BABE: PIG IN THE CITY (G).
Director:George Miller
Stars:
Magda Szubanski,
James Cromwell, Mary Stein, Mickey
Rooney, the voices of E G Daily,
Danny Mann, Glenne Headly, Steven
Wright, Jim Cummings, James
Cosmo, Nathan Kress, Myles Jeffrey,
Adam Goldberg, Eddie Barth,
Miriam Margolyes, Hugo Weaving,
Roscoe Lee Browne, Bill Capizzi,
Russi Taylor, Evelyn Krape
Running Time:98 minutes.
Babe, the story of a pig who became a champion
sheep herder, was one of the surprise success stories
of 1995, grossing some $300 million and earning
seven Oscar nominations. Given its unexpected
success, it was inevitable that a sequel would follow.
Expectations are high for this expensive sequel, but
audiences expecting a mere rehash of the original may
be a little disappointed.
Babe 2 pushes the familiar material into different
territory, and lacks much of the air of innocence that
characterised the original. Babe 2 is also characterised
by a healthy dose of cynicism, due largely to the
influence of writer/director George Miller, who
stamps his influence all over this film. According to
rumours, Miller was the power behind the throne on
the original, breathing over director Chris Noonan's
shoulder every step of the way.
Sure, the film has its darker moments, but it is also
leavened with plenty of slapstick humour and sight
gags that have broad appeal. Babe 2 contains plenty
of humour, although younger audiences may be left
behind by the contrived over plotting. There are a few
moments that may upset younger, more
impressionable kids, and the slapstick ending during a
gala dinner is also something of an embarrassing
mess.
The retiring Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell)
refuses to capitalise on Babe's success at the national
sheep dog trials, preferring to return to a simple life
back on the farm. But an accident leaves him
bedridden and the farm under threat because of
crippling debt. It is left to Mrs Hoggett (Magda
Szubanski) to try and save the farm. She takes Babe
off to the big city, an unsettling and surreal mix of
Gothic design and fairy tale-like structures, to
compete in a championship show trial for the hefty
prize money.
But things do not go smoothly. Mrs Hoggett is
searched by customs officers, and later ends up in jail
after a series of mishaps. Babe finds himself stranded
in the Flealands hotel, a refuge for abandoned
animals, run by Mary Stein.
Again, it is the array of talking animals that hold most
of the interest here, and the special effects and
animatronics are superbly realised.
Christine Cavanaugh, who originally provided the
voice for Babe, priced herself out of the market, and
has been replaced by fellow Rugrats' star Elizabeth
Daily. Hugo Weaving, Miriam Margolyes, Danny
Mann and Roscoe Lee Browne, who provides the
voice over narration, and the wonderful singing mice
all return from the original. Fresh voices include
Glenne Headly, David Warner, dead pan comic
Steven Wright and Jim Cummings. Cromwell, who
stamped his authority on the original with his
commanding presence, is wasted here and given little
to do. It is also a little sad to see the legendary
Mickey Rooney trotted out before the cameras,
wasted in such a demeaning role.