Babe: Pig in the City MPAA Rating: G Entertainment: +2 Content: +2

In 1995, the original Babe film was a huge success. In this sequel, the cute little talking , sheep herding pig (voice of Elizabeth Daily) is back on the farm with his owners, farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) and his chubby , pleasant wife(Magda Szubanski). But when Mr. Hoggett is injured ,Babe and Mrs. Hoggett take off to a distant town to earn some money. On the way they get stranded in a big city, presumably Hollywood, and are in for one of the most grueling times of their lives. A kindly lady(Mary Stein) takes them in to her hotel which is inhabited mostly by stray animals, including dogs, cats, monkeys, and ducks. They get along fairly well until some vicious dogs start chasing Babe, but Babe saves one of the dogs from drowning and they become close friends, Even bigger trouble surfaces when men from the animal pound come to haul all the animals in. The talking animal characters are very amusing and some singing cats and mice add to the fun. Lots of slapstick comedy helps to lighten up their adventure, but there are so many confrontations and crises that the film is rather intense and lacks the lighthearted atmosphere of the original. Babe: Pig In The City is a clever story with amazing talking animals, but it does not live up to the appeal of the original.

Babe: Pig In The City is virtually free of any significant questionable elements , except some scenes where show biz women are seen in very revealing bikini type outfits. Also, a couple of mild crude slang words are spoken in a comical manner. The action is filled with tense moments in which Babe is threatened by fierce dogs, gets kicked into a pond of water and tries to escape from the animal pound thugs. But the story carries the commendable theme that people in the impersonal, often heartless city should help and protect each other. One scene is particularly touching where a mother chimpanzee gives birth to twins and the animals gather around to admire them. It is reminiscent of the baby Jesus and Mary. The action is not overly violent , but could frighten sensitive children. The story has no sexual content or foul language and is reasonably appropriate for children over 5.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: Universal Pictures, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608