When James Cromwell was handed the screenplay for Babe, he thumbed through it to see how many lines he had. He saw that he didn't have that many (he had only 171 words of spoken dialogue, and 61 words that were sung), so decided that he would do it as a nice easy film. What he didn't realize was that he would have more screen time in this film than any of his previous films.
James Cromwell, a longtime vegetarian, decided to become a vegan after starring in the movie.
Magda Szubanski was only in her early 30s when she won the role of Esme Hoggett, who was supposed to be elderly, so Szubanski was made up to look about 20 years older than she actually was at the time.
The talking pig is a combination of 48 real Yorkshire pigs plus an animatronic double. A makeup artist added toupee and eyelashes to each, and computer digitization manipulated pictures of the snout to make the pig appear to talk.
Jerry Goldsmith originally composed the film's music, but it was ultimately rejected for being too dark in tone. Nigel Westlake was then brought in to compose a lighter score.
One of the reasons why it took George Miller ten years to bring the story to the screen was because he was waiting for special effects technology to catch up with his vision for the film.
James Cromwell claimed that he paid for his own Oscar consideration campaign at the cost of $60,000.
The man who buys three of Fly's puppies is head animal trainer Karl Lewis Miller.
A ten-year labor of love for producer George Miller.
The music for the movie's theme song is taken from the Organ Symphony by Camille Saint-Saëns, whose most famous composition is "Carnival of the Animals."
The sheepdog championship takes place at the Kingsmith Fairground. The electrician whose truck Rex hitches a ride on is named Dick. Near the beginning of the film, the trophy Esme Hoggett polishes is for the Kingsmith Dick Show. These are tributes to author Dick King-Smith.
Filmed in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, though all vehicles drive on the right side of the road.
The location of the film is never mentioned, though scenery and architecture suggest somewhere in Great Britain. However, except for two announcers only heard for a few seconds on the TV, everyone speaks with American accents. Moreover, cars were driven on the right side of the road, while in Great Britain cars are driven on the left.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.