Product Description

Academy Award winner and Best Picture nominee, Babe is the inspirational story of a shy Yorkshire piglet who doesn't quite know his place in the world. But when Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) wins him at the county fair, Babe discovers that he can be anything he wants to be - even an award-winning sheepdog! With the help of a delightful assortment of barnyard friends, the heroic little pig is headed for the challenge of his life in this endearing and fun-filled tale the whole family will love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2040 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-23
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 82 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
The surprise hit of 1995, this splendidly entertaining family film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture, director, and screenplay, and deservedly won the Oscar for its subtly ingenious visual effects. Babe is all about the title character, a heroic little pig who's been taken in by the friendly farmer Hoggett (Oscar nominee James Cromwell), who senses that he and the pig share "a common destiny." Babe, a popular mischief-maker the Australian farm, is adopted by the resident border collie and raised as a puppy, befriended by Ferdinand the duck (who thinks he's a rooster), and saves the day as a champion "sheep-pig." Filled with a supporting cast of talking barnyard animals and a chorus of singing mice (courtesy of computer enhancements and clever animatronics), this frequently hilarious, visually imaginative movie has already taken its place as a family classic with timeless appeal. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
Despite the improbable articulateness of the creatures in Chris Noonan's wonderfully imaginative talking-animal movie, they remain in character as animals: the movie never lets us forget that they don't see the world the same way we do. (The illusion of speech is created with a variety of technical means, including computer-animated mouth movements and, here and there, animatronic stand-ins for the live animal stars.) The title character is a piglet who wants to be a sheepdog. Babe and his friends-notably, a farmwise duck and a pair of proud Border collies-act out a comedy of animal manners that is much funnier and much cannier than any recent movie about human relationships: a lovely, stubbornly idiosyncratic fable of aspiration and survival. With James Cromwell and Magda Szubanski. The screenplay, by Noonan and George Miller, is based on a children's novel by Dick King-Smith. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Pig of Destiny
A fable celebrating the triumph of the improbable in the face of convention. Clever use of storybook titles, narrative, lighting & music make this a captivating experience. Ntl Soc Film Critics, Best Film. Golden Globe Best Film (music / comedy). 6 Academy Award nominations incl Best Director

It's like `Charlottes Web', only better...
I know, I know; very bold statement, but I challenge you to watch `Babe' and not draw the same conclusion. When I first saw `Babe' all those years ago I was like ten and I adored it. But here is the true testament to the brilliance that is `Babe'; I watched it just this past week and LOVED it.

Yes, `Babe' ages very, very well. It is pure family entertainment that shines brightly, giving the audience laughs and tears and heartwarming moments of beauty and peace. `Babe' is a monumental achievement in the world of family (or children's) entertainment for it reaches a level of overall satisfaction without ever having to spice the film with adult humor or forced maturity. This is a children's film that appeals to adults without ever catering to adults, and that is a feat in itself. Unlike `Shrek' and recent so-called children's films that have followed, `Babe' never goes over the child's head yet it always maintains the adult's attention.

`Babe' tells the story a young orphan pig who escapes slaughter by displaying his ability to herd sheep. His owner, Arthur Hoggett enters Babe into a sheep-herding contest despite everyone's disapproval.

The beauty within `Babe' is not found in the plot (which is pretty simple) but in the underlying emotional connection between Hoggett and Babe and, well, Babe and everyone. It really shows that family can never be defined and that you can be loved and show love to any and everyone, regardless of race or even species. At its heart Babe is a story about acceptance and love.

James Cromwell is amazing as Farmer Hoggett. There is a beautiful scene where he nurses Babe back to health after a night spent in the rain and he does this little jig to try and cheer him up and his performance is so sincere and so genuine, which must be hard to muster when working with a mechanical pig. It's a wonder to me why he didn't win that Oscar, I mean Spacey was good (albeit nominated for the wrong performance) but of the final five Cromwell was by far the most deserving. The voiceover actors are all flawless as well and truly add to the cartoon-like vibe of the film.

In the end there are few films this heartfelt and moving, at least in this genre. It is not a sappy saccharine type film that plays too heavy on the heartstrings but this is a pure and emotionally balanced film that manages to appear real and raw despite its very fairytale like prose.

Great for kids!
Very cute story and great for kids! If you are an animal lover, this is the movie for you!