After a piglet’s mother is taken away by humans to be slaughtered, the piglet, whose name is Babe, is picked out for a “guess the weight” booth at a county fair. Farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) guesses Babe’s weight and wins the pig. Babe is brought to his farm and allowed to stay with the female sheepdog, Fly (a Border Collie), and her pups.
Maa, the resident sheep, tells him to watch out for the dogs. A duck named Ferdinand, posing as a rooster in order to keep from being eaten, wakes the farm each morning by crowing. He persuades Babe to help him destroy the alarm clock because it threatens his purpose.
They succeed, but in the process they wake up the Hoggetts’ cat, Duchess, and accidentally destroy the living room, leaving the three covered in paint. Rex, Fly’s mate and leader of the farm animals, sternly orders Babe to stay away from Ferdinand, who is now a fugitive, and the house.
Babe is a lonely little piglet… he’s had to say goodbye to his siblings and his mother at a tender age and is thrust into a barn with all sorts of strange animals he’s never seen before. All of the animals, dogs, horses, the cows, etc. feel sorry for Babe and look out for him. There is rivalry with the top Border Collie, but Babe’s sweet and innocent disposition wins the hearts of all reluctant farm dwellers. The farmer’s wife initially sees Babe as just a ham on legs, but the farmer sees more and finds a friend that changes his life.
It is impossible to see this film and not get at least a lump in your throat and many scenes will make you laugh outloud. I wish the DVD included more features, like a behind-the-scenes featurette outlining how they got the animatronics (which won a much deserved Oscar) to work.
Perhaps it was felt that children would be dismayed that the pig really can’t talk or that it took nearly 30 pigs to make the film due to the speed in which they grow into 1-ton hogs… I’m not sure, but as an adult, i would have enjoyed seeing more features on the DVD. This is still a wonderful family film and unforgettable and sweet characters.
Director: Chris Noonan
Year of Release: 1995
Character to watch: James Cromwell as Farmer Arthur Hoggett.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the movie.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?