The box office failure of this and the equally expensive Encontro Marcado (1998) led to the resignation of then Universal head Casey Silver.
This was film critic Gene Siskel's pick for the best film of 1998. It was the final film to top one of his yearly "best-of" lists, as he died in February 1999, less than 3 months after its release.
A billboard on the city skyline reads "Eternity." This refers to the eccentric mission of reformed petty criminal Arthur Stace, who in 1932 began anonymously chalking the single word "Eternity" in copperplate style on footpaths around Sydney. He continued until his death in 1967. ("Eternity" also was featured in the finale of Sydney's fireworks display on New Years Day 2000.)
The view from Babe's window at the animal hotel includes the Hollywood sign, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Rio de Janiero statue of Christ, the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, what appears to be a Moscow cathedral, and possibly other famous landmarks. In this vista, the Christ statue overlooks the Hollywood sign, and a helicopter and airplane can be seen eerily close to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (though flying away from them). Signage in the film indicates the city Babe visits is called "Metropolis", which has a Metropolis Gun Club and Metropolis Institute of Medicine.