Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

Babe, fresh from his victory in the sheepherding contest, returns to Farmer Hoggett's farm, but after Farmer Hoggett is injured and unable to work, Babe has to go to the big city to save the farm.

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

George Miller, Judy Morris

Stars:

Magda Szubanski, Elizabeth Daily, Mickey Rooney

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Magda Szubanski	...	Mrs. Esme Cordelia Hoggett
James Cromwell	...	Farmer Arthur Hoggett
Mary Stein	...	The Landlady
Mickey Rooney	...	Fugly Floom
Elizabeth Daily	...	Babe (voice) (as E.G. Daily)
Danny Mann	...	Ferdinand / Tug (voice)
Glenne Headly	...	Zootie (voice)
Steven Wright	...	Bob (voice)
James Cosmo	...	Thelonius (voice)
Nathan Kress	...	Easy / Tough Pup (voice)
Myles Jeffrey	...	Easy (voice)
Stanley Ralph Ross	...	The Bull Terrier / The Doberman (voice)
Russi Taylor	...	The Pink Poodle / Choir Cat (voice)
Adam Goldberg	...	Flealick (voice)
Eddie Barth	...	Nigel / Alan (voice)

Storyline

After Babe's great victory in the shepherding contest, Farmer Arthur Hoggett turns down all offers to make money with his pig's talents. But when he gets hurt severely in the well, his wife has to take up farming. She does her best but cannot meet the bank's requirements, which results in the necessity of getting back to Babe. Soon, Esme Hoggett is sitting in a plane headed for "the" city. There, Babe unwillingly causes deep trouble. He has to stay with Mrs. Hoggett in the only hotel in town that accepts pets. Friendly neighbours send officials who catch all animals from the hotel: Cats, dogs, chimpanzees and many others. Babe, who managed to stay free, decides to help his new friends and gets unexpected help - not only by Ferdinand, who flew all the way to the city.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | pig | big city | friends who live together | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

In the heart of the city, a pig with heart.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babe 2

Filming Locations:

Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,162,640, 29 November 1998

Gross USA:

$18,319,860

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,131,860

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2011, Ron Meyer, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Studios,told an audience at the Savannah (Georgia) Film Festival that Babe: Pig in the City was one of the two worst movies that Universal had ever made; the other one he singled out was The Wolfman.

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Goofs

When Esme hits the guest on the ladder, she is wearing shoes, which are visible. In the next shot, she has bare feet.

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Quotes

Mrs. Esme Cordelia Hoggett: [speaking very rapidly as the court stenographer looks on with a dumbfound expression] Oh, well, yes, I've given myself a good, hard talking-to, let me tell you. I said to myself, "Esme, you have let yourself down, you have let Arthur down, and you have let the pig down..."
The Narrator: The judge had never heard anyone speak so many words in such short of time.
Mrs. Esme Cordelia Hoggett: Who'd trust you? So...
The Narrator: Evidently, this was a woman of clear conscience and good intent.
Mrs. Esme Cordelia Hoggett: I used to dismiss pigs, but then a pig became my husband's ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

One of the singing mice thanks the audience for staying through the credits.

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Alternate Versions

The scene where Ferdinand lands at the Gun Club is removed from some TV showings. The film cuts from him landing in daylight to his perching, out of breath, on top of a tall building after dark.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: That Darn Cat (1997) (2019)

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Soundtracks

Chattanooga Choo Choo
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Mack Gordon
Performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
Featuring Vocals by Tex Beneke and The Modernaires

User Reviews

Gene Siskel, you had the right idea!!

I would just like to thank Gene Siskel for all the tribute he gave to this movie. He ranked it as the best movie of 1998!! I would have to agree with him! This has got to be one of the funniest, wildest, best films of all time!!! The first "Babe" is pale in comparison to this movie! Anyway, it's about how Mrs. Hoggat is in debt, so she takes Babe to live in the big city with her. When Babe gets there, he meets tons of new animal friends, cats, dogs, monkeys, you name it! I also remember how the one monkey lady would always call him "the pig whitey thing". There were so many animal characters, but yet it worked because they were all each in some way important to the story. The duck was funny, too! Give us more of the duck! It was also cool how the bulldog wanted everyone to obey Babe, and it was like he was Babe's protector. What was also satisfying was how at the end, they told about what happened to all of the animal characters. It makes you realize how these animals all have their own communities and such. That's why I adore movies like this and "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey".

I'll never forget my favorite part, the scene at the end where Mrs. Hoggat was flying in those big trousers and everyone was in a frenzy to get Babe. And they made cute references, like the part where Babe was giving the jellybeans ("Thank the pig") was probably a reference to the pope, I believe. I can't believe this movie has no quotes! Please don't listen to the Leonard Maltin review. I personally think the first "Babe" was darker than BPITC. Anyway, this is truly a wonderful film. I've only seen it once (I think) so rent it today! A perfect 10/10.