Babe

Well, I’ll be damned.  I’ve been roped in by a talking animals movie.  When I saw this had entered the latest edition of the TSPDT list, I thought, “Well, that’ll be a chore.”  Far from it.  It charmed the pants off me (not literally — I kept my pants on.  That would be really creepy).  The mice were kind of annoying, but I really loved all the other characters, who are imbued with personalities without excessive cutesiness or over-anthropomorphization.  Through a combination of expert animal training and seamless computer animation, you really feel like these creatures are performing and not simply being manipulated into performing.  The movie’s script keeps it simple without putting the animals into absurd scenarios (I have my doubts about the sequel, however).  James Cromwell and Magda Szubanski are wonderful as well, and the film gorgeously highlights the lush Australian countryside.  An absolute delight, one that warmed my heart and choked me up on several occasions.  Definitely purchasing the upcoming Blu-Ray.  Rating: 9

IMDb