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George Miller’s filmography is as unpredictable as it is iconic. While he's best known for the explosive energy of the ‘Mad Max’ franchise – including the widely celebrated ‘Fury Road’ – and the seductive chaos of ‘The Witches of Eastwick’, he’s also behind some surprisingly tender stories. Among them are the animated family hits ‘Happy Feet’ and the much-loved farmyard tale ‘Babe’, which he wrote in 1995 and followed up by directing its 1998 sequel, ‘Babe: Pig in the City’.
At first glance, it’s hard to imagine a connection between a post-apocalyptic wasteland and a talking pig. Yet, Miller has said that the idea for ‘Babe’ was born during the making of the third ‘Mad Max’ film, ‘Beyond Thunderdome’. That film featured a methane-powered facility fuelled by pig waste, and Miller often found himself eating lunch surrounded by pigs during the shoot. Speaking to Empire for the 30th anniversary of ‘Babe’, he reflected on that time, saying he began to realise just how emotionally intelligent pigs really are.
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It was in the post-production phase of ‘Beyond Thunderdome’ that a key moment occurred. On a flight from Australia to London to record the score, Miller couldn’t sleep and tuned into a radio programme reviewing children’s books. A critic was discussing ‘The Sheep-Pig’ by Dick King-Smith, and the infectious joy in her voice made him curious. Once he got hold of the book, he said he was so captivated that by the time he finished reading it, he immediately thought: this has to be a movie.
How Stanley Kubrick’s Influence Shaped the Making of ‘Babe’
Another unexpected influence on the project was Stanley Kubrick. According to Miller, Kubrick became deeply interested in the technical side of bringing a talking pig to life. The two directors spoke frequently over the phone, sometimes nightly for weeks, exploring the possibilities of film technology. Miller noted that Kubrick’s passion for innovation mirrored his own, and their shared fascination with the tools of filmmaking helped shape the creative approach to ‘Babe’.
So while it may seem like a leap from the grimy chaos of ‘Thunderdome’ to the gentle charm of a sheep-herding pig, the path from one to the other was paved with curiosity, late-night radio, and a surprising amount of pig-related inspiration.
