June 15th: BABE: PIG IN THE CITY (George Miller, 1998)
NOTE: This film will be shown in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
After celebrating his newfound success as a sheepdog, an accident puts the ownership of the farm in jeopardy, with Babe the Pig needing to enter a distant fair competition in order to win money for the overdue rent.
Australian writer-director George Miller came to prominence with his 1979 film Mad Max, which became an international hit, spawned a franchise, and helped solidify the burgeoning Australian New Wave of filmmakers. Over the next two decades, Miller sporadically directed bigger Hollywood films taking on comedic fantasy (The Witches of Eastwick), social issue drama (Lorenzo's Oil), as well as producing independent films in his native country.
Miller scored his biggest success to date with the children's movie Babe, which he produced and co-wrote with Chris Noonan (who directed). The film made over $250 worldwide, won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, and earned 7 Academy Award nominations including ones for Best Picture, Direction, and Adapted Screenplay.
For the film's sequel, Miller and his co-writers Judy Morris and Mark Lamprey veered far away from the original's source novel, taking the action away from the comforts and intimacy of the farm location, and providing a Wizard of Oz sense-of-wonder while declining to shy away from more nightmarish visions like those seen in Pinocchio.
The film was shot entirely on the new under-construction Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, ironically a former agricultural showground. The production was done in the more rundown areas as construction proceed, much of the shooting taking place at night. Returning production designer Roger Ford built a cityscape that drew iconic imagery from major cities around the world. The cinematographer was Andrew Lesnie (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), also from the original crew.
Actor James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential) reprises his Oscar-nominated role as Father Hoggett, though is out of commission for most of the film, and is joined by Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney (The Black Stallion), Magda Szubanski (Babe). Voice performers include Elizabeth Daily as Babe (replacing Christine Cavanaugh from the original), Roscoe Lee Brown (reprising his narrator role), Glenne Headly (Dick Tracy), comedian Steven Wright, Adam Goldberg (Dazed and Confused), and Hugo Weaving (the Matrix films).
While Babe featured an innovative blend of real animals with animatronic ones provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, its sequel created the animatronics in-house. Once again, the team also used real animals with "digital lip syncing" provided by special effects company Rhythm and Hues (Life of Pi).
Babe: Pig In The City was released to a mixed critical reception, but had strong supporters in Gene Siskel, who named it the best film of 1998, as well as Roger Ebert, who declared it better than the original in his four-star review. It failed to replicate the box office success of Babe, but over the years has become a cult favorite.
Running time is approx. 100 minutes.
After celebrating his newfound success as a sheepdog, an accident puts the ownership of the farm in jeopardy, with Babe the Pig needing to enter a distant fair competition in order to win money for the overdue rent.
Australian writer-director George Miller came to prominence with his 1979 film Mad Max, which became an international hit, spawned a franchise, and helped solidify the burgeoning Australian New Wave of filmmakers. Over the next two decades, Miller sporadically directed bigger Hollywood films taking on comedic fantasy (The Witches of Eastwick), social issue drama (Lorenzo's Oil), as well as producing independent films in his native country.
Miller scored his biggest success to date with the children's movie Babe, which he produced and co-wrote with Chris Noonan (who directed). The film made over $250 worldwide, won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, and earned 7 Academy Award nominations including ones for Best Picture, Direction, and Adapted Screenplay.
For the film's sequel, Miller and his co-writers Judy Morris and Mark Lamprey veered far away from the original's source novel, taking the action away from the comforts and intimacy of the farm location, and providing a Wizard of Oz sense-of-wonder while declining to shy away from more nightmarish visions like those seen in Pinocchio.
The film was shot entirely on the new under-construction Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, ironically a former agricultural showground. The production was done in the more rundown areas as construction proceed, much of the shooting taking place at night. Returning production designer Roger Ford built a cityscape that drew iconic imagery from major cities around the world. The cinematographer was Andrew Lesnie (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), also from the original crew.
Actor James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential) reprises his Oscar-nominated role as Father Hoggett, though is out of commission for most of the film, and is joined by Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney (The Black Stallion), Magda Szubanski (Babe). Voice performers include Elizabeth Daily as Babe (replacing Christine Cavanaugh from the original), Roscoe Lee Brown (reprising his narrator role), Glenne Headly (Dick Tracy), comedian Steven Wright, Adam Goldberg (Dazed and Confused), and Hugo Weaving (the Matrix films).
While Babe featured an innovative blend of real animals with animatronic ones provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, its sequel created the animatronics in-house. Once again, the team also used real animals with "digital lip syncing" provided by special effects company Rhythm and Hues (Life of Pi).
Babe: Pig In The City was released to a mixed critical reception, but had strong supporters in Gene Siskel, who named it the best film of 1998, as well as Roger Ebert, who declared it better than the original in his four-star review. It failed to replicate the box office success of Babe, but over the years has become a cult favorite.
Running time is approx. 100 minutes.
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