Babe: Pig in the City

Well, the surreal beauty presented in the trailers of this film is just the entree to a rather dark and Fellini-esque sequel to one of the most charming fairy tales of modern times.

I enjoy films such as "The Godfather" & "The Road Warrior" but even those heavy dramas had more light-hearted moments than this G-rated film. "Babe: Pig in the City" is just one string of dark, depressing, anxiety-inducing scenes that puts it "just a little left" of Peter Jackson's "Meet the Feebles." At least THAT film (Feebles) doesn't present itself as anything other than adult fare.

What surprises me even more is the number of glowing reviews this nightmarish picture received. It's not a film I would want my kids to see. Many of the situations are terrifying--especially to young minds trying to come to grips with the world in general. I'm not saying you need to sugar-coat everything. But does one have to go out of their way to make a downbeat children's film?

Film's such as "Willy Wonka," "20,0000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Old Yeller" all have their dark side but in B:PITC, ALL the characters seem to be dysfunctional, twisted, or downright mean. And we're not even sure why.

I'm not a prude. I work for a visual effects studio that sometimes creates truly horrific images for adult-themed films. It just seems to me we could use a break from that now & then and enjoy something a bit lighter. The physical world is harsh enough--do we want that in all our entertainment as well?