Babe (1995)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Chris Noonan

Writers:

Dick King-Smith (novel)
George Miller (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

A little pig goes a long way.

Plot:

Babe, a pig raised by sheepdogs, learns to herd sheep with a little help from Farmer Hoggett.

Plot Keywords:

Farmer | Pig | Sheep | Dog | Sheepdog

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Christine Cavanaugh	...	Babe (voice)
Miriam Margolyes	...	Fly (voice)
Danny Mann	...	Ferdinand (voice)
Hugo Weaving	...	Rex (voice)
Miriam Flynn	...	Maa (voice)
Russi Taylor	...	Duchess the Cat (voice) (as Russie Taylor)
Evelyn Krape	...	Old Ewe (voice)
Michael Edward-Stevens	...	Horse (voice)
Charles Bartlett	...	Cow (voice)
Paul Livingston	...	Rooster (voice)
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Narrator (voice)
James Cromwell	...	Farmer Arthur Hoggett
Magda Szubanski	...	Esme Hoggett
Zoe Burton	...	Daughter
Paul Goddard	...	Son-in-Law

Also Known As:

Babe, the Gallant Pig

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Canada:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (bw) | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:G (certificate #33880) | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Illawarra Highway, Albion Park, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

A ten-year labor of love for director George Miller.

Goofs:

Continuity: Farmer Hogget shears sheep yet next time the sheep are seen they have full coats.

Quotes:

Country Woman: [while watching the sheep dog trial on TV] Is that Hoggett?
Country Woman: I think it was.
Mrs. Esme Hoggett: Huh?
Valda: He said Hoggett. It was clear as a bell.
Mrs. Esme Hoggett: Well, must be another Hoggett. We only have the two dogs and they certainly... aren't...
[the country women stare at Esme who then rolls her eyes in exasperation]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

If I Had Words

Family Classic

This is a family film in the classic sense of the word, and it'd be hard to find a more charming and heartfelt tale. Ideally for children, but it can be enjoyed by adults too. It is a fantasy world where animals speak just like humans do.....albeit not in Australian accents, which is where the film is meant to be set.

The hero of this tale is a young pig named Babe, who is transfered from the pig pen, to the village fête, to the hands of Farmer Hoggett who wins the little fellow in a prize raffle(James Cromwell). It is on the farm he meets the locals, and is taken under the wing by a kind sheepdog named Fly, who has been characterised as the warm and motherly type. Not so warm is Rex (voiced by Hugo Weaving of Agent Smith fame), her growling no nonsense other half, who believes pigs do not belong with sheepdogs.

Babe is portrayed as the personification of innocence, and his gleeful and inquisitive nature brings him into contact with a host of farmyard animals. Not too sure why they felt he needed a furry little toupee between his ears, but each to his own. As Babe gets closer to Fly and the sheepdog role, he even begins to assume this role, much to Rex's dismay. But Babe has an awful lot of ambition for a little animal, and his heart is set on being a "sheep-pig".

There are moments of sadness in this film, such as loss and death, but it is mainly sweet natured and enchanting. It is one of the few Universal rated films I enjoy watching, and that is saying something for me!