Babe: Pig in the City (The Private Reviewer)

PR: Hello, I'm the Private Reviewer. I remember it because Nostalgia Critic doesn't. Remember the original didn't have any purposes... with an awkward freak dramatic out moments you've got to be shown?

(A montage of clips is shown of Babe, showing its more violent and/or awkward dramatic scenes: A duck is slaughtered for Christmas Dinner offscreen; a dog (Rex) bites the farmer's hand; Babe bites the sheep's leg; Babe's snout have wounded by Duchess; Fly shouts "QUIET!" at the sheep; the Mitchell's dog bites Maa; as in the sequence, Arthur jumps and shouts in joy as he finished dancing in jig; a way TOO loud thunder startles where Arthur, Babe and Fly notices the power knocked out)

PR: (looking away in thought) Might be too depressive. And also, remember when this was a thing? (as the movie poster, Babe: Pig in the City is shown) This better sequel will do, movie. This better sequel will do. This is one of my favorite movies of all time... Babe: Pig in the City.

(the title is shown and the movie clips are shown as PR speaks)

PR (vo): This is quite the underestimated film. Following on the sweet, good natured fable that was the first Babe film, Miller delved into his creative well, pulled out all the stops and came up with a rip roaring, wondrously exciting sequel that outdoes the original in almost every way. The production design and sets alone are enough to make the film a winner, the titular city comprising aspects of LA, New York, Sydney, Paris, Vegas and many more. It's every rural village's idea of what the cities are like, a gigantic metropolitan dream world of a creation. Miller starts, in a charming sequence, at Babe's humble beginnings on the picturesque, old world farmland and hurdles him on a madcap adventure in this city of cities, joined by some of his farmland friends (shows Ferdinand the duck and those adorable singing Mice, whose musical numbers here are hilarious), and sees him meet a whole host of new animals. This is where the magic of the film really takes hold, as we see hundreds of dogs, cats, multiple species of monkeys, and a hapless goldfish all come to amazingly realistic life courtesy of Miller and team. Each animal is beautifully voiced and given his or her own dignity, grace and absolutely grounded story arc to the point where this no longer just becomes a children's film, but a surrealist take on city life, moral hardships and personality and classist conflict as enacted by the National Geographic channel. My favorites are the sinister shepherd, the funniest white duck, the clownish monkeys, the three singing mice, and the one wise old orangutan Thelonius who heartbreakingly won't leave a risky situation without putting his human clothes on, and the opera singing cats. Mazda Szubenski deserves a medal for her physical comedy and tart, spry turn as the farmer's wife, diligently pursuing babe and way in over her head. James Cromwell briefly reprises his wonderful Farmer Hoggett characters. Mickey Rooney, looking so old and delirious I'd be surprised if he knew what film he was working on, let alone what planet, has a demented cameo. But it's the animals show, and amongst all the cartoonish, wild goings on, there's the wonderful theme that "a kind and steady heart" can help you on your travels, which provides a touching, yet not preachy undercurrent. A momentous achievement, miles in different territory than the first Babe film, and an absolute joy every time I revisit it.

PR: You know, this has to be underrated here in '90s, right, G? (the G rating is shown) Okay. Let's take a trip to the funniest throwback animal adventure, Babe: Pig in the City!

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PR: So, there you go. Babe: Pig in the City! I love this movie; ignore the haters; quite entertaining, a great accomplishment.

PR (vo): I was both entertained and constantly amazed. HOW do you direct something like this? George Miller must be a genius, and so too are the many, many experts it took to accomplish this. The voices are so well done and so are the animatronics. I see someone "couldn't understand why the singing mice were there". Gee, I dunno... pure CUTENESS, something else for the kids and me to enjoy? As for the "mean spiritedness", you have to have conflict, right? Some tension? Some bad guys to be against, and good guys to root for? Loved it, and the naysayers are jaded, or some other thing that we could do without.

PR: I'm the Private Reviewer. I remember it because Nostalgia Critic doesn't. (gets up and leaves)

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