This little piggy called Babe

DOES the name Christine Kavanaugh mean anything to you? I hadn’t heard of her either, but many a fine film has relied on her vocal talents.

1995 : Scene from 1995 film "Babe". Animal / Pig

DOES the name Christine Kavanaugh mean anything to you? I hadn’t heard of her either, but many a fine film has relied on her vocal talents.

Until her retirement in 2001 she was among those rare Hollywood stars who are heard but not seen, supplying the voices for cartoon characters in movies. You may have heard her in McDonald’s commercials or in the cartoon Rugrats and its sequels. In 1995 she was the voice of the piglet hero in Chris Noonan’s Babe (Thursday, 7.30pm, 7Two), an international hit for Sydney’s Kennedy Miller studios. When Babe discovers he’s destined for the slaughterhouse he manages to save his bacon by befriending other farmyard creatures and learning to herd sheep — to the great delight of Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell). This is one of the great family films, a lovely blend of whimsy, folksiness and fantasy.

I put The Railway Children (Saturday, 10.15am, Gem) in the same class — a film that appeals equally to adults and children, with no concessions for either side. Three Edwardian children and their mother move to Yorkshire to begin a new life when their father is arrested as a spy. The children spend much time playing near a railway line, and a chance encounter with a passenger on a train helps them prove their father’s innocence. It was a breakthrough role for Jenny Agutter as the eldest child. The mood of gentle nostalgia is beautifully sustained by director Lionel Jeffries , and the ending is greatly moving.

All right, most kids would rather watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Saturday, 7pm, Nine), one of the darker Potter adventures and one of the best. Much of our pleasure consists in deciding which of Harry’s more sinister acquaintances is to be trusted: the much-feared Sirius (Gary Oldman), the fearsome Snape (Alan Rickman) or the mysterious Professor Lupin (David Thewliss). The magical effects are as beautifully achieved as ever, and Daniel Radcliffe, a 13-year-old for this instalment, had never looked so robust and forthright.

For really sophisticated kids there’s Ghostbusters 2 (Sunday, 7.30pm, 7Mate; 6.30pm in Vic, Tas, SA; 9pm in WA), followed by Terminator 2: Judgment Day (9.45pm; 8.50pm in Vic, Tas, SA; not WA), both worthy sequels to box-office hits, with special effects that looked mind-blowing 25 years ago.

The beginnings of the space age are faithfully recounted in Philip Kaufman’s absorbing film The Right Stuff (Saturday, 2.30pm, Gem), which looks at the arduous training and complex personal lives of the astronauts. John Glenn (Ed Harris) was one of the survivors. There’s a telling moment when a group of airmen are relaxing in a bar adorned with photos of test pilots. “What do you have to do to get your picture up there?” a girl inquires. The answer: “You have to die, sweetie.”

Babe (PG)

4 stars

Thursday, 7.30pm, 7Two

The Railway Children (PG)

4 stars

Saturday, 10.15am, Gem

The Right Stuff (M)

4 stars

Saturday, 2.30pm, Gem