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Babe: Pig in the City

Rating

Director

George Miller

Screenplay

George Miller, Judy Morris, Mark Lamprell

Length

1h 37m

Starring

Magda Szzubanski, James Cromwell, Mary Stein Mickey Rooney, E.G. Daily, Danny Mann, Glenne Headly, Steven Wright, James Cosmo, Nathan Kress, Myles Jeffrey, Stanley Rlaph Ross, Russi Taylor

MPAA Rating

PG

Basic Plot

Babe travels to the city in order to help rescue Farmer Hoggett’s farm.

Review

A little pig goes a lot further.

“Babe: Pig in the City” is the sequel to the 1995 sleeper hit and Best Picture Oscar nominee “Babe.” In the original saga, Babe (voiced then by Christine Cavanaugh) beat all the odds and became a championship sheep-herding pig. Now, Babe (voiced by E.G. Daily) takes a trip to the big city where he’ll try to save Hoggett’s farm from foreclosure.

This tale begins on the farm, after the revelers have left. Tons of fan mail and invitations have arrived at the Hoggett household and all want to have the now-famous Babe come to their festival or outing.

Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell), who can’t get any water to run, attempts to fix the problem and while down a well, several accidents occur that lay him up in bed with a great number of broken body parts. Mrs. Hoggett (Magda Szubanski) takes to the chores, but when the revenue service comes to take away the farm, she decides to cash in on one of those paid appearances for their sheep-pig.

They take a plane trip across the large ocean to the big city, which on our first view, encompasses famous landmarks from various cities (The Eiffel Tower, The Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House and the Golden Gate Bridge among others).

When they finally arrive, Babe, who has been riding in the baggage compartment is taken off the conveyor belt and placed on top of a pile of luggage. His first encounter is with a drug sniffing dog who shows Babe how what he does gets him big treats, only to cause Babe and Mrs. Hoggett to be suspected of drug smuggling.

After they are detained, questioned and searched, Mrs. Hoggett takes Babe to a large display of hotels in the area. She calls several, but find none that will accept any form of pets. Leaving in sadness, a strange man gives her the address of a hotel that will accept them.

The dynamic duo arrives at the hotel, they are abruptly turned away only to be sneaked in a side entrance to escape the prying eyes of the neighbors. The hotel has become a haven for animal souls including three dogs, a room full of cats and a family of monkeys whose owner is a clown, Fugly Floom (Mickey Rooney), and takes them on shows for sick children.

Through various setbacks and adventures, Babe and Mrs. Hoggett separately experience the big city.

Cromwell doesn’t have much to do in this film while Szubanski is given the greater majority of time, in contrast to the original where Cromwell had the most to do and Szubanski was window dressing. Szubanski isn’t terribly impressive, but does give a nice performance.

The voice work isn’t as intriguing as in the original, but the visual effects are. To an extent, “Pig in the City” is more visual enhanced than the original and with the higher quality visual effects stands a chance at another Oscar.

The production design is spectacular and while not as low-key as the original, this time around, they could actually win the trophy. George Miller took great time in fashioning this work, going so far as to extend post-production beyond its original date and force them to cancel their charity benefit a few weeks before release.

The finished product doesn’t feel rushed and that’s a good thing, but the film is far less charming than its predecessor. Where “Babe” was interesting and warm-hearted, “Pig in the City” is interesting and exuberant and at times more depressing than the original.

“Babe: Pig in the City” is a wonderful family motion picture that touches various topics, but doesn’t live up to the power and overwhelming brilliance of the original.

Awards Prospects

Chances for Best Picture have dwindled, but still reside. Director is almost assuredly out of the question and with the little amount of screen time, Cromwell is also out. Magda Szubanski, however, is in. Look for nominations for Art Direction and Visual Effects. Likely nominations also in the field of Costume Design and Original Song. Other possibilities include Original Comedy/Musical Score, Cinematography, Film Editing and Sound.

Review Written

November 30, 1998