Lots of top names, including Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon, lent their voices, but it's the inventive animation that is the real star.

James flags slightly when it lands in New York, but this is still a charming entertainment with a freer and bolder visual style than anything Disney has done in years.

The result of this mixture of real-life actors and stop-motion animation is formulaic and mechanical.

The necessarily dark forces and forced story line prevent this classic children's story from ripening to its full potential.