Home on the Range

There's a middle-of-the-road, almost rote quality to Disney's latest animated effort, a sprightly but workmanlike takeoff on old western movies that will entertain younger children with its assortment of colorful critters, and amuse adults with occasional inside jokes and cinematic references. Home on the Range's story, as you'd expect from a cartoon (regardless of length), is basically a chase: the heroines are three cows who mosey into the desert to capture Alameda Slim, a notorious rustler, so that they can use the reward money to stave off foreclosure on the farm where they live with their friends. Cute characters abound--other farm animals, an adventure-seeking horse, a drawling bounty hunter, three dopey sidekicks for Slim--and there are various complications such as a runaway train and (if you can believe it) a hypnotizing yodel, as well as an assortment of rambunctious, if not particularly memorable, song-and-dance routines. Featuring the voice talents of Roseanne Barr, Jennifer Tilly, Judi Dench, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Randy Quaid, among others, Home on the Range ultimately comes across as more dutiful than inspired. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by Alice Dewey and co-writers/co-directors Will Finn and John Sanford, a 17-minute “Trailblazers” making-of featurette, a 10-minute “Art Review” production featurette, four deleted scenes (16 min.) with an intro by Finn and Sanford, the 18-joke “The Joke Corral” with clips, the music video “Anytime You Need a Friend” by The Beu Sisters, the bonus short “A Dairy Tale” (4 min.), a “Yodel Memory Game,” a brief “Yodelmentary” featurette on yodeling, trailers, and DVD-ROM features (including a “Yodel Maker”). Bottom line: a typically fine Disney extras package for one of their more lackluster films.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—July 17, 2012—Walt Disney, 76 min., PG, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2004's Home on the Range sports a solid transfer and features a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras are identical to the DVD release, including a “Trailblazers” making-of featurette (17 min.), deleted scenes (15 min.), an “Art Review” segment (10 min.), “Joke Corral: Herd of Jokes” deleted jokes (5 min.), “A Dairy Tale: The Three Little Pigs” bonus short (4 min.), a “Yodelmentary” segment (3 min.), the music video “Anytime You Need a Friend” by The Beu Sisters, trailers, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a minor Disney film makes a welcome Blu-ray debut.]