Babe: Pig in the City

Babe: Pig in the City
Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1998
Founder	George Miller (director, producer, co-writer)
Headquarters	United States / Australia
Products	Adventure comedy-drama film
Parent	Kennedy Miller Productions

Babe: Pig in the City is a 1998 adventure comedy-drama and the follow-up to the 1995 film Babe. George Miller, who co-wrote, produced, and directed the original, returned in those roles for this installment. The cast includes Magda Szubanski and James Cromwell reprising their roles, with Mickey Rooney added to the ensemble.

Produced by Kennedy Miller Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures, the movie was made on a $90 million budget but earned only $69.1 million at the box office, falling short of its predecessor's commercial performance. Upon release, it received a variety of critical responses but earned a nomination for Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards. Over time, it has developed a devoted fanbase and has been viewed more favorably by critics.

Plot

Shortly after the events of the first film, Farmer Arthur Hoggett sustains an injury while repairing the farm’s well, leaving his wife Esme to manage affairs alone. With eviction looming unless their mortgage is settled, Esme discovers an opportunity for Babe to demonstrate her herding skills at a state fair for a significant fee and decides to take her there. At Metropolis airport, a drug-sniffing beagle wrongly accuses them of carrying narcotics, resulting in a missed connecting flight and delaying their journey home.

Unable to secure accommodations that accept pets, Esme and Babe find shelter at the Flealands Hotel, operated by Miss Floom, who takes in stray animals. Babe encounters three chimpanzees—Bob, his pregnant wife Zootie, and his brother Easy—as well as Thelonius, a refined Bornean orangutan who serves Fugly, Miss Floom’s uncle. Babe reluctantly participates in their clown performance in hopes of earning the promised money to save the farm but unintentionally disrupts the act. Meanwhile, Esme is deceived into believing Babe has escaped and is mistakenly arrested during a mugging incident.

Following Fugly’s hospitalization due to a food coma alongside Esme, hunger strikes the hotel’s animal residents. The chimpanzees devise a plan to steal food using Babe as a diversion. When Babe rescues a guard dog from drowning, the dog becomes his protector out of gratitude. Ferdinand, Babe’s closest companion, arrives in Metropolis and reunites with him after Zootie gives birth to twins. Their celebration is cut short when animal control officers—alerted by their antagonistic neighbor Hortense—seize most of the animals.

Babe teams up with Ferdinand, Tug (a Panamanian white-faced capuchin), and Flealick (a disabled Jack Russell terrier) to infiltrate animal control and free their captured friends. Esme returns to discover chaos at the hotel and finds Miss Floom grieving. They track down the animals at a charity gala and reclaim them following a confrontation with event staff. Miss Floom sells the hotel and donates the proceeds to Esme to help save the farm; all animals relocate there. As Arthur recovers and repairs the farm’s water pump, he proudly tells Babe, "That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Cast

Magda Szubanski as Esme Cordelia Hoggett, Arthur Hoggett’s wife.
Mickey Rooney as Fugly Floom, Miss Floom’s deceased uncle.
Mary Stein as Miss Floom, landlady of Flealands Hotel and Fugly’s niece.
James Cromwell as Farmer Arthur Hoggett, spouse of Esme.
Julie Godfrey as Hortense, neighbor hostile toward animals.
Janet Foye and Pamela Hawkins as Esme’s acquaintances.
Paul Livingston portraying a chef at the charity event central to the film’s climax.
Kim Story as a judge.
John Upton as an ill boy at Metropolis’ local hospital.

Voices

E. G. Daily provides the voice for Babe, the pig from Hoggett Farm who is the adopted son of Rex and Fly; the character was originally voiced by Christine Cavanaugh in the first installment.
Danny Mann voices Ferdinand, an Indian Runner duck and Babe's closest companion; he also portrays Tug, the capuchin monkey belonging to the Flooms.
Glenne Headly lends her voice to Zootie, a chimpanzee of the Flooms, who is married to Bob and sister-in-law to Easy.
Steven Wright plays Bob, Zootie’s husband and the elder brother of Easy.
James Cosmo voices Thelonius, a Bornean orangutan who serves Fugly initially and later Esme.
Both Nathan Kress and Myles Jeffrey voice Easy, a chimpanzee; Kress additionally voices a stray puppy.
Stanley Ralph Ross portrays a pair of aggressive guard dogs—a Bull Terrier and a Doberman Pinscher—with the Bull Terrier eventually reforming to defend Babe.
Russi Taylor voices both a stray poodle and a choir cat.
Adam Goldberg brings to life Flealick, an outspoken Jack Russell Terrier with a disability.
Eddie Barth provides voices for Nigel, a Bulldog, as well as Alan, Nigel’s Neapolitan Mastiff roommate.
Bill Capizzi is Snoop, a beagle working as a detection dog at Metropolis airport.
Miriam Margolyes voices Fly, the Border Collie who acts as Babe’s adoptive mother.
Hugo Weaving portrays Rex, the lead sheepdog on Hoggett Farm and Babe’s adoptive father.
Jim Cummings voices a pelican that assists Ferdinand on his journey to Metropolis.
Katie Leigh lends her voice to a kitten character.
Evelyn Krape provides vocals for one of the Hoggetts’ sheep and several alley cats.
Charles Bartlett voices the Hoggetts' cow.
Michael Edward-Stevens is heard as the Hoggetts' horse.
Both Al Mancini and Larry Moss voice Thelonius’ goldfish.
Roscoe Lee Browne serves as the film’s narrator.

Additional vocal contributions come from Lisa Bailey, Balyne Barbosa, Victor Brandt, Jeannie Elias, Pippa Grandison, J. D. Hall, Mark Hammond, Barbara Harris, Wendy Kamenoff, Scott Leavenworthy, Julie Oppenheimer, Deborah Packer, Roger Rose, Carly Schroeder, Joseph Sicari, Aaron Spann, Drew Lexi Thomas, and Naomi Watts.

Production

After unsuccessful contract negotiations, Christine Cavanaugh declined to return as Babe's voice. Consequently, her Rugrats colleague E. G. Daily took over the role. The sequel saw George Miller stepping in as director in place of Chris Noonan from the original film; Noonan was reportedly not invited to attend the Australian premiere.

The Motion Picture Association initially assigned Babe: Pig in the City a PG rating prior to its release. However, following re-editing efforts, it was resubmitted and granted a G rating for its theatrical launch.

Set within an imaginative urban environment featuring an eclectic mix of architectural styles reminiscent of Return to Oz, the cityscape incorporates iconic landmarks worldwide such as the World Trade Center, Sears Tower, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House, Hollywood Sign, Golden Gate Bridge, Big Ben, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, and Christ the Redeemer statue. The central district resembles an island akin to Manhattan. DVD packaging depicts an altered version of San Francisco's skyline.

Reception

Box office

On its opening weekend of November 25, 1998—coinciding with Thanksgiving—the film debuted in fifth place behind titles including A Bug's Life, The Rugrats Movie, Enemy of the State, and The Waterboy. It grossed $6.4 million during that initial weekend and accumulated $8.5 million over its first five days in theaters.

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 65% approval rating based on 66 critiques, with an average rating of 6.24/10. The general consensus highlights that it is "not quite as strong as the original" and features darker elements that may be less appropriate for younger viewers. Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore resulted in a "B" grade. On Metacritic, it earned a score of 68 out of 100, signifying "generally favorable" reviews.

Upon its debut, several reviewers expressed disappointment, often pointing to a departure from the original's innocence. Andrew Collins of Empire assigned it one star, characterizing it as evoking a "restless gloom." The New York Times critic Janet Maslin suggested the film would primarily attract devoted fans of Babe.

In contrast, critic Gene Siskel selected it as his top film of 1998. Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times awarded it four stars, commending its inventiveness and charm, even placing it above the original movie. Pat Graham of the Chicago Reader described it as "possibly the finest mainstream film of 1998."

Over the years, Babe: Pig in the City has gained a dedicated cult audience. Musician Tom Waits has publicly praised the film in interviews, naming it among his favorites. Podcaster Jesse Thorn and critic Luke Buckmaster from The Guardian have also lauded the movie as an overlooked masterpiece.

Awards

The song "That'll Do," written and composed by Randy Newman and performed by Peter Gabriel, received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards.

Soundtrack

The score for Babe: Pig in the City was created by Nigel Westlake, who also composed music for Babe. Released on November 24, 1998, through Geffen Records, the soundtrack contains Westlake's original compositions, tracks inspired by the film, and audio excerpts. It features source music such as Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and Dean Martin's "That's Amore," alongside the Academy Award-nominated "That'll Do" and a song performed by E. G. Daily, who provided Babe's voice.

Home media

The film became available on VHS, DVD (in both widescreen and pan and scan editions), and laserdisc on May 4, 1999. On May 22, 2001, a two-disc DVD set pairing it with the original Babe was released. Later, on September 23, 2003, it was reissued as part of The Complete Adventure Two-Movie Pig Pack, offered separately in widescreen and pan-and-scan formats.

Video game

A video game adaptation based on the film was launched for PlayStation 2 in 2006 but received largely negative reviews.

External links

Babe: Pig in the City at Ozmovies