This is part of my series “Thoughts on Disney movies,” where I’ve gone back to watch all of the animated Disney features, starting with Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, and then share my thoughts on the blog.
Highlights: Judi Dench is one of the voice actors! Okay, so it’s a little weird that she’s voicing a cow in Home on the Range. And the cow character Grace, who is voiced by Jennifer Tilly, was a sweet and endearing character. There were a few moments in the film that made me chuckle. And some of the farm animals, like the pigs, are cute.
Low points: The third cow of the trio is Roseanne Barr (not a fan). The plot is not very engaging and feels pretty trite – it’s the whole “they’re going to sell our farm and we have to save it” situation. There are also a lot of jokes that just seem to fall flat and the whole thing feels pretty painful and groan-worthy. And when Aladmeda Slim starts yodeling you also start to wonder if this movie would be more enjoyable under the influence of something…
The music: While the characters themselves don’t really sing (except for our villain), there are a number of songs in this one. They are fairly forgettable, with the exception of “Will the Sun Ever Shine Again,” performed by Bonnie Raitt – the one is a bit of a tearjerker.
The Villain: Alameda Slim is built up to be this terrifying villain before you see him. There’s lots of whispers about how terrible he is and how awful it is that he steals all of these cows. And then you find out that he captures all these cows with a special super power… he can kidnap them all by yodeling. I kid you not. So he comes off just feeling pretty ridiculous.
Fun Fact: The movie was one of the few Disney animated movies to receive a PG rating at that time. This is due to a line from Roseanne’s character about her utters (“Yeah, they’re real, quit staring). Contrast that with some of the violence and deaths in other Disney movies which only received a G rating (Mulan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, even The Lion King) and it’s a little bit surprising.
Where in the World: Thank goodness Home on the Range does not exist in Disney World. I’m sure there could have been opportunities in Frontierland, but Disney was smart enough to try and ignore the fact that they made this movie when it came to the theme parks. There was apparently a parade float for a brief period of time when the movie was first released, but other than that you won’t find Home on the Range anywhere.
My rating: 2.5 out of 10. There are Disney movies I think are worse than this one, but Home on the Range is pretty rough.
Have you seen Home on the Range? What did you think of it?
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