Babe (1995)

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

Director:

Chris Noonan

Writers:

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

Stars:

Christine Cavanaugh, Miriam Margolyes, James Cromwell

Won 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 H. Hoggett
Magda Szubanski	...	Esme Hoggett
Zoe Burton	...	The Hoggetts' Daughter
Paul Goddard	...	The Hoggetts' Son-in-Law

Storyline

Farmer Hoggett wins a runt piglet at a local fair and young Babe, as the piglet decides to call himself, befriends and learns about all the other creatures on the farm. He becomes special friends with one of the sheepdogs, Fly. With Fly's help, and Farmer Hoggett's intuition, Babe embarks on a career in sheepherding with some surprising and spectacular results.

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Plot Keywords:

farmer | pig | sheep | sheepdog | dog | 

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Taglines:

A little pig goes a long way.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babe, the Gallant Pig

Filming Locations:

Illawarra Highway, Albion Park, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,300,243 (UK) (15 December 1995)

Gross:

£18,634,395 (UK) (15 March 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kennedy Miller Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The talking pig is a combination of 48 real Yorkshire pigs plus an animatronic double. A makeup artist added toupee and eyelashes to each, and computer digitization manipulated pictures of the snout to make the pig appear to talk.

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Goofs

The competition clock at the sheep dog trials has no minute hand.

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Quotes

Maa the Very Old Ewe: Darn silly carry-on, if you ask me.
Horse: The cat says they call it Christmas
Ferdinand the duck: Christmas! Christmas dinner, yeah. Dinner means death. Death means carnage! Christmas means carnage!
[flies away frantically]
Ferdinand the duck: Christmas means carnage!

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Crazy Credits

While the field mice reappear at the end of the credits in theatrical version, they do not do so in the Pay TV version. In fact, the mice do not appear in the credits at all, either for voices, animation, or animatronics. The vocal portions of the musical credits were peculiarly absent, as these were provided by the mice.

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Connections

Spoofed in LeapFrog: Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Blue Moon"
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

User Reviews

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.