Home on the Range

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Roseanne Barr as Maggie, a hereford show cow and the newest animal on Little Patch of Heaven farm. Chris Buck served as the supervising animator for Maggie.
• Judi Dench as Mrs. Calloway, a Holstein cow and the leader of the animals on the farm, and the only cow with a British accent. Duncan Marjoribanks served as the supervising animator for Mrs. Calloway.
• Jennifer Tilly as Grace, an optimistic and innocent-minded jersey cow. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Grace.
• Cuba Gooding Jr. as Buck, a Thoroughbred horse and Rico’s biggest fan that dreams of being a hero. Michael Surrey served as the supervising animator for Buck.
• Randy Quaid as Alameda Slim, a cattle rustler wanted by law. Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Slim.
• Charles Dennis as Rico, a famous bounty hunter and Buck’s idol who secretly uses his job effectively to cover up Slim’s trail. Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for Rico.
• Charles Haid as Lucky Jack, a clumsy jackrabbit with a wooden leg that he says brings good luck. Shawn Keller served as the lead animator for Lucky Jack.
• Carole Cook as Pearl Gesner, a farmer who is the owner of Patch of Heaven. Bruce W. Smith served as the supervising animator for Pearl.
• Joe Flaherty as Jeb, a goat living in Patch of Heaven who collects a bunch of cans that he is protective of. Sandro Cleuzo served as the supervising animator of Jeb.
• Steve Buscemi as Wesley, a black market businessman and former clown college student who negotiates with Slim. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Wesley.
• Sam J. Levine as the Willie Brothers, Slim’s three dimwitted nephews and henchmen. Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for the Willies.
• Richard Riehle as Sam Brown, the town’s sheriff and Buck’s owner. Sandro Cleuzo served as the supervising animator of the Sheriff.
• Lance LeGault as Junior, Alameda Slim’s pet buffalo who serves as Slim’s mode of transportation. Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Junior.
• G.W. Bailey as Rusty, Sam’s basset hound and Buck’s best friend. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Rusty.
• Estelle Harris as Audrey, a chicken living in Patch of Heaven.
• Charlie Dell as Ollie, a pig living in Patch of Heaven.
• Bobby Block, Keaton Savage, and Ross Simanteris as The Piggies, Ollie’s children.
• Marshall Efron as Larry, a duck living in Patch of Heaven.
• Mark Walton as Barry and Bob, two Texas longhorns that become smitten with Maggie, Mrs. Calloway, and Grace.
• Governor Ann Richards as Annie, a saloon owner whose saloon the cows mistake for Sam’s office.
• Dennis Weaver as Abner Dixon, Maggie’s former owner.
• Patrick Warburton as Patrick, a horse who takes Rico to Slim’s lair.

Storyline:

Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid), a wanted cattle rustler, uses an alias to buy up properties all over western Nebraska, and his next target is the Patch of Heaven dairy farm, where the widow owner cares more for her “family” of yard animals than she does for profit. She just doesn’t have the cash to keep in business or to prevent Slim from taking her farm. The animals, mainly carefree youngsters, are unable to help, however, three cows of very different temperaments rise to the desperate occasion and set out to do battle for their dream home. They team up with the Sheriff’s megalomaniac horse and any other animal who can possibly help, even a crazy lucky rabbit and an invincible buffalo.

About Movie:

Home on the Range is an American animated Western musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is notable for being the last traditionally animated film released by Disney until The Princess and the Frog in 2009. Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford, the film features a screenplay co-written by the directors along with Mark Kennedy, Michael LaBash, Sam Levine, and Robert Lence. The original songs were composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater.

The film’s title is derived from the popular cowboy song of the same name, which is also the state song of Kansas. The voice cast includes Roseanne Barr as Maggie, Judi Dench as Mrs. Calloway, Jennifer Tilly as Grace, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Buck, Randy Quaid as Alameda Slim, and Steve Buscemi as a supporting character.

Set in the Old West, Home on the Range follows a mismatched trio of dairy cows: the adventurous Maggie, the prim Mrs. Calloway, and the ditzy Grace. To save their farm from foreclosure, they must capture the notorious rustler Alameda Slim for his bounty. Along their journey, they are joined by Lucky Jack, a peg-legged rabbit, and Buck, a horse who serves a bounty hunter named Rico.

The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 21, 2004, and was released in theaters in the United States on April 2. Despite its colorful animation and musical elements, Home on the Range received mixed reviews from critics and was considered a box office disappointment, grossing approximately $145.3 million worldwide against a production budget of around $110 million.

Critics praised aspects such as Alan Menken’s musical score but criticized the film for its weak plot and character development. The humor was seen as stale and reliant on clichés typical of Westerns. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 53% approval rating based on 128 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.

Overall, while Home on the Range features vibrant animation and catchy songs, it is often viewed as one of Disney’s lesser works from its traditional animation era.

Budget & Box Office Collection: