Babe (1995)
February 8, 2018 7:15 PM - Subscribe

That'll do, pig.

Roger Ebert: "Babe" is a movie made with charm and wit, and unlike some family movies it does not condescend, not for a second. It believes it is OK to use words a child might not know, and to have performances that are the best available (James Cromwell, as the farmer, and Magda Szubanski, as his wife, are always convincing).

And instead of the usual contrived melodrama of most kids' pictures, this one develops a story that depends on the character and upbringing of the animals involved. It knows things, and teaches lessons. And it is so well made that adults will find it entertaining, too - maybe more than some kids, because they'll see the invention that went into it.

NYTimes: The movie, directed by Chris Noonan, who wrote the screenplay with George Miller, takes a child's-eye view of a world that is photographed to look like a storybook come to life. Without bearing down too heavily, the movie suggests the Darwinian order of things, and Babe's experiences (except for his final preposterous triumph) roughly parallel a child's awakenings to the realities of the world.

'Babe' Is Now 20-Years-Old, and So Is Star James Cromwell's Animal Rights Crusade

The Guardian: The Film that Makes Me Cry

Why "Babe" Deserved its Best Picture Nomination

Trailer
posted by MoonOrb (7 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
While I do love this classic, its sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, is the superior film.
posted by guiseroom at 8:57 PM on February 8, 2018


To this day, my mom will immediately give this as the answer if asked what her favorite movie is.
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:56 AM on February 9, 2018


While I do love this classic, its sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, is the superior film.

I personally find it a bit too dark, but weirdly, my 20-month old prefers Pig in the City as well. Probably the chimps and dogs. They're both such great films, the message isn't ham-fisted (pun intended) and they neither condescend to the children nor throw in inappropriate references for the adults. And it's co-written and produced by George "Mad Max" Miller!
posted by cottoncandybeard at 7:03 AM on February 9, 2018


My aunt too, DoctorFedora! We were kids when it came out and we actually saw it because she loved it so much. She was a tenured professor of literature at the time and I always picture her proselytizing about Babe to her students.
posted by potrzebie at 4:52 PM on February 9, 2018


Saint-Saƫns - Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 78 is the part you want to listen to right now.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:35 PM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]


I just remember when first screening this waiting for a hyper-intelligent spider to show up pulling the threads
posted by sammyo at 6:37 AM on February 10, 2018 [1 favorite]


Interesting how many of the things Ebert liked about this were due to how closely it stuck to King-Smith's book.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 11:05 AM on February 11, 2018


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