BABE: PIG IN THE CITY

"Forget what those doomsayers have been saying, this Babe is a stunner of a film, a visual feast of colour, stylised décor and the extraordinary imagination of George Miller. OK, so the film is darker than the original, but if one were to carefully scrutinise the first film, it, too, had its dark moments. Pig in the City, though, is even more audacious, and like Babe, dares to be different. The film explores a variety of complex themes, and perhaps in so doing, has regrettably frightened away American audiences. Perhaps we might prove to be more sophisticated. This Babe is about heroism, prejudice and cowardice. In many ways, this is a far more human film than most of the competition, and the human element, with only few exceptions, represent barbarism in ourselves. On a cinematic level, Pig in the City can only be described as stunning, a wildly imaginative work, from the extraordinary and surreal art direction of Roger Ford to the evocative cinematography of Andrew Lesnie. The film looks quite remarkable, presenting a lopsided view of the world from a unique perspective. In addition, Miller and his team have created this animal kingdom so perfectly and with such care, that one never knows where the real animals begin, and the computers take ove. Miller, along with co-screenwriters Judy Morris and Mark Lamprell, have scripted a piece which has moments of wry humour, coupled with an emotive truthfulness that manages to shy away from undue sentimentality. With a wonderful cast of actors providing their voice talents to this cinematic menagerie, and enhanced by Miller's faultlessly fluid craftsmanship, Pig in the City is hypnotic screen entertainment, a truly bold and sumptuous affair that far surpasses the original. Some might be tempted to say to Dr Miller: 'That'll do, George, that'll do?' But not THIS little piggy."
Paul Fischer

"There is no doubt that this is a squeal of a sequel, admirable for its creativity in forging new ground on which those trotters can prance; a whole new crowd of animal friends and a brand new physical (and psychological) setting: the city. However, I would have liked to see the airport scenes treated in the same fairyland style as the city precincts, which are superbly created in a style that manages to embrace fantasy and three dimensional reality. The all too familiar reality of the airport architecture clashes with this; in some other scenes away from the motel where all the action takes place, come closer to matching the design style, but even they stand apart, and all this tends to fracture the film’s façade, fading the magic. But for the so called darkness of some aspects, I can only assume that the American critics who complained on this score have never seen Bambi, whose mother is shot dead in one of the saddest and most heart wrenching scenes on film. ‘Scary’ and ‘sad’ are necessary for ‘safe’ and ‘happy’ to have impact. The groundbreaking animatronics provide eye-popping scenes of animals behaving and speaking like humans, and while much of this is highly effective, it does tend to shift the film into the novelty zone. Less warm and engaging than the first Babe, this little piggy will nevertheless go to market and get quite fat."
Andrew L. Urban

"This little piggy went to market; this little piggy stayed home; this little piggy's a very different animal from its predecessor. Director George Miller has moved away from the folksy cuteness of Babe, and opted for a different, but fractured, vision. For more than half its length, Babe: Pig in the City presents a dark view of society in decay. The film comes as close as it can within it's self - and externally - imposed confines to making some pretty hard points about inequality, homelessness and poverty. Indeed, that animals convey this morality play is reminiscent of Orwell's Animal Farm (made into an animated film by Joy Batchelor and John Halas). However, in stark contrast, the latter part of the film is pure slapstick (a la The Three Stooges) leading up to the inevitable happy ending. This disjunction means the film fails to deliver as a cohesive whole - it's neither a strong social statement; nor a light children's film. Younger children may have difficulty coming to terms with its darker aspects. However, at the screening I attended, those in the 8 -12 years age group responded enthusiastically. Technically, the film is a triumph. The animal effects and production design are first rate. Film buffs should keep an eye out for Miller's allusions to other films; including King Kong and Lawrence Johnston's Eternity. Babe: Pig in the City is an interesting and very different follow-up to Babe. But don't go in expecting to see a remake of the original."
David Edwards