Spider’s Web: A Pig's Tale

***Spider's Web: A Pig's Tale*** is a 2006 American animated direct-to-DVD mockbuster written and directed by Micheal Schelp and produced by Spark Plug Entertainment. It is an knockoff of *Charlotte's Web*. The movie has been universally panned by movie goers everywhere for its hideous and cheap CGI, ripping off a much more successful story, having horrible voice acting as well as its annoying and unlikable characters, unoriginal plot, hideous musical score, and its confused moral. (It tells kids not to lie, yet it also tells them that you can get away with lying if you come up with a believable excuse and make sure no one is suspicious).

IMDb rated the movie with a 1.4/10 while at Rotten Tomatoes only 12% of audience members liked it, with an average rating of 1.1/5 (2.2/10). In addition to being criticized for ripping off *Charlotte's Web*, *Spider's Web: A Pig's Tale* has also been panned for ripping off *Gordy* and *Babe*, two other kids' movies about talking pigs.

## Plot

One morning at a barnyard, Walter Pembroke III, a stupid and spoiled young pig, wakes up and goes to the trough to say his blessings with the Barnyard Social Registry, a group of high-class farm animals. We are introduced to many "charming" characters, such as Walt's best friend Tiffany, a spider, Crystal, Tiffany's sidekick, two chickens, Gilbert, a wasp who thinks he's a bee, and two horses who hold a strange grudge towards spiders. Later, a pie goes missing and Walt's mother, Esther, suspects him of eating it. Walt then lies that the pie was destroyed by aliens, but Esther asks Walt how he knew the pie's flavor. Tiffany says that the pie was eaten by Walt. However, the other animals do not believe her, and a long conversation ensues. Walt is upset that Tiffany ratted him out, and we soon find out that the two have known each other since Walt was a baby.

After that, a snake with a cellphone who goes by the name of Norman Ja Rahr pops out of nowhere. Norman tells Walt to keep telling obvious lies. After Tiffany tries (and fails) to convince Walt to tell Esther that he ate the pie, Walt accidentally knocks over Esther's favorite pot. Walt again lies, telling that a ghost came and broke the pot. Tiffany says that Walt broke the pot. Another conversation ensues, and one of the horses claims that Esther's pot was destroyed by a farting cow. After that, Esther tells Walt that she needs to check his homework, when it is clear that he did not even do it. Walt lies once more, saying that the homework came to life and ate the dog. Esther tells Walt that she worries about his future. Norman tells Walt of a place called Viperwood, where he tells Walt that he could be a star. Walt decides to go, and Tiffany, Crystal, and Gilbert decide to tag along.

While driving to Viperwood, the group decide to stop for the night and stay at a motel. However, they notice an alien cares honestly trying to get her granddaughter, Lucy, off of a roof. After some repetitive dialogue, Tiffany scares Lucy off the roof and she somehow lives. The alien thanks the group for helping and lets them stay in her room for the night. The alien warns the gang not to turn on the TV. However, Norman turns it on anyways, and we are treated to a game show where you get spanked by a living flyswatter if you get the wrong answer. The TV then comes to life and starts destroying the place, and our heroes get out, living the two slug-things to die in the chaos. The group then steals fuel from a gas station, and they are then chased by giant grey cockroaches on bikes with rocket launchers. The gang manages to escape, and they finally arrive in Viperwood the next morning.

We are then introduced to Venom, Norman's partner, who literally just pops out of nowhere. They arrive at a theater, where Walt tries to hold his breath in a fishbowl while singing, and fails. They then arrive at the game show from earlier, where Walt must answer what is the color of an octopus. Tiffany tells him to tell the truth that he doesn't know, while Norman tells him to make something up. Walt gives in and says that he doesn't know, and gets spanked by the flyswatter, which then kills the host of the game show.

While riding along, tension begin to run high between Walt and Tiffany. Norman suddenly gets a phone call, and tells Walt that he is going to be a star, but not after he accidentally runs over a pedestrian. While auditioning for the film, Walt fails to notice a TNT box on the director's head, and gets blown up. Walt survives, but he still ends up in the hospital nonetheless.

With all of the possible opportunities down the drain, Norman decides that Walt has outlived his usefulness and tricks him into thinking that he is going to be a rapper, while he is actually being taken to the slaughterhouse. Just as it seems that Walt will be turned into sausages, Tiffany, Crystal and Gilbert arrive just in time to save the day. Gilbert stings Norman, and finds out that he really is a wasp after all. Tiffany tells Walt that unless you are sure you won't get caught, and you have a really good memory, then you should never lie.

Walt, Crystal, and Gilbert return to the barnyard, but Tiffany stays behind to be the host of the game show. Venom, Norman's partner from earlier is a contestant on the show. Tiffany asks Venom what two triangles make, and Venom says that they make a circle. Tiffany says that Venom is "trippin' and lying", and Venom gets spanked by the flyswatter. The film ends with Walt saying that he likes the show more now that Tiffany is hosting, and Esther says that's something she believes.

## Characters

* **Walter Pembroke III** – the main protagonist. A pedigreed little piglet who eats his mom's pie and says that aliens did it, then he breaks her favorite pot and says that a ghost did it, then he says that he did his homework but it ate the dog when he really didn't even do it. Then a snake called Noiman Ja Rahr comes along and tries to take Walt to Viperwood and make him a star when Ja Rahr really just wants sausages. In Viperwood, Walt experiences many new things about life, such as butthurt and getting blown up. Ja Rahr's plan backfires, however, Tiffany, Crystal and Gilbert arrive and save Walt from the slaughterhouse.
* **Tiffany** – the titular spider who saves Walt the pig from being slaughtered and the deuteragonist. She speaks with a Jamaican accent.
* **Noiman Ja Rahr** – the main antagonist. The snake who tells Walt to go to Viperwood and be a star when he is really just wants sausages.
* **Ester** – Walt's mother.
* **Gilbert** - a wasp who thinks that he is a bee. However, he meets his friend André who tells him that he really is a wasp. He doesn't believe it, however, until after he stings Ja Rahr to save Walt.
* **Crystal** – another spider who hangs out with Tiffany.
* **Penny** – a chicken. When Walt says that his homework ate the dog she starts crying saying that her cousin Henry was an excellent student but then one day he disappeared. Then when Tiffany says the farmer ate him and that that is why all her relatives go missing on Sundays she just wails louder.
* **Mr. Wigglesworth** – a horse who makes remarks about spiders.
* **Cynthia** – another horse who speaks with a British accent.
* **Vennom** - another snake and Ja Rahr's supposed love interest.
* **Lucinda** - an alien
* **Lucy** - Lucinda's granddaughter.
* **Director Murakami** - the Japanese director of the movie Walt participates in.

## Locations

The first 15 minutes of the movie and the very last 3 take place at the barnyard in which Walt lives, but most of the movie takes place in a place called Viperwood, which is a pun off of Hollywood because is a type of snake.

## Reception

*Spider's Web: A Pig's Tale* has been universally panned by movie goers everywhere for its hideous and cheap CGI, ripping off a much more successful story, having horrible voice acting as well as annoying, stupid, and downright unlikable characters, unoriginal plot and its confused moral.

IMDb rated the film a 1.2/10 while at Rotten Tomatoes only 13% of audience members liked it, with an average rating of 1.1/5 (2.2/10). In addition to being criticized for ripping off Charlotte's Web, *Spider's Web: A Pig's Tale* was also panned for ripping off *Gordy* and *Babe*, two other superior kids movies about talking pigs.

## External Links

* Full movie on YouTube
* IMDb page
* Rotten Tomatoes page