Top Ten: Greatest Onscreen Pigs
Monday, March 1, 2021 at 8:00PM Did you know that it's National Pig Day? Now you do! The day was created back in 1972. To celebrate we thought we'd list the ten best screen pigs of all time with apologies to Pua from Moana and more. If we've forgotten an essential pig, we trust you'll let us know in the comments.
TEN BEST SCREEN PIGS
Let's start with a beauty from a doomed production...
10 Hen Wen from The Black Cauldron
She can see the future. Which doesn't explain how happy she looks in her first scene given what was about to happen to this movie.
09 Porky Pig from Looney Tunes
Not my favourite Looney Tunes character. What even is his personality? Or did it change? But Looney Tunes gave us so many great shorts it would feel stingy to deny him his place.
08 Hamm from Toy Story and sequels
He's best friends with Mr Potato Head which leads us to wonder if he's ever put his cork in one of Potato Head's holes. NOT LIKE THA, like for an eyeball or something? Or an ear like a sound cancelling headphone to help him sleep.
07 Wilbur from Charlotte's Web
Who can't relate to this melancholy soul... a bit needy, but so loving!
06 Peter Porker from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Hilarious and would probably make Wilbur jealous on account of he can also be Charlotte with his web spinning. Love the surreal randomness of that mallet weapon he prefers -- BLAMMO!. But why is no one freaked out by his cannibalistic tendencies?
(P.S. have you watched Into the Spider-Verse a second time? It's even better than you remembered. Promise.)
05 Arnold Ziffel from Green Acres
The original pig TV star. No Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series is so wrong.
04 Piglet from Winnie the Pooh
So tiny and cute.
03 Okja from Okja
So gigantic and cute. How did this Bong Joon Ho super pig movie miss an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects? HOW?
02 Babe from Babe
"That'll do, pig" is such an understatement. This little sheepherder was such an overachiever that he totally earned that Best Picture of 1995 nomination, even if it still feels like a miracle 26 years later. I'll never forget introducing this one to my nephews... the utter delight. ❤️
01 Miss Piggy from The Muppets
Yes, queen. Who else?
Reader Comments (31)
How is Hamm from Toy Story so low?
I mean, come on.
The pork from Spider-Man was ok, but it's clearly inferior to Hamm's body of work.
OMG!
This was exactly what I didn’t know I needed today.
Not having the beloved Porky Pig at #1 is asinine.
I want the parents from Spirited Away!
You forgot Peppa Pig!
"How did this Bong Joon Ho super pig movie miss an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects? HOW?"
Because ASIA, sadly. Lots of great vfx in Asian productions (THE WANDERING EARTH for example) that don't get considered.
Besides this, LOVE the list.
Where is Misery the pig from Misery?
Miss Piggy would accept nothing less than #1!
The Babe best pic nomination still makes me happy.
The pig I can't seem to shake off is the maggot infested one from last year's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things.
Of course Miss Piggy would win. I wouldn't want to get karate chopped by her.
Hamm is far too low. It actually makes no sense.
Animal Farm (1954) has several memorable pigs, all voiced by Maurice Denham: Old Major, Napoleon, Snowball, Squealer. The film is an effective piece of propaganda (funded by the CIA!) because it scared the shit out of me when I saw it as a child.
Spider Pig from The Simpson's movie is great
Top 2: impeccable.
Would place Peter Porker higher.
I thought the #1 place gonna be Babe but your choice is undeniable. I second Working stiff with Animal Farm, memorable dirty pigs.
In this moment I can only named Carlitos Lechuga from 31 minutos and the title character from the comic strip El Cerdotado
Wait there are people who haven't seen Into the Spider-verse more than 3x? Weird.
2 of my fave movie things in the top 2, you've done well, my padawan
#2 is my #2 film of the 90s. It is SO underrated (yes, you read right, it's underrated!). A reimagination of Animal Farm (even if it is based on another book) that becomes a whole allegory of our society and our system, even if I don't agree on some political sense of what's told on screen (I'm communist and the film leans more on the neoliberal aspects, but still the message is strong and rightfully implemented, and is a faithful depiction of the 90s society). Babe not only deserved that Oscar nom (actually each one of them, and was even snubbed of some) but it should have swept that year. It's odd, but while I feel it is my #2 of the decade as Picture, on directing, Chris Noonan gets my #1 of the year, over Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, #1 for me of the decade)
#1 FRANK OZ. How come this genius has only twice come close to anything Oscar? 2 nominations, VFX and Song, for his masterpiece, "Little Shop of Horrors", and 1 nom for Joan Cusack, as Supporting Actress for "In & Out" (only in that film, there are four deserving performances: Kline, Selleck, Reynolds & Cusack). Add to his co-creator status on Sesame Street, The Muppets his directing career and his acting career (he's Yoda!) that has lead him even to a supporting role in Knives Out. When is the AMPAS thinking he'll be ready for an Honorary Award?
Pigs are movie stars, not food!
No Gunda?
by the way, you forgot Miyazaki's "Porco Rosso". My #3...
Pua should have been in Moana more! But I have the toy still and love it.
Was Nicole Kidman not eligible?
Does Pumbaa count?
Joan Cusack has 2: Working Girl and In & Out. Porky is too low in my opinion.
FYC GUNDA!
@Lenard...
I was talking about Frank Oz's films scoring only 3 nominations all together, one of them - the only acting one - for Joan Cusack.
When you see his filmmography, as director, it's absolutely nuts that only 3 (I was wrong) of his films arrived to Oscar night and with minor nominations (the screenplay ones are sometimes outraging snubs)
- The Dark Crystal
- The Muppets take Manhattan (Oscar nomination for Score)
- Little Shop of Horrors (Oscar nomination for Song and VFX)
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
- What about Bob?
- HouseSitter
- The Indian in the Cupboard
- In & Out
- Bowfinger
- The Score
- The Stepford Wives
- Death in a Funeral
Despite a couple of bombs, the career is quite solid and many of his comedies rank among the best of the last 40 years... I'd say that perfomance-wise, Eileen Greene, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Debbie Reynolds, Tom Selleck, Kevin Kline and Eddie Murphy could have been nominated and nobody would be in shock, for performances in his films... I'd consider him one of the very best comedy directors in Hollywood... a pity he is soooo underrated. His name is warrant of a minimum of quality and care, and fun. I think I only shrugged to The Score.
Jesus -- i love Frank Oz too. He'd make a great Honorary Oscar recipient.
JW -- ahhh, Gunda. good one.
Ryan -- LOLOLOL.. I've only seen it twice and i was pretty astounded the second time. The first time I'd seen an incomplete version. Well, it was almost finished but it was an industry preview only and there were a couplel unfinished scenes where we were seeing incomplte animation.The second time through was just a revelation as it came out in the heat of oscar seasaon and so many movies you barely get to think about them during the season because everything happens in a one month period or so.
No Dabney Coleman in 9 To 5??
Glad Hen Wen was here.
I'm actually not a big re-watcher of things, but I couldn't get enough. Then when I bought the DVD, it was a hoot seeing the "Alt-Universe" version which integrates cut scenes and storylines as you watch the movie! It was nicely done.
Suzanne -- haha. good call.