WATCH: James Cromwell’s Video With Rescued Piglet ‘Babe’ Will Melt Your Heart

“How can people love animals and still eat them?” That’s the question legendary actor James Cromwell asks viewers in PETA’s sweet video, which will run in theaters across the country before screenings of Mufasa: The Lion King. In the video, Cromwell reprises his role as Farmer Hoggett from Babe, singing “If I Had Words” to a piglet he helped rescue while the animal sleeps peacefully on his lap.

James Cromwell and ‘Babe’ the Rescued Piglet

The piglet was found scraped, bruised, and covered with mud after falling off a truck transporting him to be fattened up for slaughter. When Cromwell learned from PETA that the piglet had been rescued, he just had to meet him. He named the piglet Babe in honor of his 1995 film that inspired him to go vegan.

On his way to his new home—the Chenoa Manor sanctuary in Pennsylvania—Babe made a little detour to spend some time with his new friend James. The two chatted, recreated the iconic Babe photo, and played so much that Babe fell asleep.

When Babe woke up, he bade James adieu and was off to the sanctuary. When he arrived, he had a wonderful time exploring his new surroundings and meeting new friends. He is settling in marvelously with his new brother and sister piglets (all seven of them!) at his new home. Babe will spend the rest of his days sniffing green grass, taking dirt baths, and playing with other rescued pigs.

Having had the privilege of witnessing and experiencing pigs’ intelligence and inquisitive personalities while filming the movie Babe, I jumped at the chance to give a real-life Babe a new lease on life. Every pig deserves to live out their life at a sanctuary, choosing when to frolic, where to forage, and how to spend their time.”

—James Cromwell

Leave Pigs in Peace

Pigs are playful, sensitive, curious animals with unique personalities. Some of them are soothed by music, and some love playing with soccer balls. These social, empathetic animals have been known to comfort others when they are sad or distressed. Like all animals, pigs can feel pain and fear.

Babe’s rescue is a heartwarming story—but the countless animals who suffer on farms and at slaughterhouses every day are not as lucky. In the meat industry, which slaughters 129 million pigs every year, pigs’ tails are chopped off, their teeth are cut with pliers, and the males are castrated—all without painkillers. In a slaughterhouse, they’re hung upside down and bled to death. Dairy farms tear newborn calves away from their loving, protective mothers. In the egg industry, farms—even ones that call themselves “free range”—cut the tips of birds’ sensitive beaks cut off with a hot blade.

Help Animals Like Babe—Go Vegan

Every animal is someone. Animals do not want to be slaughtered for their flesh or abused in any other way. James exemplifies the power of compassion and the importance of taking action to help animals. By following his lead and going vegan, you’ll spare nearly 200 animals a year, reduce your negative impact on the environment, and improve your health.