It seemed like destiny when Babe (the name his mother called all his siblings) was snatched from his family by carnival workers and stared deep into the eyes of farmer Hoggett, who proceeded to guess the young pig's weight and take him home to his rural home. Lonely and heartbroken, Babe is "adopted" by a sheepdog and when he learns that a pig's primary function on a farm is to serve as food, he strives to break the species barrier and become the world's greatest (and only) sheep pig. "Babe" is an endlessly enchanting from director Chris Noonan and screenwriter George Miller from the novel "The Sheep Pig" by Dick King-Smith. With seemless special effects, a funny and tender script, great voicework especially from Christine Cavanaugh as Babe, and a nuanced, deeply felt performance from James Cromwell, "Babe" is an absolute winner from beginning to end. For a movie aimed at kids, I was amazed at how often I laughed, how dark some of the material is, and how true some of the emotions were, so it should be no wonder that this scored such sought after Oscar nods in the Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor category. Like that of its central character, "Babe" respects its audiences' intelligence and delivers a delightful film that truly all can enjoy.
