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

Colour:

Colour

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

An astounding film

I was dragged to this film by my girlfriend (now wife) when it first came out in fall of 1995. I had zero interest in what seemed to me nothing more than a kids movie. I recall sitting in the theater before the movie commenced, looking at my watch and estimating the time it would end, when my life could begin again after this rude 90 minute interruption.

Then the film began. The moment Babe said a tearful goodbye to his mother as she was being led off to the slaughter house ("Pig Paradise", the narrator says), I was hooked. What stood out to me was not the tearful "Goodbye Mom", but the fact that after we see Babe's mom loaded into the truck, the camera goes back to Babe, siting in the corner of his industrial pen, sobbing profusely. This moment, maybe 90 seconds into the movie, is filmed so well, so perfect, that instead of coming off as melodramatic, it is heartrending. I know that word is used often to describe this film, but I do not know how else to describe it. This is one of many "heartrending" moments in this beautiful film.

This is by far the best childrens film I have ever seen, but it really is a mistake to even call it a childrens film. It is simply a great film. A film that shows how wondrous things can happen as a result of common decency; how any individual can triumph if they believe in themselves; how vital is the help of family and friends in life's arduous journey.

This a film not to be missed. It should have beaten Braveheart.