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Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) arrives home with his new pig, causing great excitement among Fly’s litter of puppies. The little pig is indignant when Fly (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) calls him stupid. Fly takes pity on him and becomes a surrogate mother, despite the reservations of Rex, the top dog (voiced by Hugo Weaving).
Curator’s notes
A great deal of the film was accomplished through animal training, and that work is at least as impressive as the animation of the animals’ mouths. The dogs, in particular, give the film a realism of emotion that’s quite astonishing. The puppies too were all highly trained, despite their tender age. Babe was played by a large number of pigs – not just one. Some of the animals were animatronic – notably Maa, the elderly sheep. The realism was part of what made the film so successful – no-one could tell easily what was faked, which was not true of earlier ‘talking animal’ films.
