Voices of Rosanne Barr, Dame Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, and Randy Quaid
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford
By the mid-2000's, Disney was in the middle of a slump. They had overwhelming success with their historical and fairy-tale musicals the decade before...but then the animated film market became saturated with imitation musical fantasies. Their attempts to follow other paths were frequently ambitious, but with the exception of Dinosaur and Lilo and Stitch, largely unsuccessful. Home on the Range combines the "animals make a comic rescue" story of 101 Dalmatians and The Rescuers with the Alan Menken songs of Beauty and the Beast and sets the entire thing in the Wild West. How does the story of three cows who hope to turn in a cattle rustling gang look now? Let's begin with cowboys and settlers heading towards the farm A Little Patch of Heaven and find out...
The Story: Maggie (Barr) is the newest arrival at A Little Patch of Heaven, a "showcow" whose farm was sold after rustler Alameda Slim (Quaid) and his gang stole the cattle. Heaven is also in trouble. If it's owner Pearl Gesner (Carole Cook) doesn't come up with $750 in three days, she'll also lose her farm at auction. Maggie recruits Pearl's cows Grace (Tilly) and Mrs. Calloway (Dench) to find out about the local county fair.
While in town, Maggie notices that the reward for capturing Alameda Slim is exactly what they need to pay off the farm. She suggests they capture Slim themselves and turn him in. Sweet Grace is game for anything, but proper Mrs. Calloway is less keen on the idea. They're also in competition with Buck (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a horse who is thrilled to partner with his hero, bounty hunter Rico (Charles Dennis). It'll take a full farm's worth of critters (including an ornery jackrabbit named Lucky Jack and steers with crushes on Maggie and Grace) to reveal this yodeling bandit for the phony he is.
The Animation: About as cartoony as you'd expect a movie about cows trying to rustle a yodeling bandit would be. At times, the sharp edges and bright desert greens and dusty tans makes it more closely resemble a Disney animated short of the 50's and 60's than one of their more recent films. Some of the action sequences, especially when the cows are in town and towards the end with the train, are very well-done...but the mine cart chase towards the middle of the film is definitely done in CGI and clashes badly with the hand-drawn animation.
The Song and Dance: This was a lot better - and funnier - than I expected. A decent script and nice songs really give this one life. There's also that all-star cast, with Tilly the stand-out as peaceful Grace, who hates violence and just wants everyone to get along. Not to mention, the plot is one of the more original I've seen in a western. How many westerns have been made from the cow's point of view and features a yodeling cattle rustler?
Favorite Number: "A Little Patch of Heaven" introduces Maggie - and us - to Pearl's farm and the animals who live there. Bonnie Raitt performs the touching country-flavored ballad "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again?" as Pearl sadly packs up to leave the farm and the animals wonder what happened to the cows.
What I Don't Like: This is not one of Disney's grand fantasy adventures. It's a goofy western action musical about three cows who want to catch a yodeling outlaw and save their farm, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. The wacky slapstick and modern references may annoy people who prefer their westerns and Disney movies to be a tad darker or more romantic.
The Big Finale: Too silly and short for older kids, but younger guys who can handle some scary or sad moments and adults who enjoy westerns and the leading ladies may get a big cow kick out of this.
Home Media: Easy to find in all formats, often for under five dollars. Disney Plus has it for streaming with a subscription.
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