Babe: Pig in the City [G]

When an accident leaves Farmer Hoggett bedbound, it falls to his wife Esme to take Babe to a sheepdog trial that will earn them enough money to keep their farm. However, a misunderstanding leaves Esme and Babe stranded in the city with only one place to go. A series of events sees Esme disappear from Babe’s sights and when menacing humans threaten the city’s only hotel where animals are welcome, it falls to Babe to use his kind heart to achieve miracles that once, seemed too large for such a little pig.

By no means as heart warming and lovely as the first film, Babe: Pig in the City is not without its charm. The original magic is still there, the surroundings have just changed and I particularly liked the fact that this movie didn’t venture into the realms of just plain old silly. You know how when they make sequels and give them bigger settings and bigger stories and problems and such, the original magic and appeal that the first one had just becomes lost? Well I’m glad to say that this didn’t happen with this movie and it still holds as much warmth and appeal for me now as an adult as when it did when I was a child. It’s a very lovely little film.

When an accident leaves Farmer Hoggett bedbound, it falls to his wife Esme to take Babe to a sheepdog trial that will earn them enough money to keep their farm. However, a misunderstanding leaves Esme and Babe stranded in the city with only one place to go. A series of events sees Esme disappear from Babe’s sights and when menacing humans threaten the city’s only hotel where animals are welcome, it falls to Babe to use his kind heart to achieve miracles that once, seemed too large for such a little pig.

I wish to first bring to attention something that, obviously as an ignorant and uncultured child, I never realised before. The ‘Big City’ is an interestingly ambiguous setting here because you can never actually place where Babe and Esme are actually meant to be. The wide shots of the city feature iconic landmarks from all over the world: The Hollywood sign, the Statue of Liberty, the Opera House, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and the Eiffel Tower. I can’t quite come to a decision as to what this fused city means or why director George Miller did it, but nonetheless it’s a fascinating part of the movie and something that I think warrants some credit.
As well as re-introducing us to all our favourite characters from the first film, we get to meet some new ones including a particularly adorable family of chimpanzees and a very sophisticated orang-utan named Thelonius whom I personally really love.
Staring Magda Szuabsnki, James Cromwell, Mary Stein, Mickey Rooney and featuring the voice talents of Elizabeth Daily, Danny Mann, Glenne Headly, Steve Wright, James Cosmo, Nathan Kress, Stanley Ralph Ross, Miriam Margoyles, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Hugo Weaving, Babe: Pig in the City is a tender and warm little family movie that does hold something for everyone I think. It’s filled with adventure, comedy, and beautiful moral stories and miracles, very important for the kids. I still enjoy watching it just as much as I did when I was little.