‘Babe’ | Another Version of 'Animal Farm'

This film evokes memories of George Orwell's political allegory, "Animal Farm," where a group of animals, led by a few pigs, takes center stage. However, while "Animal Farm" critiques totalitarianism, portraying the pigs as greedy, inept, and brutal, corrupting themselves within limitless power, "Babe" tells the tale of a piglet born into a mechanized pig farm. Babe is selected and taken out of the pig farm by chance, becoming a prize at a fair. Farmer Hoggett unexpectedly wins Babe, and a series of amusing events unfold with its arrival on his farm. Although this is a heartwarming and charming fairy tale, I couldn't help but sense some political undertones, not the bleakness of totalitarianism as in "Animal Farm," but rather the sunshine of democracy. The various animal characters in "Babe" exhibit distinct personalities, reflecting the diverse strata within human society.

Ferdinand

A duck who befriends Babe, Ferdinand is a lazy rogue proletariat. As "The Communist Manifesto" states: "The lumpenproletariat is the lowest stratum of the old society, the decomposed refuse of all classes." Ferdinand embodies this, lamenting his fate while idle all day. Despite facing ridicule and opposition from all the animals, Ferdinand still imitates a rooster's crow, albeit awkwardly.

Later, when the farmer purchases a new alarm clock, threatening Ferdinand's role as the morning alarm, Ferdinand turns to Babe for help. The naive and kind-hearted Babe sympathizes with Ferdinand, agreeing to help steal the clock from the farmer's room. However, Babe's attempt leads to a mishap with spilled paint, causing misunderstanding among the farmer and other animals. Ultimately, Ferdinand decides to leave but eventually returns to the farm, continuing his idle lifestyle.

Duchess

Like Ferdinand, Duchess, the cat doesn't labor but enjoys a life of luxury in the farmer's house due to her beauty and agreeable nature, favored by Farmer Hoggett's wife. Although appearing obedient, the Duchess is cunning at heart. Feeling neglected, she tries to sow discord between Babe and Farmer Hoggett, almost causing trouble.

Sheep

In this film, all the animals agree that sheep are incredibly foolish, even worse than pigs. They seem dim-witted, unable to speak coherently and bleat incessantly, explaining the rough treatment from the sheepdogs. Only Babe successfully communicates with the sheep. Babe never perceives sheep as intellectually challenged and converses with them like any other animal. Only in Babe's presence do the sheep seem somewhat normal, not as dumb as other animals think.

The sheep represent the masses. In traditional society, the masses are portrayed as lazy and waiting for the government to guide and educate them. Ancient peasants only cared about basic needs, leaving significant issues to the government without much concern.

Sheepdogs

The sheepdog couple reigns supreme on the farm, ruling over the sheep, respected by all the animals, akin to ancient monarchs. The male Border Collie, named Rex, meaning "king" in Latin, embodies the ideal monarch, possessing all the virtues of a king. Rex once even became deaf from rescuing the sheep during a storm. However, the sheepdog views the sheep as impossibly foolish and refuses to communicate with them, using harsh commands and threats to control them.

With Babe's arrival on the farm, its kind and gentle nature gradually earns the animals' acceptance, and even the sheep begin to obey Babe's commands, threatening the sheepdogs' former glory. The female Border Collie, Fly, shows maternal tenderness towards Babe, appreciating Babe's shepherding talents and courage. However, with his great pride, Rex struggles to accept reality as Farmer Hoggett favors Babe more; feeling sad and frustrated, he lashes out at his wife in a moment of anger, inadvertently injuring Farmer Hoggett. However, Rex's fundamentally sound nature ultimately leads him to accept Babe, and he even helps Babe during the sheepdog trials.

Babe

Babe is the central character of the story. Initially considered the second dumbest animal after sheep, Babe is dismissed by everyone, with sheepdogs often harassing it. However, Babe's foolishness doesn't stem from low intelligence but from innocence and lack of worldliness, making it appear naive. In reality, Babe is adorable, clean, polite, and has a pure heart, treating everyone with kindness. Under the care of sheepdog Fly, Babe gradually adapts to its new life on the farm.

While everyone else believes sheep to be irredeemably foolish, Babe disagrees. Following the sheepdogs' orders and using a rough tone with the sheep, Babe becomes ridiculed. Maa tells Babe, "You're too kind; you're not pretending; why can't you speak nicely?" After Babe listens and calmly negotiates with the sheep, they obediently follow Babe's commands. Only in Babe's presence do sheep appear more intelligent.

Before Babe's arrival, the farm animals led conventional lives, where each animal should "mind their own business," and any attempt to overstep, like Ferdinand's crowing, would be ridiculed. Babe's relationship with the sheep resembles Rex and Fly's. How could a piglet shepherd? Consequently, everyone criticizes Babe.

Babe's shepherding talent catches Farmer Hoggett's attention, leading him to consider Babe for the sheepdog trials: Esme Hoggett, the judges, and the audience ridicule Farmer Hoggett's absurd idea. However, Babe excels in the trials, earning perfect scores from the judges and achieving a resounding victory.

Babe's embodiment of American democratic values remains strong. In the end, victory belongs not to the authoritative sheepdogs but to Babe, who gains the trust and understanding of the sheep. Seeing Babe's performance, one can't help but find it endearing, even wanting to embrace its fluffy little body.