Babe

Plot synopsis:
Babe, an orphaned piglet, is chosen for a "guess the weight" contest at a county fair. The winning farmer, Arthur Hoggett, brings him home and allows him to stay with a Border Collie named Fly, her mate Rex and their puppies, in the barn.
A duck named Ferdinand, who poses as a rooster to spare himself from being eaten, persuades Babe to help him destroy the alarm clock that threatens his mission. Despite succeeding in this, they wake Duchess, the Hoggetts' cat, and in the confusion accidentally destroy the living room. Rex sternly instructs Babe to stay away from Ferdinand (now a fugitive) and the house. Sometime later, when Fly's puppies are put up for sale, Babe asks if he can call her "Mom".
Christmas brings a visit from the Hoggetts' relatives. Babe is almost chosen for Christmas dinner but a duck is picked instead after Hoggett remarks to his wife Esme that Babe may bring a prize for ham at the next county fair. On Christmas Day, Babe justifies his existence by alerting Hoggett to sheep rustlers stealing sheep from one of the fields. The next day, Hoggett sees Babe sort the hens, separating the brown from the white ones. Impressed, he takes him to the fields and allows him to try and herd the sheep. Encouraged by an elder ewe named Maa, the sheep cooperate, but Rex sees Babe's actions as an insult to sheepdogs and confronts Fly in a vicious fight for encouraging Babe. He injures her leg and accidentally bites Hoggett's hand when he tries to intervene. Rex is then chained to the dog house, muzzled and sedated, leaving the sheep herding job to Babe.
One morning, Babe is awakened by the sheep's cries and sees three dogs attacking them. Though he manages to scare them off, Maa is mortally injured and dies as a result. Hoggett arrives and, thinking that Babe killed her, prepares to shoot him. Fly is so anxious to find out whether he is guilty or innocent that, instead of barking orders at the sheep, she talks to them to find out what happened. Learning the truth, she barks to distract Hoggett, delaying him until Esme mentions that the police say feral dogs have been killing sheep on neighboring farms and asks him why he has taken his shotgun out.
When Esme leaves on a trip, Hoggett signs Babe up for a local sheepherding competition. As it is raining the night before, Hoggett lets him and Fly into the house. However, Duchess scratches him when he tries to speak to her, so Hoggett immediately confines her outside. When she is let back in later, she gets revenge on Babe by revealing that humans eat pigs. Horrified, he runs out to the barn and learns from Fly that this is true. The next morning, Fly discovers that Babe has run away. She and Rex alert Hoggett and they all search for him. Rex finds him in a cemetery and Hoggett brings him home. However, he is still demoralized and refuses to eat. Hoggett gives him a drink from a baby bottle, sings to him "If I Had Words" and dances a jig for him. This restores Babe’s faith in Hoggett's affection and he begins eating again.
At the competition, Babe meets the sheep that he will be herding, but they ignore his attempts to speak to them. As Hoggett is criticized by the bemused judges and ridiculed by the public for using a pig instead of a dog, Rex runs back to the farm to ask the sheep what to do. They give him a secret password, first extracting a promise that he will treat them better from now on. He returns in time to convey the password to Babe, and the sheep now follow his instructions flawlessly. Amid the crowd’s acclamation, he is unanimously given the highest score. While he sits down next to the farmer, Hoggett praises him by saying, "That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Tags: cute, fantasy, entertaining, boring

Review:
It is a fantasy world where animals speak just like humans do.....albeit not in Australian accents, which is where the film is meant to be set.The hero of this tale is a young pig named Babe, who is transfered from the pig pen, to the village fête, to the hands of Farmer Hoggett who wins the little fellow in a prize raffle(James Cromwell).
Not so warm is Rex (voiced by Hugo Weaving of Agent Smith fame), her growling no nonsense other half, who believes pigs do not belong with sheepdogs.Babe is portrayed as the personification of innocence, and his gleeful and inquisitive nature brings him into contact with a host of farmyard animals.
But Babe has an awful lot of ambition for a little animal, and his heart is set on being a "sheep-pig".There are moments of sadness in this film, such as loss and death, but it is mainly sweet natured and enchanting.
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.
we Americans have never been good at telling children's stories without being condescending and heavy-handed with the moral message.The story takes place in some fairy tale amalgam of all the rural cultures of the English-speaking world - Sometimes it seems like England, other times Kansas, Australia, New Zealand, it's really never anywhere particular.
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.
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.
I love this film because it has a sweet lining, yet tells a deep story about resolve, goodness, and the struggles of life in a very large sense.
As Farmer Hoggett begins to notice the unusual way Babe can work with the sheep he begins to groom him for that role  much to the worry of his wife and the other farm animals.Written by the guy who wrote the Mad Max films  that's what kills me.
I've seen this several times and the silent, wonderful climax to the sheepdog trials makes me choke everytime (even if it is predictable).All the voices are good and the use of animals is faultless.
Babe is a great hero and you feel for him from the start to the end  when he gives a little satisfied sigh it's difficult not to feel warm inside.Overall this is one of the best children's films I've seen  it's light and unassuming and not a classic but it is comic, gentle and ultimately heart warming  what more do you want?.
In the end, there's not a whole lot to this film, but the good things outweigh the bad, the dark edges keep it all from getting too sappy, and some of the more expressive moments truly achieve a kind of magic.
Although it is billed as a children's film, and the message is portrayed via farm animals who can talk, people of all ages should be able to connect with, and appreciate the coming together of different cultures to achieve a common good.
My Take: The CITIZEN KANE of talking animal movies.For many years, BABE has been on the same line as THE WIZARD OF OZ and E.T., as a classic family film.
Before being bogged down into terribly mediocre films like RACING STRIPES, talking animal movies can actually potentially achieving as this one.
That is, except for the compassionate farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell), the most valuable human character in the movie, who sees his talents as a pig who actually knows how to herd sheep (by talking to them respectively, no less).BABE maybe a straightforward children's film, but it no doubt still has power to charm any adult audience out there, thanks to its adult script, thankfully co-written by George "MAD MAX" Miller adapted from a novel by Dick King-Smith, and an especially endearing performance by the underrated James Cromwell as the farmer.
Just suffice to say that by using very realistic puppets from the Henson Workshop and lots of live creatures, they managed to convincingly tell a story where the audience is pulled into it--and actually can accept that the animals talk and do other extraordinary things.What I love about the film is its tremendous sense of style.
Not only does it have a wonderful idea, but the combination of great music, amazing cinematography, storybook farms that look like David Winter cottages, the best voice actors you can imagine and those wonderful mice all work together to make a film that is a truly unique viewing experience.Overall, what's not to like?
By the way, as excited and in love with this film as I was and am, I feel almost 180 degrees different about the abomination that was the sequel, BABE: PIG IN THE CITY.
A "kids' movie" that's enjoyable for audiences from 8 to 80 years old, with a smart script/direction, great characters (human and animal beings!) and an unforgettable climax.
The Greek choir of mice often steals the show (their interpretation of Édith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" is classic), but it's Babe's, Hoggett's (the brilliant James Cromwell) and Maa's humanity that makes this story so special.
I absolutely love babe, i think it's a wonderful, a fantastic children's movie to watch with the whole family, the movie is about a pig that is separated from it's mother, brothers and sisters.
A lot of what has been said is also impertinent in order for kids to be able to enjoy this film.Babe is a movie for all ages, with beautiful (slightly dated making it a relic of movie design history) design and story.
The short chapters make it easy for children to consume and the characters in my opinion are lovable and therefore I can easily empathise with.Babe could end up being a moral time capsule and is worth watching as an adult if you want to learn about the history of animal liberation.
James Cromwell is terrific as Farmer Hoggett, the voice actors of all the animals are great, the movie is visually gorgeous.
A Kid's Flick With Just Enough Heart To "Round Up"Adults, Too. When it comes to children's movies, "Babe" pretty much corners the market on successful genre characteristics with its talking animals, simple humor, & heartfelt story.For a basic plot summary, "Babe" tells the story of a pig who, after losing his mother, gets brought to a small family farm.
When we did, it was one of those memorable occasions you wish you could experience again; kind of like a family tradition we had of watching "It's a Wonderful Life" each Christmas season as a "feel good" mood changer.
Arthur lets Babe, the little pig,to participate in a sheepdog contest even though he is not a "dog." Babe mentions many problems but friendship between him and his friends and Arthur makes Babe strong.The most interesting point of this movie, in my opinion, is that friends around Babe, including Arthur, respects and loves him.
Even though the first appearance is not really good, the person, the animal in this movie, might be a great one or he or she might has a wonderful skill of something.In conclusion, this movie is a story of a pig who is good at leading sheep.
I recall first watching this movie in August 1995(I've seen it again no fewer than twice since) with minimal expectations,figuring it was at least better than the poorly planned Gordy,which was released earlier that year(if I recall correctly),and wondering if they could pull off the "talking pig" film for kids.
What I found simply blew me away.The simple story of a piglet(voiced by Christine CAvanaugh) who is adopted by eccentric and kindly FArmer Hogget(JAmes Cromwell,kick-starts his career here and deservedly so),and slowly but surely earns his destiny as something more than being merely food by becoming a herding or "sheep pig".
He becomes this through the gentle guidance of Fly,the lady sheepdog(voiced by Miriam MArgoyles) who becomes the surrogate mom for the initially lost pig.Despite the reluctance of the confused male,alpha sheepdog(voiced by Hugo Weaving,well before become a celebrated mythic character actor in future films) and the skepticism of practically everyone on the farm,Babe goes about this unusual endeavor with positive results,to the amazement of--among others--Hogget's wife(Magda Szubrski,who would get much more work in the sequel).With additional voicing by(among others) Danny MAnn(as the loopy Ferdinand the Duck,who comes to believe BAbe is his "lucky pig"),Russi Taylor(as the ostensible villain,Duchess,the spoiled house cat)and the narration of Roscoe Lee Browne,for whom in my opinion makes the difference between this being a thoughtful,intelligent movie for all ages and merely something elementary,this movie--a treatment of a Dick KIng-Smith novel and a George Miller screenplay--is a true treat.
Reminiscent of "Charlotte's Web", this wonderful piece of Cinema Magic combines live action with state of the art technical tricks that will leave any viewer spellbound throughout the film.The story of a farmer and his attachment to a small pig he won at a Carnival develops into a special relationship of mutual respect and affection.
Sometimes, some shine out as actually quite good and can indeed be entertaining to thinking, mature people and not just infants.Babe is one of the greatest examples of a "family" (i.e., child-oriented) film that excels so well in almost every respect, that it transcends the apparent goal of "family" entertainment and is a great movie.To start, the film is, of course, a very sweet, heart-warming tale.
It contains the usual themes, talking animals, and sweetness, but one must admit that the whole idea of a "sheep pig" is really quite different and obviously possesses possibilities for amusement.The film also develops very well.
There is also actually some character development, even if much of it (except for Farmer Hoggett)is confined to the animals.Critical to appealing to thinking audiences, the film also is very good at making one care about the characters and events.
Won by a Farmer (James Cromwell) at a state fair for use as a future Christmas ham, Babe the pig is taken in by his surrogate mother Fly, a sheepdog.
Being a sheep dog seems to him like a good plan!Beautifully done with tons of style and excellent special effects and musical score, this movie is CLASSIC.I love Babe!Kids will enjoy it too, but it's so much more than a children's movie..
Very good movie about that little pig who gets to live on the Haggett's farm.
The lead farmer, Mr. Hoggett, played by James Cromwell, is a model of reticence and folksy wisdom, and he really does lead the movie, whatever the title role of Babe, who remains, after all, a pig.
To do that he quit being a doctor and started Australia's most successful independent production company.Through lots of twists and turns he finds himself writing the screen play for a children's movie called babe also produced by his production company.So here we have the story of a little pig who ends up on a small farm where there are no pigs.
A young, orphaned pig is adopted by a kindhearted farmer and brought to live amongst a zany group of farm animals, including a duck who thinks he's a rooster, a herd of talkative ewes, a trio of singing mice, and a group of the town's most talented sheep dogs.
I mean, on the one hand, it got very good reviews and it was from Australia, but on the other hand, it was a movie about a pig that ends up working as a sheep dog!
I mean, on the one hand, it got very good reviews and it was from Australia, but on the other hand, it was a movie about a pig that ends up working as a sheep dog!
On the "children level" the story is rather simple: little polite orphan, pig Babe, lives happily on the farm with his various animal friends and a good master, does a valuable job and makes his master and all of his friends proud.
On the "children level" the story is rather simple: little polite orphan, pig Babe, lives happily on the farm with his various animal friends and a good master, does a valuable job and makes his master and all of his friends proud.
From the beginning of the movie, when Babe thinks his mother and all of his brothers and sisters are going to "Pig's heaven", as everyone says, when in fact they are taken to be slaughtered, move is full of such black humour, including Mrs. Hoggett calling Babe "my little pork-chop", and farmer Hoggett wanting to kill Babe because he thinks that Babe is so much like a sheep dog that he could kill a sheep!
From the beginning of the movie, when Babe thinks his mother and all of his brothers and sisters are going to "Pig's heaven", as everyone says, when in fact they are taken to be slaughtered, move is full of such black humour, including Mrs. Hoggett calling Babe "my little pork-chop", and farmer Hoggett wanting to kill Babe because he thinks that Babe is so much like a sheep dog that he could kill a sheep!
Sure, a pig who herds sheep is a little corny, but like the plot or not, the movie is, as I say, Just About Flawless.
But I really liked the film because it's a pleasing family-friendly film that features a dynamic story, great acting, and just very cute animals.Chris Noonan's film tells the story of Babe and his life at Farmer Hoggett's farm.
We also get some good voice acting from the likes of Hugo Weaving and Christine Cavanaugh, who recently passed away, as the titular character of Babe.Overall, Babe is a timeless classic and a film that generations of people will be able to enjoy.
This is a feel-good animal film based on the children's novel, Babe, a story about Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) winning a runty piglet named Babe at the local fair.
The pig befriends the other animals on Mr. Hoggett's farm and learns and takes on the job of sheep-herding.Though a children's story, this film can be enjoyed by adults as well, as it is heartfelt and charming that is perfect for the entire family.
The special effects team did a great job in making the real life animals talk, so you have to suspend reality for several minutes and imagine a world where animals can interact with each other like humans can.This film reminds me of Charlotte's Web, where the pig of that film has an innocent personality whose inquisitive nature eventually brought the farm animals closer, much like the characters in this film.
Then he began training babe in earnest for participation in the sheep dog contest.I love this film because this describes the world of animals speaking words.
Babe is a great movie with a really sweet storyline,a great voice cast as well as an inspired performance by James Cromwell and some very likable and memorable characters.The movie is a great movie for the whole famly,it has enough in it to entertain both younger and older audiences.I certainly don't think that is a Best Picture nominee,although it did definitely deserve the Academy Award Best Visual Effects as the movie is very well made.These talking animal films are usually only fun for children,but Babe has enough in it for the entire family to enjoy and I would highly recommend it as a film for the whole family to watch.Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) trains a pig who was taken away from his mother and grew up with sheepdogs,to herd sheep himself..
It's an animal-centered movie but through its inspirational story and endearing sweetness, remains closer to "Bambi" and "Dumbo" than "The Jungle Book" or even "The Lion King"."Babe" is the name of a little pig that grew up in an Australian farm owned by Arthur Hogget (James Cromwell) and dreamed of becoming a sheep dog.
Also, it starts off the core of the story, which is less the coming-of-age of Babe than the beautiful relationship between the little pig and his master.James Cromwell, was rightfully Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor because this is the kind of role you can't cheat on.
In the movie Babe the pig is bought to Farmer Hoggett's (James Cromwell) farm and taken under the care of Fly the Sheepdog.
The plot of this story is simple, which is good for the kiddies, and the adults will enjoy this too as it has many life lessons demonstrated by the animals on display.The special effects here are great for the time, although there have been advances (just watch almost any cat/dog food commercial nowadays).
As much as I love the original Dick King-Smith novel upon which this was based ('the Sheep Pig'), I definitely feel that the screenwriters here did a great job in fleshing the story and characters out even further, giving us a deeper and more intricate picture along the theme of seeing eye-to-eye with others.Almost ten years on, 'Babe' still remains one of the most rewarding and thoroughly heart-warming family films you're ever going to see - well-made and lovable, it works a real treat.
With some characters that you will just fall in love with, Babe is a true family film and will entertain you again and again.
Which is a strange thing to say when the entire plot of the first film has a lot to do with whether our trusty hero will end up as Christmas dinner.And that's why "Babe" is better than any talking animal movie has any business being.