Today’s quick review: Home on the Range. To earn the money to save their farm, Maggie (Roseanne Barr), Mrs. Calloway (Judi Dench), and Grace (Jennifer Tilly), a trio of dairy cows, set out to collect the bounty on Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid), a notorious yodeling cattle rustler. But to catch Slim, the cows will need to beat Buck (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a horse with delusions of heroism, and Rico (Charles Dennis), a ruthless bounty hunter.
Home on the Range is a family animated Western comedy about three cows on an adventure to save their farm. Using pluck and ingenuity, the unlikely heroes try to get the drop on Slim, whose hypnotic yodeling makes him a danger to every cow within earshot. Home on the Range is a light movie filled with slapstick humor and colorful characters. However, its unusual premise and weak backbone make it a step down from most Disney films.
The highlight of Home on the Range is its light, comedic spirit. Bovine protagonists, barnyard animals, a Wild West setting, and inept villains make the movie a playground for family-friendly cartoon humor. Home on the Range takes advantage of all of these, packing in as many jokes as it can into its short run time. Not all of the jokes are winners, but enough of them hit the mark to make the movie entertaining for the right viewer.
The catch is that Home on the Range rests on a shaky foundation. The premise lacks the clarity that other animated films usually have, and the story can get ridiculous even by the loose standards of the genre. The movie makes a passing attempt at an emotional arc as Maggie, the newcomer on the farm, earns the trust of Mrs. Calloway and Grace, but there isn’t much character development to be had.
The result is a breezy but shallow adventure that requires a significant amount of buy-in from the audience. Home on the Range scores some points with its light, spirited comedy, but its story does not have what it takes to hold the movie together.
How much you get out of the movie will depend on whether you are willing to put up with some absurdity for the sake of a good time. Flexible viewers who enjoy animated adventures for their own sake will find something to enjoy. Those looking for a fulfilling story or masterful animation will find the movie lacking.
For a more elaborate, better-written animated Western comedy, try Rango. For a barnyard comedy with a lot more heart, try Chicken Run.
[5.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299172/). I give it a 6.5 for goofy charm without much substance.