While we’re all having a George Miller moment with the release of Fury Road, let’s take a look back at one of his earlier films. A far cry from the toxic storm… it’s Babe from 1995.
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- Babe
Who could forget the adorable talking pig?
Earnest and curious piglet Babe is adopted by Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) who takes him to the farm where he meets a host of other furry friends including Rex the border collie (voiced by Hugo Weaving) and his mate Fly (voiced by Miriam Margolyes), who takes Babe under her motherly wing. Babe quickly endears himself to the whole farm when he develops a novel sheepherding tactic. Comedienne Magda Szubanski also stars as Mrs Hoggett in this utterly irresistible family film with enough whip smart humour and subtle dark undertones to appeal to the adults too.
Produced by Mad Max legend George Miller, Babe was a huge box office and critical success – it took $36.8m at the Australian box office and $254m worldwide. It was also nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay and won for Best Visual Effects, as well as Best Motion Picture Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes.
Filmed in Robertson in the Southern Highlands, the lush rolling hills served as a gorgeous backdrop for the whole farmyard cast brought to life by iconic character voice actors, animatronics from the Jim Henson Creature’s Shop, and special effects that were, at the time anyway, ground-breaking.
You can rent or buy Babe on iTunes, Google Play or at JB Hi-Fi
