On the heels of Happy Feet, I caught George Miller’s previous work, Babe: Pig in the City, and realised why it’s so loved by critics (Roger Ebert: “lolling in its enchanting images–original, delightful and funny.”; David Edelstein: “my candidate for the most overlooked big budget film of the decade, maybe of the century.”), even though it was a commercial flop.

Babe: Pig in the City has none of the bucolic charm of its predecessor. Its plotline is darker - Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) has fallen down the well and broken his leg, and the farm’s about to go under. Which leaves his wife Esme (Magda Szubanski) to bring Babe into the city to attend a state fair to get the appearance fee.

If only it were that simple. Esme’s flight is delayed (the sniffer dog spots drugs), which means they miss the fair. And that means they have to find somewhere to stay, and finally chance upon a hotel that illicitly hosts all manner of animals. Chaos ensues, as Babe is first taken advantage of by his fellow animal denizens and after that becomes their leader with the help of a pit bull terrier that he rescues out of the sheer goodness of his little piggy heart, even after the terrier takes the trotter on a truly terrifying chase.

It’s the heart of Babe that is the heart of the movie: his genial goodness (and pink cuteness) carries the film, although all the animals have a stunning amount of charm. But oh, the plot is beyond the point. This is visually a stunning, gorgeous film - the action takes place in a fictitious city, part Venice with its canals, part New York with its bridges, and the sets are fantastic. Miller keeps action busy constantly, and fills in lovely little details. And the scene where Babe, separated from Esme, is finally rescued is almost Cremaster-like in its surreal spectacle, with Esme bouncing about in an inflated bungee suit trying to rescue Babe, while chandeliers fall, champagne glasses tremble, and hundreds of blue balloons tumble down.

It’s a dark world, this city, and very far removed from the farm of its predecessor, but oh, what a treat for the eyes.

Random factoid: the orang-utan that played Thelonius was Mitra from the Singapore Zoo.