Seven Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) went to this unique fantasy about an orphaned piglet, Babe, who navigates the hierarchy of farm life and finds his place as a champion sheepherder. So much more than most of the popular family fare of the 1990s, Babe was especially groundbreaking in its realistic and sympathetic depiction of animals and won the Academy Award for its visual effects. Critic Gene Siskel named it his favorite film of 1995. It is credited with the growth in awareness of animals as emotional, intellectual, social beings, creating the “Babe Effect.” Some fans became vegetarians because of the film, as did star James Cromwell. — Leanne von Mittenwald and Jack Fields

Rated: G