Babe: Pig in the City

The original movie had a great look. The idyllic Hoggett farm came right out of a story book or a Thomas Kincade painting. Producer/Director George Miller takes that same vision and makes a city, exaggerated by the point of view of simple country folk. The result is a larger-than-life, sometimes glamorous, sometimes scary vision of a mythical All-City. (In fact, one oddly appropriate composite shot blends the landmarks from many of the world’s foremost cities: the Sydney Opera House, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hollywood sign, etc.) In addition, the film has some clever, interesting characters that aren’t just pap. With cartoons like Antz and A Bug’s Life striving for “realism,” it’s refreshing to see a live-action movie going the other direction. The idea that this film is too dark for kids is hogwash. The scary scenes are nothing worse than those in A Bug’s Life or Prince of Egypt.