As a fan of the old-fashioned 2-dimensional form of animation, I was glad to see there was still somethin’ cooking in the Disney frying pan that didn’t totally rely on computer graphics. Though, if the rumors that are flying around are true, “Home on the Range” just may be the last of the traditionally animated films to come out of the House of Mouse. I guess we’ll just have to see. “Home on the Range” is a rootin’ tootin’ tale of the old west that focuses on three bovines who take matters into their own hands when they learn that the dairy farm they live on is going to be auctioned off due to an impending foreclosure thanks to those greedy folks at the bank (times really don’t change much do they?). There’s a scheming outlaw out to take possession of the “Patch of Heaven”, as well as any other farms he can get his hands on. Together the animal denizens pit themselves against the evil outlaw, as well as the bounty hunter who’s hot on his trail. If they can get the bad guy first, the reward will save the farm.

I had seen the trailer for “Home on the Range” at least 3,045,922 times over the weeks before its theatrical release thanks to the fact that I would sometimes keep the Disney Channel on for my daughter while getting ready for work in the morning. At first I thought it looked cute, and the song by K.D. Lang was quite catchy. Once I got to viewing 3,405 I had finally had enough and at that point it became more grating than gratifying. Fortunately, once the theatrical run was over, there were fewer and fewer commercials mixed in with our daily dose of “The Wiggles” and “Bear in the Big Blue House”, and I actually found myself wanting to see the movie.

I popped in the DVD within the first couple of days of its arrival because we all wanted to see it by that point, and I’m glad to say that while it doesn’t quite attain the quality expected from a Disney ‘classic”, it was funny enough to keep our attention throughout the feature. I didn’t read the press release before putting it in so I wasn’t completely aware of who was doing the voice work, but I recognized a few right off the bat. And I was surprised that I liked one performance in particular.

I have never been much of a fan of Roseanne Barr. I rarely watched her series, found her standup act to be annoying, and pretty much shied away from any TV or movie appearances she made. Oddly enough, I think she has earned the “Eddie Murphy Award for Better Heard than Seen” for her performance here. If you are not aware of that award, let me explain. Eddie Murphy USED to be funny in all things. But over the last 15 or so years, he has become woefully unfunny in any project where you actually see him. However, his voiceover work is stellar, and always hysterically funny. (Compare the “Dr. Doolittle” films to “Mulan” or “Shrek.”) I think Roseanne has gone the same way. She’s funny as long as you don’t have to look at her.

The humor in “Home on the Range” is fast and furious, with a lot of visual jokes and asides that you might miss if you’re not paying attention. Of special note is the horse who has illusions of grandeur, often imagining himself ‘kung-fu fighting’ any number of desperadoes.

The DVD for “Home on the Range”, as in just about any Disney release, is chock full of extra features. There is a brand new animated short, “A Dairy Tale: The Three Little Pigs”, which is extremely cute and relatively funny. You also get some deleted scenes which are introduced by the filmmakers. A music video for “Anytime You need a Friend” by the Beu Sisters is included, but I was sad to see that there were no videos for the songs by K.D. Lang or Tim McGraw. Add to these several games for the kiddies and you have a very well-rounded DVD release. Of course, I almost forgot the best feature for us big kids, which is a behind the scenes look at the making of the feature. This is the one I enjoyed the most.

Directed by: Will Finn, John Sanford
Starring (the voices of): Judi Dench, Roseanne Barr, Carole Cook, Joe Flaherty, Charles Haid, Steve Buscemi, Marshall Efron
Extras: All-New Animated Short - “A Dairy Tale: The Three Little Pigs”, 4 Deleted Scenes with Filmmaker Intro, Yodel & Memory Game, Yodel Maker DVD-Rom, The Joke Corral (Deleted Jokes), “Anytime You Need a Friend” Music video by The Beu Sisters, Trailblazers: The Making of Home on the Range
Specifications: Family Friendly Widescreen (1.66:1) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 9/14/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG (For Brief Mild Rude Humor)
Website

We'll give Home on the Range a B.