Surprise Twist: Babe: Pig in the City

April 28th, 2010 | By Rono | 206 views | 1 Comment »

This scene takes place around the midpoint in the movie. Up to this moment, Babe, the little pig, has been described as “an inconsequential species with no other purpose than to be eaten by human”; the pig and his human, Mrs Hoggett, have been dragged here and there, pushed away, arrested, searched, judged, released, and overall not taken very seriously. The hero needs an event to turn the tide in his favor.

Later, set up by the chimps, Babe finds himself hunted by 2 ferocious guard dogs: a bull terrier and a doberman. And after a lengthy chase around the canal, the bull terrier finally rams Babe right into the water. He then jumps in after the pig, but his leash, caught in an old lawnmower gets hooked onto one of the bridge post.

So the dog ends up upside down, leg tangled up, head under water, hopelessly drowning.

Comes the surprise

Babe, after a second, jumps in after him and pushes a small boat toward the drowning dog. Short struggle and the attacker is safe inside the boat if just still one leg caught in the chain. The silent capuchin monkey helps free him and bring the boat back to shore.

The Don and his lieutenant, "The Chief has got something to say."

The payoff brings the icing on the cake: Babe, the “inconsequential” pig becomes the Godfather with the bull terrier as his right hand man. Let’s face it, among the animals in the scene, the dog is intimidating. The threat is subtle but it is clear. The camera angle emphasizes the dog’s impressive jaws.

BULL TERRIER

I'd like to offer up a solution that
I feel confident you'll all respond to...
Whatever the pig says... goes.

I was amazed by this surprising scene. Really a nice reversal: the victim actually rescues his executioner, kindness rewarded; now everyone looks to the “insignificant mammal” as the leader. With a funny parody of gangster movies thrown in for seasoning.

Babe: Pig in the City