History Film / Babe

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: It's not very clear where the Hoggett Farm and the rural town close to it are supposed to be; most of the Australian actors are doing FakeAmerican accents while Creator/JamesCromwell is vaguely English. Compare this to the novel ''The Sheep-Pig'', which is explicitly set in the north of England. Maybe this was done so viewers could assume it could, indeed, be a rural region anywhere in the world.

* InnocenceLost: For all the undesirable circumstances Babe is met with, seeing his own mother herded away with the other sows when he was small, he still remains loving and idealistic, eventually finding his place in his new home and touching the others there in unexpected ways. His innocence is sadly tested when he witnesses the death of his friend Maa to a pack of wild dogs preying on her herd, and later when Duchess mocks him with the cruel reality of how the world views his kind. The revelation that his entire family likely met their end not in "pig paradise", but in slaughterhouses for food just like ducks very nearly sends him over the edge.

* CatsAreMean: Though the film gives a disclaimer that there are plenty of perfectly nice cats in the world, Duchess, the spoiled house cat, is not one of them. [[spoiler:She drinks the blood of the freshly killed duck offscreen, gives Babe a nasty scratch, and finally tells him that humans eat pigs, as well as "Pigs have no purpose just like ducks don't have a purpose".]]

''Babe'' is a 1995 fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Chris Noonan, adapted from the 1983 children's book ''The Sheep-Pig'' (also known in the United States as ''Babe, the Gallant Pig'') by Creator/DickKingSmith.

It is the story of a little piglet ("Babe" to the other animals he encounters and "Pig" to all the humans -- including the {{narrator}}) that gets plucked from his life as future bacon to become a prize at a fair, ending up on the sheep farm of Mr. Hoggett (Creator/JamesCromwell). The farm is quirky already, and taking in Babe, cared for by his "mother", the sheepdog Fly, only makes things stranger.

As it turns out, Babe is a kind and trusting sort that quickly befriends most of the farm animals, and uses his friendship to become an effective sheep herder. From there, Farmer Hoggett decides, instead of making Babe a featured part of the dinner table, to use the little pig to actually compete in sheep dog trials.

[[quoteright:286:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/babe_ver1.jpg]]

Based on the 1983 book, ''The Sheep-Pig'' (also known in the United States as ''Babe, the Gallant Pig'') by Creator/DickKingSmith, ''Babe'' (1995) is the story of a little piglet ("Babe" to the other animals he encounters and "Pig" to all the humans -- including the narrator) that gets plucked from his life as future bacon to become a prize at a fair, ending up on the sheep farm of Mr. Hoggett (Creator/JamesCromwell). The farm is quirky already, and taking in Babe, cared for by his "mother", the sheepdog Fly, only makes things stranger.

While theoretically a children's movie, its offbeat charm and heartwarming (and remarkably {{Glurge}}-free) story made it a favorite amongst all ages. It even received 7 Oscar nominations including one for Best Picture, much to the surprise of many, and the chagrin of the Academy. They made efforts to keep further "children's movies" from qualifying in the future. (Hello, [[AnimationAgeGhetto Best Animated Picture]] category! Best Animated Picture says, "hi.")

Based on a book called ''The Sheep-Pig'' (also known in the United States as ''Babe, the Gallant Pig'') by Creator/DickKingSmith, ''Babe'' is the story of a little piglet ("Babe" to the other animals he encounters and "Pig" to all the humans -- including the narrator) that gets plucked from his life as future bacon to become a prize at a fair, ending up on the sheep farm of Mr. Hoggett (Creator/JamesCromwell). The farm is quirky already, and taking in Babe, cared for by his "mother", the sheepdog Fly, only makes things stranger.

-->'''Esme''': Hooey! Arthur! Oh, there you are! That was the police on the phone. [[spoiler: Said there are wild dogs about.]] Apparently, [[spoiler: the Mitchells lost six lambs this morning]] and they-- What on Earth are you doing with that gun?\\
'''Arthur''': Oh, I, uh... nothing. (''embarrassed chuckle'')

* HeartwarmingOrphan: Babe.

* InnocenceLost: For all the undesirable circumstances Babe is met with, seeing his own mother herded with the other sows and taken away when he was small, he still remains loving and idealistic, eventually finding his place in his new home and touching the others there in unexpected ways. His innocence is sadly tested when he witnesses the death of his friend Maa to a pack of wild dogs preying on her herd, and later when Duchess mocks him with the cruel reality of how the world views his kind. The revelation that his entire family likely met their end not in "pig paradise", but in slaughterhouses for food just like ducks very nearly sends him over the edge.

* BattleDiscretionShot: When Duchess is roused by the alarm clock that Babe dropped, it immediately cuts to an exterior shot, with the sound effects of smashing objects, Duchess' yowling, and Ferdinand's panicked quacking indicating that the ensuing brawl is pretty intense (and messy as all get-out, as we see when the Hoggetts come home).

* KarmaHoudini: Duchess gets nothing for having convinced Babe to run away from home, which causes him to come down with a serious illness that if not for Fly and Rex's quick actions might've been the end of him.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Rex's immediate reaction after he bites Mr. Hogget's hand for stopping the fight between him and Fly. Afterward he seems to go into a HeroicBSOD; even as Hoggett and the vet are acting like he's still dangerous and injecting him with sedatives, all he can do is lie there. However, at that point, it's not entirely clear whether Rex is subdued because of his sedation or just because he's still in shock.

* InnocentInaccurate: The narration notes that pigs have come to believe that those pigs that disappear and are never seen again are taken to "pig paradise", a place so wonderful that they never want to go back. As is made clear to the audience, they're actually being taken to the slaughter.

* AccidentialTickleTorture: Babe is subjected to this when Esme uses measuring tape on his belly to see if he's become fat enough to have for Christmas dinner, causing him to react quite ticklishly. It then becomes FriendlyTickleTorture when Esme playfully tickles his belly, causing his laughter to increase.

* JustDesserts: [[spoiler:Boy is it satisfying when Duchess gets kicked out of the farmhouse. Out into the pouring rain, no less.]]

* RuleOfDrama: If Farmer Hoggett had looked at Maa more closely, it would likely have been determinable that she was mauled in a way that's inconsistent with anything Babe would be able to inflict (since pigs' teeth are different from dogs'). Naturally, he never checks.

* RuleOfDrama: If Farmer Hoggett had looked at Maa more closely, it would likely have been obvious that she was mauled in a way that's inconsistent with anything Babe would be able to inflict. Naturally, he never checks.

* KindHeartedCatLover: Mrs. Hogget, the farmer's wife. While she seems fond of animals in general, she clearly has a lot of love for her cat, Duchess, and absolutely spoiled her. Too bad that said cat doesn't exactly take after her owner...

* OhCrap: Mrs Hoggett gives this reaction when she realises her husband enters the sheep-herding competition with Babe.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Mrs Hoggett's accent sounds more Swedish and throughout the film, you can spot any Aussie actor or actress struggling with theirs.

* TheQuietOne: Hoggett. Supposedly James Cromwell was only looking for a minor role and chose this script based on the number of lines his character had, not realising how many scenes he'd be required to film.

* HeelFaceTurn: Rex eventually warms up to Babe after his HeroicBSOD.

* BigShutUp: Fly delivers one to the sheep, who finally clam up and allow her to ask [[spoiler:what killed Maa]].

* AintTooProudToBeg: Fly was willing to partially put aside her prejudice for sheep to civilly (if s-l-o-w-l-y) ask them what happened the morning that [[spoiler:Maa]] was killed, so she could prove Babe's innocence.

* ArtisticLicenseAnimalCare: Pigs grow rapidly enough that the crew burned through 48 Large White piglets filming the movie, but Babe never grows out of his baby stage.
* AwfulTruth: Babe finds out that most pigs are eaten by humans just like they eat ducks, and that his real family was most likely eaten. Naturally, it's a [[CatsAreMean cat]] that silkily delivers the bad news.

* {{Hypocrite}} Rex saying that a duck (an animal bred to be ''eaten and nothing else'') needs to "accept what he is and be thankful for it" sounds incredibly hypocritical considering he's a sheepdog and at one point was the most useful animal on the farm.

** Rex. Saying that a duck (an animal bred to be ''eaten and nothing else'') needs to "accept what he is and be thankful for it" sounds incredibly hypocritical considering he's a sheepdog and at one point was the most useful animal on the farm.

Based on a book called ''The Sheep-Pig'' by Creator/DickKingSmith, ''Babe'' is the story of a little piglet ("Babe" to the other animals he encounters and "Pig" to all the humans -- including the narrator) that gets plucked from his life as future bacon to become a prize at a fair, ending up on the sheep farm of Mr. Hoggett (Creator/JamesCromwell). The farm is quirky already, and taking in Babe, cared for by his "mother", the sheepdog Fly, only makes things stranger.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The movie compared to the original book, though admittedly not by much. The main sources of this are the characters of [[AngryGuardDog Rex]] and [[CatsAreMean Duchess]], both CanonForeigners.

* SneezeOfDoom: Subverted. Ferdinand ''almost'' wakes up the cat, but then Babe loudly drops the alarm clock trying to tell him to hold it in and it starts ringing.