Babe: Pig in the City

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Infobox film Babe: Pig in the City is a 1998 comedy-drama adventure film and the sequel to Babe (1995). It is co-written, produced and directed by George Miller, who co-wrote and produced the original film. Magda Szubanski and James Cromwell reprise their roles from the first film, with Mickey Rooney joining the cast.

The film was nominated for Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> On initial release, the film received mixed reviews from critics and failed to match the financial success of its predecessor, grossing $69.1 million on a $90 million budget.<ref name="avclub">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, it has developed a cult following and a positive critical reassessment since its release.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Plot

A few weeks after the events of the first film, Farmer Arthur Hoggett is injured in an accident when he and Babe attempt to fix the farm's well, leaving his wife Esme to tend their farm alone. Threatened with eviction at the end of the month unless their mortgage is paid, Esme takes Babe to a sheepdog herding contest in hopes of using its prize money to do so. At an airport in the city of Metropolis, an overzealous detection beagle shows Babe what it is like to be rewarded for doing a good job by falsely signaling that he and Esme are carrying drugs, causing them to miss their connecting flight and forcing a few days wait for the next flight home.

At first, unable to find a hotel that allows animals, Esme and Babe find accommodation at the Flealands Hotel, which is run by the sympathetic animal-loving Miss Floom, who shelters stray animals. There, Babe is separated from Esme and meets a trio of chimpanzees—Bob, his pregnant wife Zootie and his younger brother Easy—and Thelonius, a civilized Bornean orangutan who is a servant for Floom's elderly uncle Fugly. Babe is made part of their clown act, in which he is reluctant to appear until the apes insinuate that he will be paid, believing that it could be vital in saving the farm, but he soon inadvertently causes the act to end in disaster. Meanwhile, Esme, after being tricked by Fugly to believe that Babe has escaped, looks for him but is falsely arrested after an incident involving police officers and other bystanders when a motorcycle gang attempts to mug her.

The next morning, Fugly is taken to the hospital in a food coma, accompanied by his niece. Left to fend for themselves, the hotel's animal occupants soon become famished, and the chimps decide to obtain some sustenance by stealing from a local store, using Babe to distract a duo of guard dogs. Babe rescues one of the guard dogs when he falls into a canal, and he then pledges to act as a bodyguard for Babe to express his gratitude. Having flown all the way to Metropolis, Babe's best friend Ferdinand arrives at the hotel and reunites with him after Zootie gives birth to twins. The celebration is interrupted when several hostile animal control officers are summoned there by the Flooms' animal-hating neighbor, Hortense.

Most of the animals are confiscated except for Babe, Ferdinand, the Flooms' Panamanian white-faced capuchin Tug and disabled Jack Russell Terrier Flealick. They infiltrate the animal control facility and rescue their wrongfully incarcerated friends. Released from custody, Esme returns to the hotel to find it in disarray and Miss Floom mourning her uncle and the animals' capture. After confronting Hortense for her actions, the duo track down the animals to a charity dinner and they reunite. Afterward, Floom sells the hotel and gives the proceeds to Esme so that she can save the farm, where Floom and all the animals go to stay. As Esme resumes her duties and Hoggett finally fixes the farm's water pump following his recovery, he proudly smiles at Babe and says, "That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Cast

• Magda Szubanski as Esme Cordelia Hoggett, Hoggett's wife.
• Mickey Rooney as Fugly Floom, Miss Floom's late uncle.
• Mary Stein as Miss Floom, the Flealands Hotel's landlady and Fugly's niece.
• James Cromwell as Farmer Arthur Hoggett, Esme's husband.
• Julie Godfrey as Hortense, the Flooms' animal-hating neighbor.
• Janet Foye and Pamela Hawkins as Esme's friends.
• Paul Livingston as a chef at a charity event where the film's climax takes place
• Kim Story as a judge<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• John Upton as a boy at Metropolis' local hospital

Voices

• E. G. Daily as Babe, Hoggett Farm's resident pig who is Rex and Fly's adoptive son. He was previously voiced by Christine Cavanaugh in the first film.
• Danny Mann as Ferdinand, an Indian Runner duck and Babe's best friend.
  • Mann also voices Tug, the Flooms' Panamanian white-faced capuchin.
• Glenne Headly as Zootie, one of the Flooms' chimpanzees who is Bob's wife and Easy's sister-in-law.
• Steven Wright as Bob, one of the Flooms' chimpanzees who is Zootie's husband and Easy's older brother.
• James Cosmo as Thelonius, a civilized Bornean orangutan who is a servant to Fugly and later Esme at the end of the film.
• Nathan Kress and Myles Jeffrey as Easy, one of the Flooms' chimpanzees who is Bob's younger brother and Zootie's brother-in-law.
  • Kress additional portrays a stray puppy.
• Stanley Ralph Ross as an aggressive Bull Terrier and Doberman Pinscher guard dog duo, the former of whom reforms and acts as a bodyguard for Babe to express his gratitude for saving his life.
• Russi Taylor as a stray poodle who becomes the Bull Terrier's ex-wife.
  • Taylor also voices a choir cat.
• Adam Goldberg as Flealick, a talkative disabled Jack Russell Terrier.
• Eddie Barth as Nigel, a Bulldog residing in the Flealands Hotel.
  • Barth also voices Alan, a Neapolitan Mastiff who is Nigel's roommate.
• Bill Capizzi as Snoop, an overzealous beagle who works at Metropolis' local airport as a detection dog.
• Miriam Margolyes as Fly, a Border Collie who is Rex's wife and Babe's adoptive mother.
• Hugo Weaving as Rex, another Border Collie who is Hoggett Farm's lead sheepdog, as well as the leader of its community, Fly's husband and Babe's adoptive father.
• Jim Cummings as a pelican who assists Ferdinand during his journey to Metropolis.
• Katie Leigh as a kitten.
• Evelyn Krape as one of the farm's sheep.
  • Krape also voices some alley cats.
• Charles Bartlett as the Hoggetts' cow.
• Michael Edward-Stevens as the Hoggetts' horse.
• Al Mancini and Larry Moss as Thelonius' goldfish.
• Roscoe Lee Browne as the narrator.

Additional character voices were provided by 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Production

Christine Cavanaugh, who played Babe in the first film, was approached to reprise her role, but declined when contract negotiations fell through.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cavanaugh was eventually replaced by her Rugrats co-star E. G. Daily.<ref name="latimes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The director of the first film, Chris Noonan, had no involvement in the sequel; directorial duties were handled by George Miller, and Noonan was reportedly not invited to the premiere Australian screening.<ref name="Ozmovies">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Prior to the film's theatrical release, it was originally rated PG by the MPAA. The TV spots for the film's theatrical release mentioned this rating, as did a promotional poster. By the time the film was released in theaters, it had been re-submitted, seeking a G due to the film being re-edited and re-submitted for review.<ref name="christian">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Babe: Pig in the City takes place in an imaginative and fantasy-like metropolis. The aesthetic is notably reminiscent of Oz.<ref name="junkee">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The city has numerous styles 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 numerous landmarks such as the World Trade Center, the Sears Tower, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the IDS Center, the MetLife Building, the Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood Sign, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Fernsehturm Berlin, Big Ben, Saint Basil's Cathedral of Moscow's Red Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and the Christ the Redeemer statue, among others.<ref name="Ebert" />

The DVD covers feature a similar but altered interpretation of San Francisco.

Reception

Box office

Babe: Pig in the City opened on November 25, 1998, during Thanksgiving weekend, ranking in fifth place behind A Bug's Life, The Rugrats Movie, Enemy of the State and The Waterboy.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> The film made $6.4 million during its opening weekend, for a total of $8.5 million from its first five days of release.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has 65% approval rating based on 66 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.24/10. The site's consensus states that the film is "not quite as good as the original and has some dark subject matter that might not be appropriate for children".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A+ to F.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On Metacritic, the film carries a score of 68, based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On release, the film received poor reviews by most critics, receiving the lowest marks; most believed the sequel had lost the innocence of the original.Template:Citation needed

Empire's Andrew Collins said, "Where Babe brought deep-rooted joy, the sequel brings fidgety depression," and awarded the film one star.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "It will work as a sequel only hard-core Babe fans willing to follow this four-legged hero (or heroine, as Babe obviously is in some scenes) anywhere. Had Pig in the City been made first, it by no means could have prompted a sequel of its own."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

American film critic Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune named it as his choice for the best movie of 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four, and said that it was even better than the original. "Babe was a movie where everything led up to the big sheepherding contest. Babe: Pig in the City is not so plot-bound, although it has the required assortment of villains, chases and close calls. It is more of a wonderment, lolling in its enchanting images-- original, delightful, and funny." He concluded: "I liked Babe for all the usual reasons, but I like Babe: Pig in the City more, and not for any of the usual reasons, because here is a movie utterly bereft of usual reasons."<ref name="Ebert">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It made Ebert's list of the best films of the year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Pat Graham of the Chicago Reader said that it "may be the best commercial film of 1998".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the decades since Babe: Pig in the CityTemplate:'s release, the movie has developed a cult following.<ref name="avclub" /> Tom Waits expressed appreciation for the film during a 2010 interview with Mojo Magazine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Waits told The Guardian: "You know what one of my favourite movies of all time is? And if I'm at home with my kids and say, 'What do you want to see?', the big joke is, 'Aw Dad! Not Pig in the City!' But I love that movie. I'd see that any time."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Radio personality and podcaster Jesse Thorn has also praised the film.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian called it "brilliant" and "underrated".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards

Peter Gabriel's "That'll Do", written and composed by Randy Newman, was nominated for Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>

Soundtrack

The musical score for Babe: Pig in the City is composed by Nigel Westlake, who previously wrote the music for Babe. A soundtrack album was released on November 24, 1998, by Geffen Records featuring Westlake's score, music inspired by the movie, as well as sound clips taken from film. The soundtrack also includes source music such as "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller and "That's Amore" by Dean Martin. Additional tracks include the Academy Award-nominated theme song "That'll Do" and a song sung by E. G. Daily, the voice of Babe.

Home media

The film has been released on VHS, DVD (in both widescreen and pan and scan formats), and laserdisc on May 4, 1999.Template:Citation needed On May 22, 2001, the film was released on DVD as a 2-disc set with the original Babe. On September 23, 2003, it was re-released on DVD as part of The Complete Adventure Two-Movie Pig Pack in its separate widescreen and pan-and-scan formats.

Video game

In 2006, a universally-panned video game based on the film was released on PlayStation 2.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0120595

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• Template:Mojo title
• Template:Rottentomatoes
• Babe: Pig in the City at Ozmovies