Home on the Range

Theatrical release poster

***Home on the Range*** is a 2004 American animated Western musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 45th Disney animated feature film, it was the last traditionally animated Disney film released until *The Princess and the Frog* in 2009. Named after the popular country song **of the same name**, *Home on the Range* features the voices of Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid, and Steve Buscemi. The film is set in the Old West, and centers on a mismatched trio of dairy cows—brash, adventurous Maggie; prim, proper Mrs. Caloway; and ditzy, happy-go-lucky Grace. The three cows must capture an infamous cattle rustler named Alameda Slim for his bounty in order to save their idyllic farm from foreclosure. Aiding them in their quest is Lucky Jack, a feisty, peg-legged rabbit, and a selfish horse named Buck, eagerly working in the service of Rico, a famous bounty hunter, who seeks the glory for himself.

*Home on the Range* was released on April 2, 2004. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $145.5 million at the box office.

## Plot

In May 1889, Maggie is the only cow left on the Dixon Ranch after Alameda Slim (a wanted cattle rustler capable of stealing 5,000 cattle in a single night) stole all the rest of Mr. Dixon's cattle. Dixon sells Maggie to Pearl Gesner, a kind, aging woman who runs a small farm called Patch of Heaven. The local Sheriff arrives to tell Pearl that her bank is cracking down on debtors. Pearl has three days to pay the bank $750, or her farm will be sold to the highest bidder. Hearing this, Maggie convinces the other cows on the farm (Grace, a happy-go-lucky character, and Mrs. Caloway, who has had leadership go to her head) to go to town to attempt winning prize money at a fair. While the cows are in town, a bounty hunter named Rico (whom Buck, the Sheriff's horse, idolizes) drops a criminal off and collects the reward. Stating he needs a replacement horse to go after Alameda Slim while his own horse rests, he takes Buck. When Maggie find out that the reward for capturing Slim is exactly $750, she convinces the other cows to try to capture him to save Patch of Heaven.

That night, they hide among a large herd of steers, when Alameda Slim appears. Before any of them can do anything, Slim begins a yodeling song which sends all the cattle (except Grace, who is tone deaf) into a trance that causes them to dance madly and follow Slim anywhere. Grace is able to bring Maggie and Mrs. Caloway back to their senses just before Slim closes the path behind him with a rock-slide to stop Rico and his men from chasing him. As Rico discusses with his men what his next move will be, Buck starts talking with Maggie, Grace, and Mrs. Caloway as old friends and miming actions. This causes Rico to believe Buck is frightened by cows, so he sends Buck back to the Sheriff. Buck escapes, determined to capture Slim for himself to prove his worth.

Maggie, Grace, and Mrs. Caloway continue their search for Slim, determined to pass Buck and get to Slim first, but they have a fallout when they lose the trail in a flash flood. Mrs. Caloway accuses Maggie of wanting to go after Slim only as a personal vendetta, arguing that she and Grace are better off without Maggie. The three spend the night under a large rock, with Maggie deciding to leave the next morning while Grace and Mrs. Caloway decide to return to Patch of Heaven to say their final farewells. The next morning, however, they are awakened by a peg-legged jackrabbit named Lucky Jack, who has also lost his home, an old mine, to Alameda Slim. Maggie decides to go after Slim with Lucky Jack in tow, but Grace convinces Mrs. Caloway that they help. Lucky Jack leads the three cows to Slim's hideout in Echo Mine. At the mine, Slim reveals that he has been stealing all cattle from his former patrons. When his former patrons can no longer support their land, Slim buys the land when it is auctioned off, under the guise of the respectable-looking Yancy O'Dell, using the very money he gets from selling the cattle he stole.

After arriving at Slim's lair, the cows capture Slim. They run off with Slim's accomplices and buyer in pursuit on a steam train. Rico arrives. When the chase stops, Rico is revealed to work for Slim. Crushed by this, Buck decides to help the cows and fights Rico while setting the other cattle free. Slim dons his Yancy O'Dell costume and leaves the cows stranded in the middle of the desert with the train, while he goes to attend the auction. However, the cows arrive using the train to the farm and expose Slim. Slim is arrested, and Patch of Heaven is saved by the reward money.

A few weeks pass, and at the county fair, most of the livestock on Patch of Heaven have won prizes. Lucky Jack moves in with Jebb the Goat, and two steer and Slim's charming and gentlemanly steed Junior the Buffalo arrive unexpectedly to live at Patch of Heaven, expanding the farm.

## Cast

* Roseanne Barr as Maggie, a former showcow and the newest animal in Little Patch of Heaven farm. Chris Buck served as the supervising animator for Maggie.
* Judi Dench as Mrs. Caloway, a cow who serves as the leader of animals in the farm. Duncan Marjoribanks served as the supervising animator for Mrs. Calloway.
* Jennifer Tilly as Grace, an optimistic and innocent minded cow. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Grace.
* Cuba Gooding Jr. as Buck, a horse that dreams of being a hero. Michael Surrey served as the supervising animator for Buck.
* Randy Quaid as Alameda Slim, a cattle rustler and film's main antagonist. Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Slim.
* Charles Dennis as Rico, a famous bounty hunter and Buck's idol. Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for Rico.
* Charles Haid as Lucky Jack, a clumsy rabbit with a wooden leg that he says brings good luck. Shawn Keller served as the lead animator for Lucky Jack.
* Carole Cook as Pearl, the farmer and owner of Little Patch of Heaven. Bruce W. Smith served as the supervising animator for Pearl.
* Joe Flaherty as Jeb, a grumpy goat in Little Patch of Heaven. Sandro Cleuzo served as the supervising animator of Jeb.
* Steve Buscemi as Wesley, a lack market businessman who negotiates with Slim. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Wesley.
* Richard Riehle as Sam, the town sheriff and Buck's owner. Sandro Cleuzo served as the supervising animator of the Sheriff.
* Lance LeGault as Junior, Alameda Slim's pet buffalo. Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Junior.
* G.W. Bailey as Rusty, Sam's dog and Buck's friend. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Rusty.
* Dennis Weaver as Abner, Maggie's former owner.
* Patrick Warburton as Patrick, Rico's horse.
* Estelle Harris as Audrey, a chicken in Little Patch of Heaven.
* Sam J. Levine as the Willie Brothers, Slim's three nephews and henchmen. Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for the Willies.
* Ann Richards as Annie, the owner of a saloon.

## Production

Before he pitched the idea for *Pocahontas* to the Disney studio executives and after directing *The Rescuers Down Under*, director Mike Gabriel considered adapting Western legends such as Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, and Pecos Bill into animated films while conceiving of *Pocahontas*. When he pitched both projects at the Gong Show meeting, the higher ups were more interested in the *Pocahontas* pitch and went into production first.

Sometime late, Gabriel went back to his Western pitch and came up with an "idea that might combine *Captains Courageous* with a [w]estern." When *Pocahontas* was finished, Gabriel developed his concept into a forty-page film treatment, which was well received by then-Feature Animation president Peter Schneider. Soon after, the project, then titled *Sweating Bullets*, went into development." The story originated as a supernatural western about a timid cowboy who visits a ghost town and confronts an undead cattle hustler named Slim. It was later reconceived into a story about a little bull named Bullets, that wanted to be more like the horses that led the herd.

In 1999, in an attempt to salvage the production and retain the existing characters and background art, story artist Michael LaBash suggested a different approach to the story with one that involved three cow protagonists who become bounty hunters to save the farm. Building on the idea, fellow story artists Sam Levine, Mark Kennedy, Robert Lence, and Shirley Pierce developed a new storyline. However, in 2000, Mike Gabriel and co-director Mike Giaimo were removed from the project because of the persistent story problems. Returning to Disney Feature Animation after *The Road to El Dorado* at DreamWorks Animation, Will Finn, who was originally slated to be the supervising animator on Maggie, and John Sanford were brought onboard to direct by October 2000.

### Music

In February 1998, Alan Menken had signed a long-term agreement with the Walt Disney Studios to compose songs and/or scores for animated and live-action motion pictures. Following this, according to Menken, he was attached to provide music for *Sweating Bullets* "maybe a year and a half after *Hercules*". Shortly after winning the ASCAP/Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, lyricist Glenn Slater was brought to the attention of Menken, who later invited Slater to work with him on *Sweating Bullets*.

Together, they wrote the first of the film's six original songs back in 1999; the first of which was "Little Patch of Heaven" recorded by k.d. lang before Finn and Sanford were brought on board as directors. The following songs including the villain song "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo," which incorporates the "William Tell Overture," Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and the "1812 Overture" into the yodel dance, were added following several story changes throughout production. Following the September 11 attacks, Menken composed the song "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again" in reaction, which was performed by Bonnie Raitt.

## Release

*Home on the Range* was scheduled for a 2003 release, while *Brother Bear* was originally slated for a spring 2004 release. However, Disney announced that *Brother Bear* would be released in fall 2003, while *Home on the Range* was pushed back for a spring 2004 release. Contrary to speculation, news writer Jim Hill stated the release date switch was not because *Home on the Range* was suffering from story rewrites, but to promote *Brother Bear* on the Platinum Edition release of *The Lion King*.

### Home media

*Home on the Range* was released on VHS and DVD on September 14, 2004. The DVD came with an animated short featuring the film's voice cast and animated intros to the DVD menu featuring the same cast. It was released on Blu-ray on July 3, 2012.

## Reception

### Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 53% of critics gave positive reviews based on 129 reviews, with an average rating of 5.72/10. The site's general consensus is: "Though *Home on the Range* is likeable and may keep young children diverted, it's one of Disney's more middling titles, with garish visuals and a dull plot". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Nathan Rabin, reviewing for *The A.V. Club*, praised the film describing it as "a sweet, raucously funny, comic Western that corrects a glaring historical injustice by finally surveying the Old West through the eyes of cows rather than cowboys." Roger Ebert of the *Chicago Sun-Times* gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, saying that "A movie like this is fun for kids: bright, quick-paced, with broad, outrageous characters. But *Home on the Range* doesn't have the crossover quality of the great Disney films like *Beauty and the Beast* and *The Lion King*. And it doesn't have the freshness and originality of a more traditional movie like *Lilo & Stitch*. Its real future, I suspect, lies in home video. It's only 76 minutes long, but although kids will like it, their parents will be sneaking looks at their watches." Claudia Puig of *USA Today* wrote favorably in her review that "*Home on the Range* is a throwback to old Disney cartoons: fun, rather than message-laden, with broad humor and entertaining action. The cheerful, plucky characters have heart and loyalty, and that's enough to make this a worthy family-friendly animated fest." Nell Minow of Common Sense Media gave the film four out of five stars, saying that "I love it when Disney doesn't take itself too seriously. No one tried to reach for the stars or make this into a classic. *Home on the Range* is just a cute little story about some not-so-contented cows who save the day. It modestly aspires to be nothing more than a lot of fun, and it does that job very well.

Elvis Mitchell of *The New York Times* criticized the weak comedy writing that "Unrestrained energy is hardly a bad thing for animation — the best cartoons are built on the contradictory pursuit of meticulously arranged anarchy—but they never seem needy, or desperate for laughs, as *Home on the Range* does. The film seems hungrier for a pat on the head than a chuckle." Similarly, *Los Angeles Times* film critic Kenneth Turan claimed "*Home on the Range* may be acceptable on reflection, but its formulaic desire to mix wisecracks for adults with pratfalls for kids is feeling thin, and its overall air of frantic hysteria does not wear well either." Michael Wilmington of *The Chicago Tribune* noted "Satirizing the movie Western can make for a great cartoon, as it does in Jiri Trnka's brilliant 1949 Czech short *Song of the Prairie,* a puppet version of *Stagecoach.* But *Home* isn't good satire or good slapstick. It does have those lyrical, catchy Menken tunes, and the film perks up whenever Raitt or lang sing one of them. But much of this movie is deadly. *Home* keeps milking the same gags and throwing the same bull, and after a while you feel cowed watching it."

### Box office

On its opening box office weekend, *Home on the Range* grossed about $14 million in box office estimates, opening fourth behind *Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed*, *Walking Tall*, and *Hellboy*. Following the disappointing box office weekend, financial analysts predicted that Disney would be forced to have write-down the production costs, which totaled more than $100 million. Following the latter release of *The Alamo*, which also met poor box office returns, it was reported that Disney would have to write-down about $70 million. The film ended its box office run with $50 million in domestic earnings and $145.5 million worldwide.

## Soundtrack

Main article: Home on the Range/Soundtrack