Babe: Pig in the City
by George Miller
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elizabeth Daily, James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Mary Stein, Mickey RooneyDirector: George Miller
Brand: MCA
Cinematographer: Andrew Lesnie
Editor: Jay Friedkin
Editor: Margaret Sixel
Producer: Barbara Gibbs
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-05-04
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Pictures
Movie Reviews of Babe: Pig in the City
Movie Review: Excellent; has all the charm, humor & heart of the original.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Babe: Pig in the City" deserves all the rave reviews it got when it first came out--and none of the poor ones. Standing on its own, it is good enough. But as a sequel, it is stupendous! The storyline is a bit bizarre, for it begins on the farm; with Fly, Ferdinand, Farmer Hoggett, and even those singing mice. But when Babe accidentally sends his master tumbling down a well and getting seriously injured, the farm is put in jeopardy. Mrs. Hoggett takes Babe to the city brimming with eccentric characters, hoping to have him perform his famous sheepherding for a financial reward. What city this is is never specified; however, upon seeing the skyline we can tell that it is all the big cities of the world mashed into one! A metaphor for how intimidating and new it is for the little pig? Perhaps. But since the farm is in New Zealand, we can safely assume that if the city MUST be just one, it would likely be Sydney, Australia.
The movie has a great deal of humor in it; and not just an occasional chuckle. Some of it is real rip-roaring, side-splitting laughter. For instance, Mrs. Hoggett (who does provide most of this humor, come to think of it), bouncing around an elaborate banquet hall in an overinflated rubber clown suit. Or, speaking rapidly about the "blessed pig" to a pig-nosed judge. Or, losing Babe at the airport because a sniffer Beagle pretended to alert his people that Babe was carrying illegal substances. (You see, the dog doesn't know WHY he sniffs, only that he gets rewarded when he barks.) Esme Hoggett is certainly a comic character; while you can't avoid that some of the humor stems from the fact of her very large frame (especially when juxtaposed with her skin-and-bones landlady), if you happen to feel that she's being made fun of, in my opinion, she is always portrayed in a positive manner.
Now, before I get into the charm of the story and characters, I'll address the pressing issue of "darkness" in this film. Perhaps it isn't the happy, cheery, sunshiny childrens' story everyone hoped for, or found in the original "Babe." But let's face it: there IS evil and tragedy in the world. This movie IS NOT a gruesome, grotesque, overly-strange nightmare, as some have described it. Kids can certainly enjoy this without getting disturbed. Adults are being too sensitive. There are scenes of fear and danger; such as the goldish flopping on the floor (and getting tossed into the water by Babe), the Bull Terrier (not Pit Bull, as stated in the movie!) hanging by his leash from the bridge and almost drowning (ALSO getting valiently resuced by Babe), Zootie's (ugly) baby falling from the ceiling (and being caught by Thelonius), the semi-creepy (only 'cause he's a clown) Uncle Fugly Floom putting on a show for hospitalized children with his troupe of performing animals & dying somehow after a terrible freak accident during it, and Flealick, the afflicted, but spunky, wheelchair-bound Jack Russell Terrier who gets thrown from a truck and almost dies. It is a very sad moment. My kid brother was touched, but not deeply disturbed. The dog was alive and peppy, anyway, within moments. It wouldn't have hurt too badly if he actually HAD died; it just would have been sadder (because we ALL know that we always care more about the animals than the humans in movies, right?). It would also have been very tear-worthy, having seen Flealick spend a moment in 'doggie heaven' where he has full use of his legs. But I knew they just couldn't have him die in a kids' movie. So please, people, quit your whining. This is FAR from "rated-R" material.
The waterfront neighborhood in the city which Babe visits is adorable. The characters he meets, both human and animal, are very endearing. Mrs. Hoggett takes him to the only (adorably cozy) hotel in the area that allows animals (and is therefore despised by the neighbors and must keep it a secret that they have animals.) There he meets a family of monkeys, who are VERY good actors, I must say. They are waiting for "Himself," which is the name for their master. Fugly is, like Arthur Hoggett himself, a man of *very* few words (in fact, none at all, just mumbles. XD)
Sadly, "Himself" dies, because he is a very old man. "Himself"'s niece is Miss Floom, the sweet but nervous landlady with a habit of rapidly asking questions and then answering them in order to give information. A real animal lover (despite seemingly being allergic to the very animals she loves, cares for, and shelters), she is devestated when Babe invites a Southern belle pink poodle (like the Blanche Deveraux of dogs), the Bull Terrier (who, after being rescued by Babe, turns into his personal bodyguard instead of hunter), and a huge array of other homeless animals into her hotel. The neighbors contact the police, and the entire place is invaded, with the animals being taken away in cages. The chase scenes surrounding this part are VERY impressive and thrilling. It's up to Babe, of course, Mrs. Hoggett (the funniest person in the movie) and Miss Floom (arguably the most likable person in the movie) to save the animals and, hence, the day.
The ending is a real charmer. Miss Floom moves to the country with Mrs. Hoggett. The hotel is converted into a loud but legal dance hall to annoy the neighbors even more. The animals all move in with "Herself" (Mrs. Hoggett.) And the Bull Terrier has pups with the pink Poodle. The sets in this movie are absolutely adorable. And the movie itself is incredibly insightful. I once watched it and wrote 13 entire pages of notes on all the interesting things I noticed in it & its characters! I found myself wanting to watch it every day and never tiring of it. On the whole this is one of the most adorable, thoroughly enjoyable movies you may ever see. If anything, you might at times, like me, wish that it would get a little more personal, because it never loses its sense of mystery and dreamlike weirdness--but, that is the film's enchanting aura. And in the end, you should feel very warm towards it; just as in the original, Babe is a pure, virtuous little pig with lessons to teach about the beauty of love, selflessness, and forgiveness.
Summary of Babe: Pig in the City
Synopsis: 0Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: G
Street Date: 01/09/07
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
Deservedly acclaimed as one of 1998's best films, this sequel to the beloved 1995 live-action fantasy proved a commercial catastrophe and a source of dismay to parents expecting another bucolic, sweet-natured fable. Every bit as sly and visually stunning as its predecessor, Babe: Pig in the City is otherwise a jolting ride beyond the Hoggetts' farm into a no less vivid but far darker world--the allegorical city of the title, which for the diminutive "sheep pig" proves truly nightmarish. Australian filmmaker George Miller (Mad Max, The Road Warrior), who produced and cowrote the first film, this time takes the director's reins, and he ratchets up the pace and the peril as effectively as he did on his influential trilogy of apocalyptic, outback sci-fi thrillers.
From the opening scene, Babe: Pig in the City means to disrupt the reassuring calm achieved by the conclusion of the previous film. Babe's prior triumph proves short-lived, and within moments Miller has us literally peering into the depths as he sets up a horrific well accident that nearly kills the taciturn but good-hearted Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell), Babe's beloved "Boss." Journeying with the equally pink, even plumper Mrs. Hoggett (Magda Szubanski), the young pig finds himself in a city where animals are outcasts, staying in the lone hotel that allows pets. When Mrs. Hoggett is detained, Babe must contend with the suspicions and rivalries of the hotel's other four-legged guests. The film's G status doesn't fully telegraph the shock Miller induces: bad things happen to good animals, and Babe's new acquaintances are a far cry from his colleagues on the farm. In particular, he must contend with a cynical family of chimps given wonderful, dead-pan voice characterizations by Steven Wright and Glenne Headly.
Miller's use of effects to transform his animals into "actors" is even more seamlessly integrated than in Babe. The sequel's production design is crucial to the creation of a complete, absorbing world, and purely visual ideas--such as a deluge of blue balloons during the climactic ballroom battle--achieve a splendor and originality that a room full of computer-graphics desktops couldn't muster. Ultimately, though, the film does more than amaze: as Babe's compassion and courage transform those around him, we're moved in ways that purveyors of by-the-numbers family fare can only dream of. --Sam Sutherland
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