2 parts that are inconsistent to me...

I think in the movie's world, you are supposed to assume different species have a common trust and networking within themselves (dogs with dogs, sheep with sheep, etc.). How they do this is not important. What is important is that Babe broke these barriers and was able to do so with other animals. The fact that the sheep were willing to trust Rex in order to give him a secret password, shows the progress that Babe had. Yes it is a plot device, but the meaning behind it is what's important.

For your first complaint, I am 100% on your side. That scene was ridiculous, ludicrous, and insidious. I don't hate this movie, but I hate this scene.

Like you said, how could a tiny piglet even leave a mark on a much larger sheep, let alone kill her? Of course, it could be argued that the same piglet drove off those stray dogs, but Hoggett didn't see that. And all Babe did anyway was ram them and chase them off. And it was pretty darn obvious that those bites were from dog-like creatures, animals that HAD teeth. As shown earlier in the movie, Babe has hardly any.

So was Hoggett on drugs, or just plain senile, when he thought a piglet could kill a sheep? Or when you see blood on a pig's snouth, despite the fact that it's a baby pig and the blood belonged to a full-grown sheep, I guess that automatically means that the pig did do it. Because there was blood on his snout. Uh-huh.

Did the writers for this scene just not have any ideas? Were they just so uninspired that they had to throw this in for some heart-jumping conflict? Did they really think we would buy this? Not only was it out of character for Hoggett, like you said, but any farmer would not be stupid enough to put the blame on a piglet for killing a much larger animal than itself. I'm just really surprised no one caught this in the writing process.

The password thing was a bit of a clunky Mcguffin but it was enjoyable and fun if you've had a few drinks!
However I agree the small pig killing a sheep thing was totally squiffy. Reminded me of the duck in Gilberts Fridge. He had one of those small yellow bath ducks and would say "he'll rip your throat out soon as look at you!" while it sat there immobile and unthreatening. Just makes me laugh out loud every time i think of it and I try to incorporate it into every day conversation.
I now have an image of Hoggett running away shouting "watch out, killer pig!" as Babe sits looking puzzled!

1) Pigs have teeth and are omnivores. Australians knows all to well about killer boars. When introduced to the Outback, they were responsible for several species extinctions. Wild razorbacks kill several people each year in Australia. There was even an Aussie movie called "Razorback" in the 80's about this.

2) This reminds me of an old joke: Two race horses (Max, and Jax) are the best of friends. Max is a really fast horse, and Jax not so much. In races, Max beats Jax every time, so one day Jax tells Max, "I heard the trainers say that if I don't win soon, they're gonna sell me off, so please Max, let me win just one race". Max says "Ok, Jax, just for you".

In the next race, Jax breaks off to a good lead. As they pass the final turn into the straight-away, Max starts picking up speed, then zooms past Jax for the win.

That night in the stables, Jax says, "You told me that you'd let me win Max. What happened? If I don't win soon, they're gonna sell me off to the glue factory". Max says, "I know. but when I passed that last turn, the racing bug took over me, and I just had to win, but next time I'll let you finish first".

In the next race, Jax is in near the front of the pack, and Max is hanging way back in behind as promised. As they reach the final turn, Jax breaks off into the lead, but Max starts picking up speed. Down the stretch, Max goes into a full gallop, and passes Jax for the win.

That night, Jax tells Max, "Thanks a lot! I saw the glue truck outside the track. I heard the the owners say I'm just about out of chances. I might not get another one, but you just had to beat me didn't you"? Max says, "I'm soo sorry. I can't help it. It was the competitor in me, but if we have another race, I'll definitely let you win".

At this time, the track guard dog walks into the stables. He looks at Max and Jax, and says, "Listen I've been listening to you two night after night. Either you Max let Jax win a Gdamn race, or win one yourself again so he can be sent off to grass in the glue factory. Either way. I'm tired of the constant bickering night after night, so make a Gdamn decision.

Max looks at Jax, and says, "Hey wait a minute... dogs can't talk".

As others have noted, pigs can be quite fierce and will eat almost anything. In the book, which I read a few years ago, Babe grows to be a large pig, so it's more believable there than in the movie version that Farmer Hoggett would have assumed that he killed the sheep. I suppose it's also possible that the farmer is so shocked by the scene--Babe, snout covered in blood, standing over the dead sheep--that he acts with uncharacteristic irrationality. At least in the movie, his reaction seems more emotional than rational.

I think it's kind of funny that in the film, Babe also appears to be a female pig most (or all?) of the time, but I've grown used to that.



"Courage is found in unlikely places." ~ The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien