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Babe (film)

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Babe
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChris Noonan
Screenplay byGeorge Miller
Chris Noonan
Book
Dick King-Smith
Produced byCatherine Barber
Philip Hearnshaw
Bill Miller
George Miller
Doug Mitchell
Daphne Paris
StarringJames Cromwell
Roscoe Lee Browne
Christine Cavanaugh
Miriam Margolyes
Hugo Weaving
Miriam Flynn
Danny Mann
Magda Szubanski
Russi Taylor
Narrated byRoscoe Lee Browne
CinematographyAndrew Lesnie
Edited byMarcus D'Arcy
Jay Friedkin
Music byNigel Westlake
Distributed byUniversal Studios
Release dates
  • August 4, 1995 (1995-08-04) (United States)
  • December 14, 1995 (1995-12-14) (Australia)
Running time
91 minutes
CountriesTemplate:FilmAustralia
Template:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 Million[1]
Box office$254,134,910

Babe is a 1995 Australian-American film directed by Chris Noonan. It is an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Sheep-Pig, also known as Babe: The Gallant Pig in the United States, by Dick King-Smith and tells the story of a pig who wants to be a sheepdog. The main animal characters are played by a combination of real and animatronic pigs and Border Collies.[2]

Babe was filmed in Robertson, New South Wales, Australia.[3] The talking-animal visual effects were done by Rhythm & Hues Studios. Although the setting and style of the film are distinctly British/Australasian pastoral, many of the human speaking parts were overdubbed from Australian to American accents for popular acceptance in the American film market.

The film was a critical and box office success and was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, but lost to Braveheart. The success of the film launched a sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, which was released in 1998 to mixed reviews.

Plot

After a piglet's mother is taken away by humans to be slaughtered, Babe is picked out for a "guess the weight" booth at a county fair. Farmer Arthur Hoggett guesses his weight and wins the pig. Babe is brought to his farm and allowed to stay with the female sheepdog, Fly (a Border Collie), and her pups. Maa, an elderly resident sheep, tells him to watch out for the dogs. A duck named Ferdinand, posing as a rooster in order to keep from being eaten, wakes the farm each morning by crowing. He persuades Babe to help him destroy the alarm clock because it threatens his mission. They succeed, but wake Duchess (a cat) and destroy the living room. The shenanigans cause Babe and Duchess to be covered in paint. Rex, Fly's mate and leader of the farm animals, orders Babe to stay away from Ferdinand (who is now a fugitive) and the house.

The Hoggetts discuss Christmas dinner and whether to have roast pork or duck à l'orange. Mrs. Hoggett has her mind set on pork, but Hoggett convinces her to keep Babe so they can show him at the fair.

Fly's puppies are soon put up for sale and sold, and she is brokenhearted at the separation. Babe asks whether he can call her "Mom," and Fly accepts.

Maa and the other sheep are taken out to the fields. The day after Christmas Babe hears the sheep bleating and investigates. He witnesses two men stealing the sheep but is chased off by their dog. Babe alerts Rex, Fly, and Hoggett, who, despite not being able to stop the two, prevent Maa and some of the other sheep from being taken.

The next day Hoggett sees Babe sort the hens, separating the brown ones from the white ones. Impressed, he takes the pig to the sheep fields along with Fly and Rex. Rex feels threatened by Babe when Hoggett tells Babe, rather than Rex to herd the sheep, and is furious with Fly for helping him. Fly advises Babe to be rough, so he bites one of the sheep. This angers Maa, who advises him to ask politely. The sheep cooperate, and Babe herds them out of their pen, impressing Farmer Hoggett and amazing the other dogs. Rex, however, regards Babe's behavior as an insult to sheepdogs, and that night, he attacks his mate for putting ideas in Babe's head. Fly's right front leg is injured, and Hoggett is bitten by Rex while trying to break up the fight. Rex is chained to the dog house and sedated. It is now Babe's job to herd the sheep.

Hoggett considers entering Babe in the sheepdog trials. One morning, Babe runs out to the field and witnesses a pack of dogs attacking the sheep. He scares them away, but Maa has been mortally injured and dies from her wounds. Hoggett arrives to see Babe standing over Maa with blood on his snout and assumes the worst. As he prepares to shoot Babe, Fly tries talking to the sheep for the first time to find out what happened. She distracts Hoggett by barking long enough for Mrs. Hoggett to come out and tell how she heard that wild dogs killed lambs on another farm.

When Mrs. Hoggett goes on a trip, Hoggett enters Babe in the sheepdog trials under the name "Pig." That evening, it is so wet outside that Hoggett lets Babe inside the house along with Fly. Duchess however, scratches Babe when he tries talking to her, and she is thrown out onto the porch. Ferdinand returns from his self-imposed exile. Duchess is allowed back into the house and, while apologizing for scratching Babe at first, tells Babe that humans eat pigs. Fly confirms this, which devastates Babe. The next morning Fly discovers Babe has run away. He is found by Hoggett barely alive. Babe refuses to eat, despite encouragement from Rex, who has softened his attitude. Hoggett gives him a drink in a bottle and sings "If I Had Words" to Babe, and eventually dances for him. This restores Babe's faith in the farmer, and he begins eating.

At the trials the sheep refuse to listen to Babe, and Rex runs to the farm to find out what to do. The sheep give Rex a secret password only for Babe's use, and make Rex promise to treat the sheep better. The crowd laughs as Babe tries herding the sheep, but using the password, Babe convinces the sheep to do what he asks, and they perform flawlessly. After getting perfect scores and the cheers and adoration of the crowd, Babe sits next to Hoggett, who says, "That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Cast

Voices

  • Christine Cavanaugh as Babe: a piglet raised by the sheepdog Fly. He is considered one of the stupid animals at first, but becomes a hero in the end.
  • Miriam Margolyes as Fly: Hoggett's female border collie. The mother of a litter of puppies, she is the first to consider Babe as one of the family.
  • Hugo Weaving as Rex: Farmer Hoggett's lead sheepdog who fathered Fly's puppies.
  • Danny Mann as Ferdinand: An Indian Runner Duck. He is aware of his tenuous existence and lowly status on the farm, and is somewhat neurotic as a result.
  • Miriam Flynn as Maa: an old ewe on Hoggett Farm.
  • Russi Taylor as Duchess: the Hoggetts' spoiled cat.
  • Roscoe Lee Browne as the Narrator.
  • Michael Edward-Stevens as Horse: a horse who pulls Arthur Hoggett's cart.
  • Charles Bartlett as The Cow: a cow who is a strong believer in the way things are, for her job is to make milk.
  • Evelyn Krape as Old Ewe
  • Paul Livingston as Rooster
  • John Erwin as TV Commentator
  • The Singing Mice: a chorus of three mice who introduce each chapter. Every other time, they appear singing songs: such as "Blue Moon", "Votre toast" (an aria in French from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet), and Scott Fitzgerald's "If I Had Words".

Reception

Babe was a critical success and was very well received. It currently holds a 98% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and a 100% approval rating from top critics, making it one of the best rated films on their website.[4] It was also a box office success, grossing $254,134,910 worldwide.[5]

It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.[6] It won the award for Best Visual Effects, defeating Apollo 13.[7] In 2006, the American Film Institute named Babe #80 on its list of America's Most Inspiring Movies.[citation needed]

Due to its title and subject matter not being halal, Babe was initially banned in Malaysia, although the ruling was overturned almost a year later and the film was released direct-to-VHS.[8]

Awards and nominations

Box office

Babe grossed $36,776,544 at the box office in Australia,[10] which is equivalent to $52,958,223 in 2009 dollars.[citation needed]

Home media

Sequel

A 1998 sequel Babe: Pig in the City was released in theaters, but received mixed reviews from movie critics.

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Chanko, Kenneth M. (1995-08-18). "This Pig Just Might Fly | Movies". EW.com. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  3. ^ "Robertson – New South Wales – Australia". theage.com.au. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  4. ^ "Babe Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  5. ^ "Babe (1995)". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  6. ^ Siskel & Ebert week of February 16, 1996 Part 1 Part 2
  7. ^ ":: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Babe (xhtml)". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  8. ^ Gogoi, Pallavi (2006-11-05). "Banning Borat". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  9. ^ "Academy Awards, USA: 1996". awardsdatabase.oscars.org. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  10. ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
  11. ^ "Family Favorite Treasures 3-Movie Collection - Universal Studios". NBC Universal Store. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
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