The Cinematheque

“Dazzling family entertainment with enormous charm.”

Leonard Klady, Variety

It’s not every kids’ film about a talking pig that gets nominated for seven Oscars! Produced and co-written by Aussie auteur George Miller (Mad Max series), this family classic about a resourceful little porker hasn’t lost an ounce of its wit, charm, or relevance in the decades since its release. The story, based on Dick King-Smith’s novel The Sheep-Pig, tells of an orphaned piglet who avoids the chopping block by becoming the world’s only sheep-herding swine. Aiding our hero is a maternal border collie, a neurotic duck, and a trio of singing mice. James Cromwell, in a career-making performance, plays the kind-hearted farmer who spots potential in the pipsqueak. (The actor became an animal-welfare activist as a result of the film.) The movie’s barnyard ensemble is brought to life through an ingenious mix of live action and computer-animated puppetry. Don’t miss its superb sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, screening in June!