Babe: Pig in the City
Babe: Pig in the City poster
Directed by	George Miller
Produced by	George Miller Doug Mitchell Bill Miller
Written by	George Miller Judy Morris Mark Lamprell Dick King-Smith (characters)
Starring	Magda Szubanski James Cromwell Mary Stein Elizabeth Daily Danny Mann Steven Wright
Music by	Nigel Westlake Randy Newman (songs) Jerry Goldsmith (Universal logo only)
Cinematography	Andrew Lesnie
Editing by	Jay Friedkin Margaret Sixel
Studio	Kennedy Miller Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	November 25, 1998
Running time	97 minutes
Country	Australia / United States
Language	English
Preceded by	Babe (1995)

Babe: Pig in the City is a 1998 sequel to the 1995 film Babe. It occurs in the fictional city of Metropolis. Due to the unexpected darker and more mature subject matter (the film includes a scene in which a dog almost drowns while hanging from a bridge), the film was not received as well critically as the first Babe film was, and reviews were generally mixed. However, it was also praised by some, and gained a cult following.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 5 Soundtrack 6 Home media 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Plot

After the victory in the shepherding contest, Farmer Arthur Hoggett and Babe return home to a warm welcome. While repairing the well, Farmer Hoggett is injured and cannot work, so his wife attempts to take up the duties of the farm. Facing foreclosure, Esme Hoggett resolves to show Babe at a faraway fair for an appearance fee. On the way to the fair, Mrs. Hoggett and Babe are unexpectedly detained at an airport, and are forced to stay in an unfamiliar city. They find the only hotel in town that accepts pets but soon become separated from each other. Babe encounters cats, dogs, and a family of apes, and is quick to earn the respect of all the animals after he rescues a malicious dog.

A neighbor's complaint sends animal officials over to the hotel, and most of the animals are quickly caught and sent away. Babe, who manages to stay free, decides to help his new friends and gets unexpected help along the way.

Esme, Arthur's wife, tries to rescue Babe in an atrium, where a ceremony is being held. The animals spread out and Babe is captured. Esme ties herself to a rope hanging from the chandelier and tries to rescue Babe. She is unsuccessful, and the chef pulls the DO NOT PULL tag off of the clown suit she wears. A flesh-colored rubber suit under the clothing then proceeds to inflate itself, tearing off her pants. In the end, Babe is saved and the Hoggetts are able to keep the farm with the hotel's money. Farmer Hoggett is then successful in repairing the well and once again says "That'll do, pig."

[edit] Cast

Voice Cast

• Elizabeth Daily as Babe
• Danny Mann as Ferdinand
• Glenne Headly as Zootie
• Steven Wright as Bob
• James Cosmo as Thelonius
• Stanley Ralph Ross as The Pitbull/The Doberman
• Russi Taylor as The Pink Poodle/Choir Cat
• Myles Jeffrey/Nathan Kress as Easy
• Adam Goldberg as Flealick
• Eddie Barth as Nigel/Alan
• Bill Capizzi as Snoop
• Miriam Margolyes as Fly
• Hugo Weaving as Rex
• Jim Cummings as Pelican (uncredited)
• Roscoe Lee Browne as The Narrator

Live-Action Cast

• Magda Szubanski as Esme Cordelia Hoggett
• Mary Stein as The Landlady
• James Cromwell as Arthur Hoggett
• Mickey Rooney as Fugly Floom
• Paul Livingston as The Hot Headed Chef
• Julie Godfrey as The Suspicious Neighbor

[edit] Production

Prior to the film's theatrical release, it was originally rated PG by the MPAA; this was because of the dog violence that was too scary for little children and the death of Fugly Floom was a bit overwhelming. The TV spots for the film's theatrical release mentioned this rating. When the film was released in theaters, it was re-rated G by the MPAA, so the TV spots for the film's theatrical release currently mentioned this rating instead of its original rating. The reason why the final cut was rated G by the MPAA was because most of the dog violence was cut, leaving a shot that shows the pitbull pushing down Babe into the river. Some people thought it was rated PG by the MPAA as they saw the poster mentioning the film's original rating. The home video release still has a G rating from the MPAA. This was Universal's last theatrically-released feature-length film to be rated G by the MPAA until 2006's Curious George. It was also Universal's last theatrically-released live-action film to be rated G by the MPAA until 2007's Mr. Bean's Holiday. However, when the film aired on Superstation WGN on November 18, 2007 and AMC on December 9, 2007, the shot that shows Ferdinand almost getting shot by humans was removed.^{[citation needed]}

The film takes place in an imaginative fantasy-like Metropolis. It notably resembles Oz, but in modern day form. The city has various styles and of architecture from around the world. It also has a variety of waterways, noticeable by the hotel at which Babe stays. The downtown area appears to be situated on an island not dissimilar to Manhattan Island. The Downtown Skyline features various skyscrapers such as the World Trade Center, Sears Tower, Chrysler Building, IDS Center, MetLife Building, and others. There are also other landmarks like the Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood sign, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Fernsehturm Berlin, Big Ben, Red Square, the Statue of Liberty,and the Tour Eiffel and many other landmarks.

The DVD covers feature a similar but different skyline, keeping the World Trade Center, Golden Gate Bridge, Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, and Red Square. Several skyscrapers added include 40 Wall Street (Two of them), Empire State Building, 500 5th Avenue, the Flatiron Building, World Financial Center, and several Los Angeles Skyscrapers including the U.S. Bank Tower. The river near the hotel is similar at the canal of Venice, Italy.

[edit] Reception

Reviews of the film were mixed. Audience response was polarized, with viewers either finding it great, or disliking it strongly. Most of the negative reviews came from people who enjoyed the first Babe, as well as those who were expecting a more family-oriented film, like the first installment. Many people think it should have retained its original PG rating. Also, like its predecessor, it was banned in Malaysia.^[1] However, the film has developed a cult following^[2], and film critic Gene Siskel named it as his choice for the best movie of 1998 and claimed it to be better than its original. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1998. The Nostalgia Critic placed the film as #3 on his list of The Top 11 Underrated Nostalgia Classics.^[3]

[edit] Soundtrack

The score is again by Nigel Westlake, it also includes sound clips taken from the film. There is also a big band classic "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller, and "That's Amore" by Dean Martin. More tracks including "That'll Do", the Academy Award-nominated theme song, and a song at the end sung by Babe's voice actress.

1. That'll Do - performed by Peter Gabriel - 3:51
2. Babe: A Pig in the City - 1:22
3. The Returning Hero - 1:16
4. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - performed by Edith Piaf - 2:19
5. Chattanooga Choo Choo - performed by Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke, and the Modernaires - 3:14
6. Scram, This Is Not a Farm - 2:27
7. That's Amore - performed by Dean Martin - 3:07
8. Three Blind Mice - 0:41
9. A Pig Gets Wise - 1:17
10. Are You Lonesome Tonight? - performed by The Mavericks - 2:59
11. Protected by Angels - performed by the Chieftains and Black Dyke Mills Band - 3:39
12. The Big City (Two Step Nadya)- performed by the Terem Quartet - 3:12
13. Babe's Lament - 2:38
14. A Heart That's True - performed by Elizabeth Daily and Pat Metheny - 3:58
15. The End - 1:26
16. That'll Do (Instrumental) - performed by the Black Dyke Mills Band - 3:57

[edit] Home media

• May 4, 1999 (VHS, DVD, and laserdisc) (Note: This DVD was in both widescreen and pan and scan formats.)
• May 22, 2001 (DVD - 2-Pack with Babe)
• September 23, 2003 (DVD - The Complete Adventure Two-Movie Pig Pack, this DVD box set was released in separate widescreen and pan and scan formats, due to the DVD re-release of the first film)
• February 1, 2005 (DVD - Family Double Feature, this contains Babe) (Note: This DVD shows pan and scan versions of both films and the widescreen version of this film.)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Babe: Pig in the City at Allmovie
• Babe: Pig in the City at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Films directed by George Miller 1970s Mad Max (1979) 1980s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) · Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) · The Witches of Eastwick (1987) The Dismissal (1983, TV mini-series) 1990s Lorenzo's Oil (1992) · Babe: Pig in the City (1998) 2000s Happy Feet (2006) Shorts Violence In the Cinema, Part 1 (1971) Nightmare At 20,000 Feet (1983) Future projects Happy Feet 2 (2011) Mad Max 4: Fury Road (2011) · The Odyssey (2012) Documentaries 40,000 Years of Dreaming (1997) Produced The Year My Voice Broke (1987) Dead Calm (1989) Flirting (1991) Babe (1995) Video Fool For Love (1996) Production credits The Chain Reaction (1980, uncredited)

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