Viewed in
1996 (2), 2012
Formats
VHS, HDTV
Premise
Babe, a pig raised by sheepdogs, learns to herd sheep with a little help from Farmer Hoggett.
Loved
Sweet story, excellent visual effects, James Cromwell.
Liked
The rest of the movie.
Thoughts
Still a timeless classic. Obviously, it's hard to say no to cute farm animals, but every facit of the movie was flawless.
I loved the story. Every character was fleshed out, the story was well-structured and the journey was engrossing. The threat of death on the Hoggett estate was neither sugar-coated nor suffocating, making the stakes high while still being appropriate for kids. In an environment where movies are pressured to have slam-bang climaxes, Babe's ending was brilliantly defiant and triumphant.
As a character, the pig was adorable and earnest, someone you could believe and root for. Rest of the animal characters were charming and unexpected complexity. James Cromwell deserved his nomination as the taciturn farmer who thinks outside the box. Mrs. Hoggett was very likable too.
Re-watching it 15 years later, I was very surprised how well the special effects held up. While it was easier for me to distinguish puppets from computer graphics, it was so well shot/rotoscoped that, even in HD, I was never taken out of the moment.
I loved this film when I was young. I'm extremely relieved and joyful that it effortlessly passed the test of time.
