A discouraging word will seldom be heard about “Home on the Range.” In an age in which “children’s movies” are increasingly designed to put adult butts in the seats, it’s refreshing to see one that doesn’t aspire to be anything other than quality entertainment for the kids. In that regard, “Home on the Range” succeeds mightily. It’s a rollicking adventure set in an idyllic Wild West, where there are no guns, just a whole lot of fun.
And I never thought I’d be able to get away with saying something like this: Roseanne Barr is one very funny cow.
Barr gives voice to Maggie, a sassy show heifer who shakes things up at a sleepy dairy farm called “Patch of Heaven.” At first, Maggie butts snouts with the farm’s matron, a stuffy British cow named Mrs. Caloway (Judi Dench). But when a looming bank foreclosure threatens “Heaven,” Maggie, Mrs. Caloway and a new age-ish cow named Grace (Jennifer Tilly) band together — with help from a cocksure stallion, Buck (Cuba Gooding Jr.) — to try and save the farm. Their plan: Capture an ornery cattle rustler named Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid) and use the reward money to pay off the farm’s debt.
In addition to the impressive cast of vocal talent — Steve Buscemi and former Texas Governor Ann Richards are also on board — “Home on the Range” boasts an A-list team of animators and a fine score by eight-time Academy Award-winner Alan Menken. The film’s signature tune, “A Little Patch of Heaven,” is an infectious number sung by k.d. lang with which, thanks to Disney radio, all you parents out there are sure to become agonizingly familiar. Sure, the narrative is somewhat limited compared to, say, “Finding Nemo,” and the requisite moralizing feels warmed-over, but there are enough cow bells, cattle whistles and yee-hawing high jinks to keep the kids captivated. (Rated PG for brief mild rude humor. Running time: 76 minutes
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 2, 2004. Read the original PDF.