Home on the Range (2004)

Nice effects though.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

From the moment the film starts, we know it's not going to be good, but the more I watch it now, the more cringe-worthy and unwatchable it gets.Everything from the animation style to the characters and to the plot, is just an absolute train wreck. There is nothing redeemable about this picture. Pending loss of property, kidnapping of the cattle and Pearl's and the dairy cows' relationship as "family" makes me want to retch out of pity for how much fuss they're kicking up over nothing. Even as a child when I watched it the first time, I had to skip some parts because they were just too silly for me. When you compare it to Finding Nemo for example, a much more dramatic picture with depth, lovable characters and outstanding dialog, you'll see what I mean.It's not even one of those "so bad it's good" movies. Just plain unbearable.

I'd been reading some stuff from/by others regarding this movie, I think maybe after it was released on VHS and DVD, if not while it was still played and shown in theaters. Originally having not seen the whole movie but just the preview when it was advertised and a clip of it on this site, I wasn't very interested in seeing this one and decided to wait for it to air on regular t.v. and catch it then. Well, a few years after it came out, it happened to be aired less than a month ago on the CW and I caught it then and there. Having finally seen it, I still don't really consider it among my favorite Disney traditionally animated films. I found it alright, but simultaneously, it's not one of the greatest. While I was watching it, I didn't quite get what most (if not some) people's beef (no pun towards the cattle intended) with it is, I probably read reviews about already before it was even brought to t.v. for the first time and might've forgotten about it. But I'm among those who see it as mediocre. There are others before it that have been done much better and Disney's Mulan is among those to it that I prefer.I don't think I can really add anything else that hasn't been covered by some of the other critics on here as to what went wrong and why it's a fail, but I'll try going over them too in my own words. First of all, one of the problems with this is a lack of sophistication, which I guess would or could be the best way to describe it. It's just not worldly enough to appeal to most of the teen and adult demographic and will only appeal to kids, if not even more so. It's not really as exciting for me as the aforementioned Mulan and in some spots, it's full of tedium, but not completely, as there have been some wacky and comical moments, such as with Buck the horse and when the cows were defeating the Willie brothers, Rico and Wesley. In those moments, some have mentioned that the movie is more reminiscent of something out of a Warner Bros./Looney Tunes cartoon than a Disney cartoon. Now somehow, that would've never come to my mind and I would've still missed it, even if it should be apparent since I'm well familiar enough with Warners material. But then again, maybe that's because I'd been learning more about the instances of animation companies/studios drawing (again, no pun intended) inspiration from, imitating or emulating others' typical/signature styles. I think it's horse-feathers that this had to be declared as the supposed last 2D cartoon flick by Disney and that the animation department shut it down, whether it was due to it being such a box office bomb, technological advances towards the now overrated 3D/CGI form, or both. Although fortunately and thankfully that would be redeemed by The Princess and the Frog half a decade later, which I still haven't seen in full, but plan to do so eventually. As much as I have always loved the medium, the current state of the cartoon industry has left me disenchanted and growing up, I had thought about entering the animation field to do the drawings, but then I reconsidered my aspirations due to not being patient enough for the long and grueling process, and it not being fast enough for me (as much as I love it). However, I'd be more interested in some certain, other aspects of it, such as writing and voice work. CGI has since overtaking the movie business, but thankfully, there's still plenty of traditional animation to be found on television. And I'm not the only one who feels this way about the animated film field being overtaken by 3D. Anyone who says that no one is interested in 2D anymore, others and I would beg to differ. Sorry, for going slightly off topic and going on a rant, but I had to vent and get everything out of my mind and off my chest. I can't take much more of this, I truly detest the state of the animated movie industry now. I never thought nor imagine things would ever come down to this, with one style replacing the other. Why can't both still co-exist? I don't like this one thing supplanting the other. I simply don't agree with this horse-feathers, nuts to that mess. If I were part of that aspect of the industry right now, I'd want to do both 2D and 3D, and would refuse to drop one for the other. Forget that mess, I probably would've had to quit if I couldn't do both. I want and would like to see variety again in that.Anyway, to get back on topic, next is the animation in this. Having been missing Disney's original, signature animation style for a while now and getting sick of the sharp-edged, angular look and flash (now I have a better understand of why some people dislike flash animation on t.v.), especially with most of the shows that aired on the Disney channel as of the last few years, I'm yearning for the old school style again. I presume that the plot/story-line isn't all that special. As for the music, I'm not really a big, straight-ahead country fan, hardly as it's not one of the top genres of music I follow that much, but I'm into the hybrid sub-genres (rockabilly, country-rock, cow-punk, etc.), but there are songs from other Disney features that I favor more. I think I've said enough about this and can't add anything else that hasn't already been stated by some of the other reviewers here and that's all I have to type now. I just wasn't feeling it all that much, it's not one of the better or the best, it's once again just mediocre.

'Home on the Range' is another fun movie from Disney. The plot may be a little on the thinner side but there's an abundance of humour and energy to keep one entertained. I especially liked the characters and their banter). For example the personality clash between Mrs. C and Maggie. The visuals are nice. Animation is well done with warm colours in traditional Disney style. The characters look vivacious and the background is simplistic but appealing nonetheless. The music also fits well in the traditional Disney way.The humour ranges from slapstick to dialogues that provide laugh-out-loud moments. The twists and turns tend to be a little far-fetched at times but amusing too.The casting of the three heroines couldn't have been better. How much more diverse can one get with Judi Dench, Roseanne Barr and Jennifer Tilly? They excellently fit their roles providing some of the funniest moments. Cuba Gooding Jr. is the weak link as he really goes over the top disrupting the flow and energy of the film. The voice casting for the animals and rabbit is terrific and the rest are good enough.'Home On The Range' may not be among Disney's best but it's highly entertaining and certainly way better than most of those straight-to-video sequels of their classics. I'd definitely recommend it for the laughs.

Pleasantly fast-moving and cartoonish Disney fodder with a funny basic premise and some nice gags thrown in for good measure. The old-fashioned animation is refreshingly low key.Unfortunately, there's no dramatic heft to the hectic and generic storyline and the characters aren't fleshed out at all. The musical interludes are average, too. Where's the emotional resonance we found in movies such as "Beauty and the Beast"?At least, the voice-work is excellent.A minor diversion, that's all. 5 out of 10 yodeling villains