THIS LITTLE PIGGY ...AND 46 OTHERS BRING HOME THE BACON IN THE LIVE-ACTION FILM `CHARLOTTE'S WEB'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer

In the new movie version of E.B. White's enduring, endearing children's story ``Charlotte's Web,'' which opens Friday, the hero, Wilbur the pig, turns somersaults, head-butts his way through a wood fence and practically smiles while posing for pictures.

Now, even as the film's human star, 12-year-old Dakota Fanning, asserts that there's nothing as cute or smart or lovable as a little pig, animal trainers 7/8 even expert ones -- could not make a pig flip.

``That's absurd,'' grumbles Larry Madrid, the film's head animal trainer. ``Pigs can do a lot of things, but there comes a time when you need some help.''

Of course, Wilbur, slated for Christmas dinner, needs help in the story from Charlotte the spider, their unlikely friendship forming the heart of White's book, which has sold an estimated 45 million copies since its 1952 publication.

The movie, directed by Gary Winick (``13 Going on 30'') and adapted by Susannah Grant (``Erin Brockovich'') and Karey Kirkpatrick (``Over the Hedge''), remains largely faithful to White's book, more so than the 1973 animated movie that turned the story into a musical.

Here there are only two songs -- including a cockle-warmer from Sarah McLachlan -- and they play over the closing credits.

However, there are new characters, most prominently a couple of dim-bulb crows that Winick agonized over adding each step of the way.

``You don't want to mess with the original story because it's so perfect,'' says Winick, ultimately justifying the crows' inclusion as providing what he saw as some necessary tension and comedic relief.

``This story is a hard thing to mess up. That's why I was so terrified. Maybe I'd be the one.''

To portray the animal that Charlotte famously labels as ``some pig,'' Winick used 47 pigs to stand in for Wilbur at various ages and stages. There are also nearly 1,000 computer-generated shots in the movie -- about 900 more effects shots than were used 11 years ago in that other talking-pig movie, ``Babe.''

Given that the new ``Charlotte's Web'' includes two characters 7/8 Charlotte and Templeton the rat -- created completely by computer, that number isn't startling.

Neither are the nearly four dozen pigs representing Wilbur from infancy to his first birthday.

``Pigs put on a pound a day, so they go from cute and cuddly to big and fat almost overnight,'' says director Gary Winick. ``We didn't shoot the movie chronologically, so we had to have about 20 pigs on the set every day to cover every possibility.

Different pigs were expert at doing different things.''

Madrid says the filmmakers were always looking for ``the Tom Cruise of pigs,'' an interesting description given that Paramount originally wanted Cruise to voice Wilbur. (See sidebar.)

``In the real world, a pig is a pig, but in the movie world, there are subtle nuances -- snout length, ear length, the placement of the eyes -- that makes one stand out,'' Madrid says.

Adds Winick: ``It's just like people. Some pigs are beautiful. Some are average. But there is no actor, living or dead, who's as endearing as a 4- to 6-week-old pig.''

Fanning, playing the young girl who initially rescues Wilbur, loved all the pigs, especially the ones who would fall asleep in her arms.

The geese, on the other hand, were a different story.

``They didn't get along with anybody, people or animals,'' Fanning says. ``Geese are snippy. They bite.''

The birds' viciousness made filming barnyard scenes problematic, ultimately resulting in the use of puppet geese.

``It made for less hissing,'' Winick says. ``Geese are almost prehistoric -- the construction of the teeth and beak and tongue. I got bit on the leg a couple of times.''

Animal trainer Madrid maintains that the geese get a bad rap. Any creature -- animal or human -- would get snippy after an arduous number of takes, he says, particularly if dealing with hoofed stock, who Madrid calls ``not the brightest animals in the world.''

One creature Madrid didn't have to worry about -- the computer-generated Charlotte -- provided Winick with some of his biggest headaches. Initial designs made the spider too pretty.

Subsequent spiders proved too scary. One rendition made Charlotte's eyes resemble those of another popular children's character -- PBS' Jay Jay the Jet Plane.

``One of the themes of the story is the way the animals judge Charlotte by her appearance,'' Winick says. ``They can't see her as anything but a creepy spider, yet in the end they cry for her.

So, you don't want the spider to scare kids out of the theater, but you do want them to cringe a little bit when they first see her. That's part of the journey.''

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

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`Web' cast

`Charlotte's Web'' director Gary Winick is under no illusions why Hollywood A-listers were beating down his door to do vocal work in his movie.

``It's all E.B. White,'' Winick says, referring to the writer of the 1952 children's classic. ``Hopefully someday these people will want to work with me again in a live-action movie. But I know they signed up because it's `Charlotte's Web.' Who doesn't love `Charlotte's Web' ''?

Winick on his all-star cast:

Julia Roberts (Charlotte the spider): ``Her voice embodies warmth and kindness. It's comforting, yet there's a strength to it and a dignity, too. She's the dramatic spine of the movie.''

Steve Buscemi (Templeton the rat): ``I've worked with Steve, and he's the sweetest guy. He always gets cast in these villainous roles -- this being no exception -- and it's because he's able to bring a humanity to the characters. He could make you care about an ax murderer if he wanted to.''

John Cleese (Samuel the sheep): ``Like everyone, I'm a fan of his work in the amazing `Monty Python.' He was so good at improvising that his part just kept growing and growing. And he only recorded for three hours.''

Robert Redford (Ike the horse): ``I worked with Robert at Sundance. I thought he might have fun with this, getting a chance to be over-the-top as a authoritative horse who's afraid of spiders. He's got a fantastic voice -- the voice of experience.''

Oprah Winfrey (Gussy the goose): ``You close your eyes and you listen to voices. Oprah's voice is maternal and nurturing. There's comfort there.''

Dominic Scott Kay (Wilbur the pig): ``Initially the studio wanted Tom Cruise. No. You need a little boy that could capture the innocence and excitement of Wilbur. No matter how great an older actor is, it wouldn't feel authentic.... Dominic is the heart and soul of this movie. I worked with him from the time he was 7 years old all the way to 9 1/2. I'm so proud of him. He makes you feel some pretty deep emotions just with his voice.''

-- G.W.

CAPTION(S):

9 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) PIG TALES

`Charlotte's Web' weaves its magic - even when pigs don't fly

(2 -- 3 -- color) no caption (scenes from ``Charlotte's Web'')

(4 -- color) no caption (spider)

(5 -- color) no caption (rat)

(6 -- color) no caption (sheep)

(7 -- color) no caption (horse)

(8 -- color) no caption (goose)

(9 -- color) no caption (pig)

Box:

`Web' cast (see text)