BABE: PIG IN THE CITY
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell, Mickey Rooney DIRECTOR: George Miller WRITERS: George Miller and Judy Morris RATED: G RELEASED: 1998
RATING: ** 1/2 (out of a possible ****)
As a critic, "Babe: Pig in the City" paints me into a difficult corner: on one hand, I was charmed by the sheer visual delights which awaited me; on the other, I was mortified that Hollywood actually considers this a "family" film. Parents who are expecting a light-hearted distraction for little Junior had best be warned: young children have no business anywhere near this movie. The simple fact that "Babe: Pig in the City" (which for the sake of brevity will henceforth be referred to as "Babe II") received a G rating is a disconcerting affirmation of just how far out of touch the MPAA is with its own rating system.
"Babe II" is a contradiction in terms, a disquieting but frequently enchanting blend of humor, warmth and darkness that has the misfortune of being marketed as children's entertainment. It's hard to review a film like this, as two of the factors I use to critique movies are: 'How entertained was I?' and 'How successful is the movie in achieving its goals?' With "Babe II," there's a substantial conflict in the answers to these questions: while I was admittedly entertained, I was also shocked by the story's surprisingly dark tone. It's as if director George Miller is trying to mimic the style of Tim Burton's "Batman," but replaces the grim, human characters with funny, colorful animals who talk and sing. Talk about surreal!
The bleak overtones start early, with kindly farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) suffering a severe accident for which his beloved pet pig Babe (voiced by Elizabeth Daily) is inadvertently responsible. Unable to work, Hoggett stands in danger of losing his farm to the bank. His wife Esme (Magda Szubanski) takes matters into her own hands, and heads to a county fair to give a demonstration of Babe's sheep-herding skills (depicted in the first film), an event which will help raise the money needed for the mortgage payment. Fate conspires against them, however, and through no fault of their own they miss their connecting flight, leaving them with a multiple-day layover in a strange city.
Eventually finding a hotel that will allow pets, Mrs. Hoggett thinks the worst of her trip is over. She is mistaken. Babe is essentially pig-napped by Fugly Floom (Mickey Rooney), a clown who uses chimpanzees as part of his act. Babe is eager to participate, mistakenly believing that his show-business antics are helping the farm: "I'm a pig on a mission," he explains proudly when the other animals question him. The hotel has its own problems, however: the dozens of animals who live there are a clear violation of city health laws, and the hotel operates much like the Underground Railroad, with animals sheltered in secrecy, out of sight of the villainous law enforcement agencies.
This tone of shadow may not sit well with many viewers, particularly those who liked the upbeat innocence of the first film. "Babe II" is to "Babe" what "The Empire Strikes Back" was to "A New Hope"; a mature, thoughtful work, covered by a layer of darkness. Be aware: animals and human alike are severely injured (and nearly die) on at least three occasions in the film. A chase sequence between Babe and a mob of angry dogs could potentially horrify young children. And a scene in which the hotel is raided by animal catchers is so bleak that I was reminded of the liquidation of the Ghetto, from "Schindler's List." While I did not personally object to the tone, I remain unsure who "Babe II" is supposed to appeal to: families who enjoyed the first film? No, not really. Fans of film noir? No, because they're unlikely to see a movie starring talking animals.
One thing for which Miller cannot be faulted is a lack of vision: the city in "Babe II" looks great, recalling the looming skyscrapers and slippery shadows that marked "The Crow," "Dark City," and the aforementioned "Batman." Comparisons with Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" are unavoidable, and the film beats viewers to the punch by borrowing the name of Lang's wonderous city (the film's working title was "Babe in Metropolis"). As envisioned by Miller, Metropolis is a city unencumbered by both time and space: The Statue of Liberty is visible on the horizon, along with the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, the canals of Venice, and other instantly recognizable landmarks from around the world. Modern cars share the road with Model-T Fords, and we understand the point: Metropolis exists anywhere and everywhere.
Fans of the original "Babe" may be a little disappointed by the fact that Babe himself isn't really the focus of this outing; although the plucky little pig gets plenty of screen time, the emphasis is more on the interaction of the animals, all of whom work together to solve the various dilemmas, rather than on Babe himself. Most of the important resolutions occur despite, rather than because of, his presence here. That's not to say that Babe is irrelevant to the story; he functions as a sort of lighthouse through the dark events, dispensing advice and wisdom. (A mean stray dog explains, "I have a professional obligation to be malicious." Babe helpfully suggests, "Maybe you should change professions.")
But if Babe is content to stay in the background for much of the time, the story doesn't really suffer. Dozens of animals dot the landscape of Metropolis, all of whom are fun and interesting in their own right (watch for the singing cat choir!). My favorite character by far was a Godfather-like orangatan named Thelonius (voiced by James Cosmo), who possesses a sad weariness that suits his character perfectly. You can actually see the regret in his eyes as certain events unfurl, giving him a better range of expression than some of the human characters. He's a shoo-in for "Best Supporting Chimp."
"Babe II" isn't a bad film by any stretch of the word: I found it visually stunning and a great deal of fun; nonetheless, I think it will distress its intended audience: young children are going to be confused or scared (if not both) by what they discover in this particular city. My relatively low rating of two and a half stars is an attempt at compromise: I liked the film a good deal more than this review indicates, but I can't actually "recommend" it with a clear conscience to anyone under the age of ten.
("Babe: Pig in the City" is scheduled for video release on May 4th.)
E-Mail: jbarlow@earthling.net Joe Barlow on Film: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
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