message in the movies By Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

                     
Home on the Range   Rated PG
Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford. Animated Feature.

Photo © Walt Disney Productions
Home on the Range is the last traditional non-computer generated animated film from the Disney studio, and I was hoping for a grand finale of the highest order.  Unfortunately, after viewing Home on the Range, it looks like Disney was already starting to turn off the lights.  Not only does this 76-minute film lack the artistic grandeur of The Lion King (or even Brother Bear), but it is practically a case study in mediocrity.  The idea of having barnyard animals (three cows and a horse) unite to save their ranch from foreclosure is appealing enough, and the filmmakers have good voice talent in Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly and Cuba Gooding Jr.  The tunes by Alan Mencken are nothing special, but they’re not bad, either.  What makes this film an endurance run for all ages is the lazy way it tells its story.  Instead of action scenes depicting cattle rustling, we see before and after shots of a ranch and hear cowboys talk about what happened.  Instead of character-driven humor, we get situation comedy comeback lines.  The final comedic showdown is drawn and edited so poorly, there is little excitement or energy to experience.  Bugs Bunny or Popeye could have handled the story arch of this film in a 7-minute cartoon short.  Home on the Range is like a big pot of beans put on the back burner to simmer and then forgotten.  It’s served up dry and tasteless, but it might have been more of a meal had someone remembered to spice it up a bit and stir the pot once and awhile.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating: Two halos. (A good-natured Western for kids, told in an unremarkable way.) One pitchfork. (Mild innuendoes that will sail over any child’s head.)

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