Forgotten Features: Home on the Range (2004)

In 2004, it seemed the hand-drawn animated film was soon to be a thing of the past. Disney had decided to abandon the traditional techniques as practised by Walt Disney in favour of computer animation, a decision which likely stemmed from the declining interest in the former, and the simultaneous stiff competition posed by the latter. While Brother Bear (2003) is widely perceived to be their swansong in this field (prior to the revival of these techniques in 2009), the very last traditionally animated ‘moo-vie’ of the period, Home on the Range (2004), a film about three cows’ attempts to capture a cattle rustler, proved to be an udder disappointment (sorry, I couldn’t resist). But was this film really just a load of bull?
 

When the ‘Patch of Heaven’ dairy farm is under threat of being sold to outlaw Alameda Slim, three dairy cows set out on a mission to capture him and use the reward money to save their farm. The plot is noticeably simple. While this doesn’t make the film particularly ‘bad’, it does make it profoundly unmemorable which is a shame considering the film’s rousing score (courtesy of Alan Menken) and excellent voice acting (as grating as Roseanne Barr can be). Speaking of which, therein lies another of the film’s flaws, and one which I rarely identify in a Disney movie – the characters appear to be based on the actors who play them, as opposed to the actors having been appropriately selected to play characters who are already established. Protagonist Maggie is essentially Roseanne Barr in cow form, while Buck is Cuba Gooding, Jr. reincarnated as a horse. In addition, it seems to be a rather uncharacteristically menial role for Judi Dench, who voices Mrs Calloway. Put simply, the entire ensemble seems lazily crafted, derivative and two-dimensional. Nonetheless, the cast seems to work together and they make the most of a tired and frankly uninspired script.

Despite the weak and unoriginal plot, the film does have its moments, although the humour is at times juvenile, crude or just plain silly. Again, this is not necessarily bad, but it’s not for everyone. The yodelling sequence, although hardly the epitome of intellectual humour and wit, is fun and unexpected, though it does ultimately reduce the villain to a less-than-menacing single joke. The crude humour is, at times, a little excessive and, to some, might seem puerile, but it doesn’t degrade the film substantially. Ultimately, the film is amusing. It’s not hilarious, but it manages to raise a few smiles, at least.

Yet, despite it being a comedy, there are also several attempts to create pathos. Naturally, this largely flounders not only due to the film’s genre and comic theme, but also due to the characters and story being rather bland, formulaic and uninteresting. Bonnie Raitt’s rendition of ‘Will the Sun Ever Shine Again’ is beautiful, and is the film’s one redeeming feature in this respect. However, it nonetheless seems incongruous and not in-keeping with the film’s ridiculous, outlandish tone. One of the film’s highlights is its soundtrack, which manages to truly capture the essence of the classic western. It’s just a shame that the film itself is nowhere near as grand as the score misleadingly indicates.

The animation is average, but far from the worst I have seen. In fact, the animation quality itself is acceptable – it’s the style that’s questionable. One might argue that it suits the setting and comic, light-hearted genre, but ultimately the ‘geometric’ designs simply make it even less engaging – the drawings have edge but lack warmth and character.

Overall, the film is a bit flat. It’s not nearly as bad as some say, but it’s distinctly weaker than most other Disney features. As previously stated, there are elements that work very well – the music is fantastic, the voiceovers are decent, and it is, generally, funny. It must be said, however, that the film is merely an average experience. An amusing farce it may be, but a little patch of heaven, it is not.