It's not unusual for a sequel to be slightly weirder and more challenging than the film that inspired it, and sometimes that can be a good thing: Look at "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back," for example. But "Babe: Pig In The City," an utterly bewildering follow-up to the 1995 surprise hit "Babe," is so dark and disturbing you have to wonder what director George Miller was shooting for. Despite its G-rating, the movie includes numerous scenes of animals in peril, including a pit bull that nearly hangs himself, a crippled dog that gets thrown into a wall and a goldfish that almost suffocates when his tank is shattered. Oh yes, and we're also treated to several heartwrenching tales from homeless animals about how they've been mistreated, abused and abandoned by humans. Happy holidays, kids! Not that there wasn't a slightly weird undercurrent running throughout the original "Babe" -- remember that one segment was entitled "Pork Is A Nice, Sweet Meat" -- but the black comedy was offset by a message of positivity and the genuinely endearing interaction between James Cromwell's Farmer Hoggett and porcine hero Babe. "City"'s first mistake is to put Hoggett out of commission almost right off the bat by having him tumble down a well in a near-fatal accident (that's the first hint of what Miller has up his sleeve). Soon afterward, the bank comes calling to repossess the farm, forcing Mrs. Hoggett (Magda Szubanski) and Babe to high-tail it to town to try to cash in on Babe's new-found fame as the world's foremost "sheep pig." The cityscape initially looks gorgeous and inviting, incorporating everything from the Hollywood sign to the Eiffel Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge. But looks decieve, and soon Mrs. Hoggett is locked up, Babe has fallen into the clutches of a scuzzy, talentless clown (Mickey Rooney in a disturbing cameo) who ends up dying of a heart attack after accidentally setting the childrens' ward of a hospital ablaze. The movie's dour air is not exactly broken by a score that sounds better suited to an Irish wake than a family feature. And yet, despite its downbeat plot, "City" does manage to throw in just enough clever bits to hold the interest. Particularly funny are the trio of crooning mice from the first film (who are joined in this installment by a kitty choir), and some snooty cosmopolitan cats who sniff "Tourists!" when Babe and friends stroll down their street. The special effects here are even better than in the original and the changeovers between real animals and animatronic creations are almost impossible to detect. Those who appreciate what filmmakers refer to as "production values" will be dazzled. At the same time, however, you have to feel sorry for the parents who'll struggle to explain such bizarre bits as a mock-communion scene that features Babe as a stand-in for Jesus or a lengthy and terrifying round-up of Babe and company by villainous animal-control people who seem uncomfortably close to the Nazis of "Schindler's List." In a time when so many movies err on the side of predictability perhaps we should be grateful for directors willing to take risks, but when the results are as unnerving as "Pig in the City" it's a little difficult to stand up and cheer. James Sanford
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