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Home on the Range
3/5
R E V I E W   B Y   R I C H   C L I N E dir-scr Will Finn, John Sanford
voices Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr, Randy Quaid, Estelle Harris, Joe Flaherty, Steve Buscemi, Charles Haid, Dennis Weaver, Patrick Warburton, GW Bailey
release US 2.Apr.04, UK 6.Aug.04
Disney
04/US 1h16

With a moo-moo here: The old gang gets a look at the newcomer Maggie...

barr dench tilly
Home on the Range Support Shadows: Buy a Poster
There's nothing terribly new about this animated Disney feature, but it's still engaging good fun, while the design has a nicely wacky Looney Tunes feel to it. It's a story about three Wild West cows--the bossy Maggie (voiced by Barr), the fastidious Mrs Calloway (Dench) and the ditsy Grace (Tilly)--who set out on an adventure to capture the cattle rustler Alameda Slim (Quaid) so they can claim the reward money and save their farm. Meanwhile, the arrogant horse Buck (Gooding) is also after the villain, so he can prove what a hero he is.

And that's about it. But the film is jammed with comical touches--adult humour for the grown-ups and silly slapstick for the kids--that will keep viewers entertained. The lively and extremely witty vocal work is up to the usual high Disney standards; Barr, Dench and Tilly are perfectly cast, Quaid is hilarious as the yodelling baddie, and animators have a ball creating the slimy yellow-toothed lowlife Wesley, who looks hilariously like Buscemi! Meanwhile, the animation is livelier and more colourful than usual, with a playful sense of the absurd and an eye-popping take on the expansive desert landscapes. There are also a couple of catchy tunes, including a gorgeous KD Lang song that'll actually make you want to buy the soundtrack (although the big yodelling number will have you thinking twice!).

The only problem is a general lack of originality and ambition. It's just a fluffy and very silly little film with lots of amusing asides and sight gags. Why is Disney content to paint-by-numbers animated films that seem designed merely for video sales? What happened to their groundbreaking work in this genre? Although a few lively set pieces stick in the mind (most notably the Disneyland rollercoaster-like mine chase), it's pretty forgettable really. But it will keep you chuckling for a little over an hour, which is a lot more than most Hollywood comedies at the moment.

cert U some innuendo, cartoon violence 16.May.04

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© 2004 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
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