Babe: Pig in the City

The wildest thing about Babe: Pig in the City isn't that it's directed by George Miller, it's that it's recognisably a George Miller film. The narration, chaptered structure and overall insanity are thoroughly his plus there's a lot here that either comes from his Mad Max Saga or would end up in it afterwards. This may look family friendly but it goes to some dark places.

Elizabeth Daily nails the endless optimism of Babe, a character who always does the right thing no matter what and her voice acting matches that straight away. Everyone else does a good job of voicing their on screen animals opposed to any signs of stunt casting, making it one of the least uncanny versions of this mostly bygone trend.

George Miller's direction powers through any and all flaws on sheer weirdness alone. The world building is really fascinating as the titular city is a real smorgasbord of recognisable landmarks and iconography from across the globe which keeps the whole thing interesting, even when some set pieces start to overstay their welcome.

Very, and I do mean very, strange picture that is suffering an identity crisis in every major cinematic area. "Babe: Pig in the City" is of course the sequel to the critical and box office smash of 1995. This time the titled animal must go to the city with its owner's wife (Magda Szubanski) to raise money from guest appearances after his success in the original. The farmer (barely seen and totally wasted James Cromwell) suffered an accident and his property is about to be taken by the bank. Thus Babe must come to the rescue once more. In the city Szubanski finds a hotel full of dogs, cats and even monkeys and stays there. The story-line then goes out of focus as animal rights and the place that all of God's creatures have in the world becomes the major focal point. The subject matter is dealt with in a distorted way that is more dark than funny. Director George Miller (who produced the original and assisted with Chris Noonan's Oscar-nominated direction in 1995) does a great job with visual effects and art direction, but struggles with a screenplay that has no earthly idea what it wants to do. The fact that Miller is not the director that Noonan is becomes an apparent problem pretty quickly as well. The original worked because of warmth, compassion, intelligence and believability. None of those attributes are in this sequel. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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.

Those who liked 'Babe' will wonder whether 'Babe: Pig in the City' is a good enough sequel. My answer is: definitely! Here are adorable pig is seen with some new colourful friends, lots of them, in a new adventure. Just like the first one, this one too is sheer delight, albeit a little more serious. I don't understand why people are complaining that this isn't a movie for kids. Why not? I think it's an excellent family film. There is no death or blood. It portrays a part of reality (e.g. that accidents happen, that there are others who are less fortunate than us etc) without getting to graphic and that's why it's great for kids too. It's a lot of fun and even suspenseful. I was in my teens when I first saw this film. There's one scene where Flealick follows the van but one he loses hold, he slides onto one side of the street and lies there motionless while the wheels on his 'scooter' rotate. For a moment my heart had stopped beating (as I thought he was dead) and I was so hoping that he hadn't passed away. The sequence that followed brought me back to laughing mode. Magda Szubanski has more to do here and she displays her comic abilities brilliantly. A strange thing I noticed was she had an American accent in the first film but here it's Australian and British. The rest of the voice-acting is done very well and in sync. The fictitious city (it may be Sidney as the famous opera-house was visible in one scene) is suitably dark and mysterious. I found 'Babe: Pig In The City' more uplifting than the first movie. I wish there was a third movie that would have made it a complete trilogy.

Talk about a major disappointment! First time George Miller has ever made a dog. From Road Warrior and Dead Calm to Lorenzo's Oil and the original Babe, this guy has turned everything to gold. Nothing lasts forever. The only thing this film managed to show is that animals can be as ugly as humans. Gene Siskel actually picked this as one of the 10 best films of the year.Thumps down...