Babe

Released	1995
Duration	89 minutes
Director	Chris Noonan
Written by	Dick King-Smith (novel The Sheep Pig), George Miller & Chris Noonan (screenplay)
Studio	Universal Pictures
Rated	G

Babe title card

Babe is a 1995 movie based on the novel The Sheep Pig (published in America as Babe: The Gallant Pig). In addition to the use of live animals, Jim Henson's Creature Shop supplied realistic animatronic animals for Babe (approximately 50% of the total shots), Ferdinand the Duck (approximately 50% of the total shots), Fly and Rex the sheepdogs (approximately 10% of the total shots), Duchess the Cat (approximately 90% of the total shots), and the singing mice (100% of the total shots). Standing, sitting and lying models were created, as well as hand-puppet versions for certain scenes. John Cox's Creature Workshop supplied the sheep, and Rhythm and Hues created the CGI lipsync of the real animals.

The 1998 sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, was made without Creature Shop involvement.

The film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, with the Creature Shop's Neal Scanlan sharing with visual effects supervisors from other studios.

Cast

• Live Cast

James Cromwell as Farmer Arthur Hoggett

Magda Szubanski as Mrs. Esme Hoggett

Zoe Burton as Daughter

Paul Goddard as Son-in-Law

Wade Hayward as Grandson

Brittany Byrnes as Granddaughter

Mary Acres as Valda

Marshall Napier as Chairman of Judges

• Voices

Christine Cavanaugh as Babe

Miriam Margolyes as Fly

Danny Mann as Ferdinand

Hugo Weaving as Rex

Miriam Flynn as Maa

Russi Taylor as Duchess

Evelyn Krape as Old Ewe

Michael Edward-Stevens as Horse

Charles Bartlett as Cow

Paul Livingston as Rooster

Roscoe Lee Browne as Narrator

• Performance Puppeteers: Mak Wilson, David Greenaway, Allan Trautman, Ian Tregonning
• Assistant Puppeteers: David Collins, Janet Dalgliesh, Terry Ryan, Hugh Simpson

Credits

• Creature Shop Supervisor: John Stephenson
• Creative Project Supervisor: Neal Scanlan
• Head of Production: William Plant
• Animal Visual Designers: Jeremy Hunt, Graham High, Barry Sutton
• CGI Sculptor: John Coppinger
• Fur Design Specialist: Val Jones
• Feather and Anatomy Designer: Monique Brown
• Animatronic Designers: Chris Barton, Chris Howes, Tim Jordan, Jim Machin, Jason Reed, Joe Scott
• Workshop Supervisor: Geoff Paige

Notes

In media coverage of the film, and the Creature Shop's involvement, inevitable comparisons were made to the most famous puppet pig:

“One pig who thrives on human attention is Jim Henson's Miss Piggy. Was the sultry sow, as rumored, angry she didn't land the part of Babe? "Hogwash", says Lynn Calle of Jim Henson's Creature Shop: "Miss Piggy doesn't acknowledge she's a pig. She's upset she's not getting parts that go to Michelle Pfeiffer."”

References

Host Whoopi Goldberg, Babe and Miss Piggy.

• During the 68th Academy Awards that were held on March 25, 1996, Miss Piggy intercepts a video conference uplink between host Whoopi Goldberg and nominee Babe in order to assert her porcine ranking in Hollywood by offering to save the show with one of her sensational production numbers she titles "Porkahontas," but instead the audience is saved by the recovery of the initial connection.

• On November 12, 1996, Kermit appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He mentioned that Miss Piggy was giving him a tough time since Babe came out and got nominated for an Academy Award. He also explains that he felt a strange attraction to the film.

• In Sesame Street Episode 4142, the number 0 is fed up with representing "nothing," so he poses as a pig, dubbing himself "Babe."

External Links

• IMDb