation: He is named Samuel in the 2006 adaptation.
- Neat Freak: In the 2006 movie, the reason he hates going out in the rain is because his wool smells bad when he gets wet.
- Only Sane Man: In the live-action movie, he's the only sheep in the flock who's not a copycat.
- Pet the Dog: When the time comes for Charlotte to spin her next miracle web, he gives her the proper spelling of "terrific", the message she selected this time around. As the goose's spelling is far too intricate, Charlotte sides with him.
Bitsy and Betsy
Bitsy on the left, Betsy on the right
Played by: Kathy Bates (Bitsy), Reba McEntire (Betsy)
Two wisecracking Holstein cows in the 2006 film.- Always Identical Twins: They look very much the same, with the only difference being their hair tufts (Bitsy's is black, Betsy's is white).
- Ambiguously Related: They look very similar, meaning they're possibly sisters, but it's never stated.
- Canon Foreigner: They only appear in the 2006 version. In the book, Wilbur's pigpen is underneath the cows, so he never interacts with them.
- Gasshole: Bitsy has a bit of a problem with flatulence. Truth in Television, as cattle do pass a lot of gas.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Bitsy has black hair while Betsy has white hair.
- Rain, Rain, Go Away: Bitsy claims that she gets "that sad feeling" when it rains.
Ike
Played by: Robert Redford
A horse that lives on the farm with a fear of spiders and a habit of fainting.- Ascended Extra: The horse in the book didn't have much to do with the plot. In the 2006 film, he receives his name and becomes one of the main animals.
- Diligent Draft Animal: He helps plow the fields on the farm, and takes pride in that job. He ultimately overcomes his fear of Charlotte because he admires how she's such a hard worker, much like himself.
- Fainting: Passes out when Charlotte mentions she drinks fly blood.
- Friend to Bugs: When he gets over his arachnopohobia, he says, "Spiders are my friends".
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Ike was initially terrified of spiders.
Jeffery
Played by: Don Messick
The smallest of the goslings, who becomes Wilbur's constant companion in the 1973 version.- Canon Foreigner: Only appears in the 1973 film.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He's never seen again after the humans stop him from riding to the fair with Wilbur. A
Deleted Scene shows him joining his mother and siblings at the pond afterwards, so presumably that's where he is when Wilbur comes back.
Humans
Mr. John Arable
Played by: John Stephenson (1973), Kevin Anderson (2006)
Fern's dad- Good Parents: The main reason he let Fern raise Wilbur was to spare her feelings, since he didn't really care about Wilbur's survival.
- Obliviously Evil: Downplayed with his attempt to kill Wilbur as a newborn, as while he has difficulty understanding why his daughter is so upset at him for trying to kill the runt of the litter, he eventually agrees to let her raise Wilbur to spare her pain. However, this is played straight with the plan to slaughter Wilbur for Christmas; like Zuckerman and Lurvy, he sees this as completely normal, and doesn't realise he's causing Wilbur a great deal of stress.
- Would Hurt a Child: Downplayed. He planned to kill the newborn Wilbur, but only because he didn't realise Wilbur was sapient and hadn't thought of bottle-feeding him.
Mrs. Phyllis Arable
Played by: Martha Scott (1973), Essie Davis (2006)
Fern's mom Avery Arable
Played by: Danny Bonaduce (1973), Louis Corbett (2006)
Fern's rambunctious, annoying brother.- Age Lift: He's Fern's older brother in the book, but younger in the 2006 film. He's ten years old in both versions, though; the difference is because Fern gets an Age Lift from eight to twelve.
- Alliterative Name: Avery Arable.
- Animal Lover: Of a different sort than his sister; he likes to collect small creatures like frogs and spiders.
- Plucky Comic Relief: His scenes are full of slapstick humor.
Mr. Homer L. Zuckerman
Played by: Bob Holt (1973), Jerry Houser (2003), Gary Basaraba (2006)
The owner of the local farm, and Fern's uncle. He is planning to slaughter Wilbur for Christmas, so it's up to Charlotte to change his mind.
- Big Bad: Downplayed. He's not really a bad man, but he plans to slaughter Wilbur for Christmas and is ignorant of the stress he's causing him. As such, he's the main antagonist, but is no villain.
- Heel Realization: Seeing all of Charlotte's messages about Wilbur in the web causes Zuckerman to realize how important Wilbur is to the farm and decides to let him live his whole life.
- Obliviously Evil: Like Lurvy and Mr. Arable, Zuckerman sees slaughtering a pig for Christmas as completely normal, and doesn't realise he's causing Wilbur a great deal of stress.
- Would Hurt a Child: Downplayed. He's planning to slaughter Wilbur despite him being a piglet, yet Zuckerman doesn't know that Wilbur is sapient.
Mrs. Edith Zuckerman
Played by: Joan Gerber (1973), Siobhan Fallon Hogan (2006)
Zuckerman's wife.- Supreme Chef: In the movie, she's noted for her cooking.
- Women Are Wiser: Other than Fern, who knows the whole truth, she's the only human who guesses that the spider wrote the words in the web, rather than assuming they miraculously appeared by themselves.
Lurvy
Played by: Herb Vigran (1973), Nate Mooney (2006)
Zuckerman's accident-prone farm hand.- Adaptational Dumbass: While he was never depicted as bright, in the 2006 movie, he doesn't even know how to read.
- Never Learned to Read: In the 2006 film he knows how to say simple words like "what's" and "pig", but Zuckerman has to teach him how to say "some".
- The Klutz: Is often seen falling over, spilling things, etc.
- Obliviously Evil: Like Zuckerman and Mr. Arable, Lurvy sees slaughtering a pig for Christmas as completely normal, and doesn't realise he's causing Wilbur a great deal of stress.
Henry Fussy
Played by: William B. White (1973), Julian O'Donnell (2006)
A boy whom Fern crushes on.- Adaptation Expansion: In the book and the 2006 film, his role is minor, but the animated version fleshes him out as as a nerd with an overbearing mother, who eventually loosens up and starts acting and dressing his age (and even loses his glasses) after a visit to his grandfather, leading Fern to "suddenly see him with new eyes."
- Dreadful Musician: When practicing his violin in the animated version, not that he wanted to anyway.
- Exact Words: In the animated version, his mother orders him to "put that thing down!" while he's holding Wilbur. He does, then Wilbur runs around their house in panic and wrecks some of their things.
- Meaningful Name: In the 1973 film, he has a "fussy" mother. This is a retroactive example, as his family never appears in the book.
Mrs. Fussy
Played by: Joan Gerber (1973)
Henry's domineering mother.- Abusive Mom / My Beloved Smother: The strict and controlling type. She doesn't allow pets because she thinks they are unsanitary and sees class before her son's happiness.
- Canon Foreigner: She doesn't appear in the book or in the 2006 film.
- The Cynic: One of the few characters to not believe in the miracle.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Mother: Most likely, given how strict she is.
- Why Couldn't You Be Different?: She would rather see her son be a disciplined gentleman.
Other characters
Joy, Arenea and Nellie the baby spiders
Charlotte's Kids: Joy, Nellie, and Arenea
Joy played by: Anndi McAfee (2003), Maia Kirkpatrick (2006)
Arenea played by: Maria Bamford (2003), Jennessa Rose (2006)
Nellie played by: Amanda Bynes (2003), Mimi Manners (2003 singing), Briana Hodge (2006)
Charlotte's three daughters who move in with Wilbur.
- Ascended Extra: Had minor roles in the final scene, but in Wilbur's Great Adventure they had larger roles and join Wilbur on his adventure to save Cardigan.
- Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Were born among with 511 other baby spiders after their mother's death; however, they were the only ones who chose to stay with Wilbur.
- Deadpan Snarker: In the sequel, Joy is very sarcastic and cynical, especially when it comes to one of Nellie's ideas.
- Expy: Their appearance and personalities in the sequel are reminiscent of The Powerpuff Girls.
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider: They seem to be just as friendly as Charlotte.
- Meaningful Name: Joy chose her name because Wilbur was "trembling with joy" when they met (in Wilbur's Great Adventure, it's more of an Ironic Name). Arenea names herself after Charlotte's middle initial, A; it also refers to the barn spider scientific name, Araneus cavaticus. Nellie let Wilbur choose her name for her, but the name Nellie is English for "Light".
- Missing Mom: They never knew their mother, since she died just before the end of the book.
- Nice Mean And In Between: Wilbur's Great Adventure portrays them this way: Arenea (nice), Joy (mean), and Nellie (in-between).
- Non-Mammalian Hair: Like their mother before them, each aports a rather humanoid hairstyle in the second film.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: At the end of the sequel, Aranea and Joy decide to stay with Cardigan, but Nellie's whereabouts are unknown. Whether she chose to stay with Wilbur or her sisters and Cardigan was never revealed.
Cardigan the Lamb
Played by: Harrison Chad
A black-wooled lamb who becomes Wilbur's close friend in Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure. He's considered the outcast among the Zuckerman sheep because of his wool, so he begins to act more like a pig in Wilbur's company.- All of the Other Reindeer: The other lambs in Cardigan's flock waste no time letting him know that they think he's a loser and a freak because he's different from them. It's unknown if the other lambs fully accepted him by the end of the movie.
- Badass Adorable: Near the end of the film, he manages to escape from Farley by headbutting his face.Cardigan: "One, Two, Three! (headbutts Farley causing him to fall over) Pig Power!"
- Badass Boast: After attacking Farley, he yells "Pig Power!" at him before running away from him.
- Black Sheep: Literally, and the only one on the farm, making him the object of ridicule and rejection. Even after he befriends Wilbur, the lambs continue to mock Cardigan behind his back after learning he prefers the lifestyle of a pig instead of a sheep.
- Disappeared Dad / Missing Mom: Despite appearing too young to be without them, Cardigan's parents are never seen or mentioned, even though a throwaway line by Farmer Zuckerman suggests he was born into the flock. Also unclear if any of the other lambs could possibly be his siblings.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Somewhat doubles with I Just Want to Have Friends. It's clear that the bullying and exclusion Cardigan experiences from his flock hurts him a great deal, and he openly admits to Wilbur that he sometimes wishes that he was like the other lambs so they wouldn't make fun of him. Wilbur assures him that he's fine just as he is.
- Meaningful Name: He's named after a knitted sweater which used to be made from a sheep's wool.
- Only Friend: After being rejected by the flock, Cardigan considers Wilbur alongside Nellie, Arania, and Joy to be his only friend of the entire farm.
- Sweet Sheep: A very kind little lamb who only wants friends who like him for who he is and to do the things he enjoys.
- Took a Level in Badass: Kicked Farley in the face when he was about to eat him.
Farley the Fox
Played by: Rob Paulsen
- Big Bad: Of the direct-to-video sequel.
- Cunning Like a Fox: A ruthless hunter who isn't afraid to target the weak and vulnerable in order to eat.
- It's All About Me: Very self-centered and conceited, to the point that he even sings about it.
- No Sense of Personal Space: He tends to get a little close to whoever he happens to encounter. This is most notable when he kidnaps Cardigan and nearly eats him.
- Would Hurt a Child: Early in the film, he stalks a young gosling that was unknowingly approaching him and planned to eat it. Later, he kidnaps and tries to eat the lamb, Cardigan. Fortunately, both his attempts failed.
Brooks and Elwyn
Elwyn (L), Brooks (R)
Played by: Thomas Haden Church (Brooks), André Benjamin (Elwyn)
Two crows who are obsessed with corn and cause trouble for Templeton.
- Affectionate Nickname: Brooks is called "Brooksie" by Elwyn.
- Canon Foreigner: They were exclusively created for the 2006 film.
- Clever Crows: Averted, they’re stupid enough to believe that any Scarecrow is a legitimate person and assume he is always in every cornfield they visit.
- Meaningful Name: They're named after the original author's initials: Elwyn Brooks White.
- Trademark Favourite Food: They spend most of their life trying to eat corn.
