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:

Pig | Farmer | Sheep | Sheepdog | Dog

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 17 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 22	12:00 PM	HBO
Mon. July 27	6:15 AM	HBO

Cast

Christine Cavanaugh	...	Babe the Gallant Pig (voice)
Miriam Margolyes	...	Fly the Female Sheepdog (voice)
Danny Mann	...	Ferdinand the Duck (voice)
Hugo Weaving	...	Rex the Male Sheepdog (voice)
Miriam Flynn	...	Maa the Very Old Ewe (voice)
Russi Taylor	...	Dutchess the Cat (voice) (as Russie Taylor)
Evelyn Krape	...	Old Ewe (voice)
Michael Edward-Stevens	...	Horse (voice)
Charles Bartlett	...	Cow (voice)
Paul Livingston	...	Rooster in Stall (voice)
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Narrator (voice)
James Cromwell	...	Farmer Arthur Hoggett
Magda Szubanski	...	Mrs. 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:

Country, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

Most films released in German-speaking areas in Europe are dubbed in Germany with the same standard German pronunciation. This film, however, was also released in a special version that was re-dubbed for Austria. Each of the animals speaks in a very specific regional Austrian accent: Ferdinand the Duck sounds like a Tyrolean, Duchess the cat has a Vorarlberg accent and so on. The mice sing Styrian folk songs. The movie was quite popular with adults as well as children, since the accents and all the regional figures of speech used were quite hilarious.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Straps holding sheep in neat formation visible.

Quotes:

Cat: Oh, do forgive me for scratching you dear. I got a bit carried away. It's a cat thing.
Babe: [laughs] Oh, well, but--
Cat: Feeling good about tomorrow, are you?
Babe: Mm-hmm, it should be alright, I think.
Cat: You know, I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm not sure if you realize how much the other animals are laughing at you for this sheep dog business.
Babe: Why would they do that?
Cat: Well, they say that you've forgotten that you're a pig. Isn't that silly?
Babe: What do you mean?
Cat: You know, why pigs are here.
Babe: Why are any of us here?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Married with Children: T*R*A*S*H (#11.13)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Pizzicati

This Is About As Good As It Gets For A Family Movie

When this came out -- years ago, I thought, "Wow, this is pretty amazing" and since then movie audiences have been amazed at a number of camera tricks, computer-enhanced people, animals, monsters, and who knows what....so this kind of story with fun special effects is no longer is unique.

However, it's so charming, so nice a story that it should hold up as solid entertainment for a long, long time. It has proved to be anything but a flash-in-the-pan. This movie will endure. It's also a beautiful film on DVD with brilliant colors and some very rich visuals.

Filmed in rural Australia, the scenery is magnificent and so is the house that is featured in the film. It looks like some old-fashioned gingerbread house. The animals are entertaining, talking to one another like humans but not looking hokey in the process. In other words, the dubbing is well done.

The main character, "Babe," the little pig, is the nicest, most innocent "character" you could ever hope to find. Listening to him talk is heart-warming most of the time and sometimes it's heart-breaking. The best comic relief is provided by the goose who wants to be a rooster. That may sound like it's geared toward little kids, but it isn't. I haven't found an adult friend yet who didn't like this film.

It also was good to see James Cromwell play a nice guy, too. Most other times he seems to play profane and corrupt cops or government officials. Here, he's just a nice old farmer who blends in perfectly with the surroundings. His wife is a bit annoying, but not too bad.

This is a wonderful, sweet-hearted comedy-drama with a nice ending, too, guaranteed to leave you with a smile or a tear, or both. This is one of the best "family" movies of all time.