Home on the Range (2004)

To save their farm, the resident animals go bounty hunting for a notorious outlaw.

Directors:

Will Finn, John Sanford

Writers:

Will Finn, John Sanford,

Stars:

Judi Dench, Cuba Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
G.W. Bailey	...	Rusty, the Dog (voice)
Roseanne Barr	...	Maggie (voice)
Bobby Block	...	Piggy (voice)
Steve Buscemi	...	Wesley (voice)
Carole Cook	...	Pearl Gesner (voice)
Charlie Dell	...	Ollie, the Pig (voice)
Judi Dench	...	Mrs. Caloway (voice)
Charles Dennis	...	Rico (voice)
Marshall Efron	...	Larry, the Duck (voice)
Joe Flaherty	...	Jeb, the Goat (voice)
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Buck (voice)
Charles Haid	...	Lucky Jack (voice)
Estelle Harris	...	Audrey, the Chicken (voice)
Lance LeGault	...	Junior, the Buffalo (voice)
Sam J. Levine	...	The Willie Brothers (voice)

Storyline

Alameda Slim, a wanted cattle rustler, uses an alias to buy up properties all over western Nebraska, and his next target is the Patch of Heaven dairy farm, where the widow owner cares more for her 'family' of yard animals's welfare then for profit, so she just hasn't got the cash to keep in business. The other animals, mainly carefree youngsters, being unable, three cows of very different temperament and manners rise to the desperate occasion and set out to do battle for their dream home, teaming up unnaturally with each-other, the sheriff's megalomaniac horse and any other animal who can possibly help, even a crazy lucky rabbit and an invincible buffalo, hoping to beat the crook to the Patch's auction, or anything it takes...

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Plot Keywords:

farm | cow | rustler | dairy farm | cattle | 

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Taglines:

"Beef Thief"

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Music | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Disney Disney [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

2 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sweating Bullets

Box Office

Budget:

$110,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$139,981 (South Africa) (12 November 2004)

Gross:

$139,981 (South Africa) (12 November 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alameda Slim is named after Wilf Carter also known as "Montana Slim". Carter was known as a Country Singer and Yodeler.

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Goofs

After the cattle rustling, and Rico switches horses, the cattle drivers grab Buck's reins and break them. For the rest of the movie, they are whole.

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Quotes

Buck: Rusty! Rico's saddle! I'm wearing Rico's saddle! I'm wearing Rico's saddle!
Rusty, the Dog: Great, I'll leave you two alone.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #32.5 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Anytime You Need A Friend"
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Performed by The Beu Sisters
Produced by Mark Hammond
Recorded by Billy Whittington
The Beu Sisters appear Courtesy of S-Curve Records

User Reviews

well...

I'm typing this as the movie is playing on DVD. And the kids seem to like watching it. But then, they're young and animation appeals in general.

Still, we try to watch with them... and I happen to love animation myself, having some background in cartoon-drawing. Everything Pixar? Fantastic. Old Disney? Sure, serve it up. Along with the Looney Tunes, old Tom & Jerry, etc.

This, though, is a sleepwalk of a feature in so many ways. Not in the animation, which isn't bad (though not much special, in context of what's out there). Nor in the music, which is decent enough.

The writing, however, is horrible. I can't imagine anyone characterizing this dialogue as "funny"... it's an endless stream of clichés. And the story line, while thin at the core, is unnecessarily complicated at the fringes. The twists don't feel like twists. They feel like fumbling shortcuts used to navigate a nest of tangled details.

I find myself astounded at how (a) such a venerable studio as Disney gets behind this kind of project (b) how they manage to attract so much high-profile voice talent and (c) how those actors stomach saying these lines, given that every one of them has acted in much better stuff than this pap. I guess a paycheck helps.

But still, ultimately this is a movie that shouldn't have been made.

P.S. One other thing... one can't help but feel like this is one of those animation movies meant to appeal to a demographic. Like, say, the vast swath of middle America that loves country music. It's worth noting that the other failed animated movies of recent years have all attempted to do the same kind of feel-good, blatant targeting.

Brother Bear... Fox and the Hound 2... there are others I can't think of at the moment. Why does it fail? First, because the movies by nature end up offering stereotypes of the demographic they're targeting. Second, because they end up being style over substance. The plot is just a vehicle to deliver the caricature. And last, because it's ridiculous to assume that great story lines don't transcend the cultural distinctions.

Do the studio marketers really think, for instance, that the Nascar set and Manhattan kids alike can't "get" Monsters Inc or Toy Story on a shared level? The only movie of recent years that seemed to beat that rap was "Cars." And that was because it was a good story, not stuck in being pedantic or playing to any one crowd.