<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $2.4 million (rentals) </Td> </Tr> <P> Charlotte's Web is a 1973 American animated musical drama film produced by Hanna - Barbera Productions and Sagittarius Productions and based upon the 1952 children's book of the same name by E.B. White . The film, like the book, is about a pig named Wilbur who befriends an intelligent spider named Charlotte who saves him from being slaughtered . Released to theaters by Paramount Pictures, Charlotte's Web features a song score of music and lyrics written by the Sherman Brothers, who had previously written music for family films like Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). It is the first of only three Hanna - Barbera features not to be based upon one of their famous television cartoons, Heidi's Song (1982) and Once Upon a Forest (1993) being the other two . </P> <P> Charlotte's Web was released on February 22, 1973, to moderate critical and commercial success . The film has developed a devoted following over the following years due to television and VHS; in 1994 it surprised the marketplace by becoming one of the best - selling titles of the year, 21 years after its first premiere . No other non-Disney musical animated film has enjoyed such a comeback in popularity, prompting a direct - to - video sequel, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure, which Paramount released in the US on March 18, 2003 (Universal released it internationally), followed by a live - action film version of the original story, which was released on December 15, 2006 . </P> <P> Early one morning, Fern Arable prevents her father John from slaughtering a piglet as the runt of the litter . Deciding to let Fern deal with nurturing the piglet, John allows Fern to raise it as a pet . She nurtures it lovingly, naming it Wilbur . Six weeks later, Wilbur, due to being a spring pig, has matured, and John tells Fern that Wilbur has to be sold (his siblings were already sold). Fern sadly says good - bye to Wilbur as he is sold down the street to her uncle, Homer Zuckerman . At Homer's farm, a goose coaxes a sullen Wilbur to speak his first words . Although delighted at this new ability, Wilbur still yearns for companionship . He attempts to get the goose to play with him, but she declines on the condition that she has to hatch her eggs . Wilbur also tries asking a rat named Templeton to play with him, but Templeton's only interests are spying, hiding, and eating . Wilbur then wants to play with a lamb, but the lamb's father says sheep do not play with pigs because it is only a matter of time before they are slaughtered and turned into smoked bacon and ham . Horrified at this depressing discovery, Wilbur reduces himself to tears until a mysterious voice tells him to "chin up", and wait until morning to reveal herself to him . The following morning, she reveals herself to be a spider named Charlotte A. Cavatica, living on a web on a corner of Homer's barn overlooking Wilbur's pig pen . She tells him that she will come up with a plan guaranteed to spare his life . </P>

When did the original charlotte's web come out