BABE

Babe (voice of Christine Cavanaugh) is a little pig at the [usually] peaceful farm run by Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell). Babe doesn’t quite know his place in the world, but with a bunch of odd friends, like Ferdinand the duck who thinks he is a rooster and Fly the dog whom he calls mom, Babe realises that he has the makings of a sheep dog…er, sheep pig. And Famer Hogget knows it. In due course and after several tribulations, Babe learns that a pig can be anything that he wants to be.

Exceptionally well balanced between cute and dramatic, this is the ultimate family film, offering all ages a fun ride with something to say buried nicely in the depths of its accessible script. Powered by great performances (vocal as well as on screen) and extraordinary attention to detail, the film enlists modern technocolgy in such a seamless way that it easily passes for a real life fairy tale. Amusing and amazing, charming yet edgy, Babe is a successful adaptation of a quirky Englishman’s story into a universal movie. Peppered with moments of stillness and high-energy action scenes, Babe has it all.
Andrew L. Urban

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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 1
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 0

BABE(G)
(Aust)

CAST: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Zoe Burton, Paul Goddard Voices: Christine Cavanaugh (Babe), Mriam Margolyes (Fly), Danny Mann (Ferdinand the duck), Hugo Weaving (Rex), Evelyn Krape (old ewe), Miriam Flynn (Maa, very old ewe), Russi Taylor (Dutchess the cat), Michael Edwards Stevens (Horse), Charles Bartlett (Cow), Paul Livingston (Rooster), Roscoe Lee Brown (Narrator)

DIRECTOR: Chris Noonan

PRODUCER: George Miller, Bill Miller, Doug Mitchell

SCRIPT: George Miller, Chris Noonan (from novel by Dick King-Smith)

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie ACS

EDITOR: Jay Friedkin, Marcus D’Arcy

MUSIC: Nigel Westlake

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Roger Ford

RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes

AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: UIP

AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: December 13, 1995