Barnyard

2006 • 89 minutes

About this movie

Move over, all you pretenders...here are the original party animals -- the animated gang of Barnyard! This laugh-filled adventure stars Otis, a carefree cow who spends his days singing, dancing and playing tricks on humans...much to the dismay of his fath

Ratings and reviews

This animated film "Barnyard" is probably the final "summer-entertainment show for families." I don't even know where to start. But after the film was over, I feel upbeat and I had a good time. It left me torn, but at the same time, I thought it was quite pleasant. Here's what I have noticed: All cattle (both males and females) have udders. That's anatomically incorrect. This whole film is like an on-and-off-switch in many different ways: To start off, the main theme of this film is taking responsibility. One scene is crazy, then after that, the next scene gets serious. This has happened quite often throughout the film; when the wild wackiness lets up, the film exposes consequences; most likely when Otis knows what's right and wrong about being a good leader in charge and learning from his father. This moral may have a wavy progression, but the execution overall is at least not heavy-handed or even poorly executed. The comedy reveals it's strange existence; When it's on, the comedy is sharp and at times clever due to some of the slapstick, the well-utilized tone (particularly how the voice-acting was directed), a couple of acceptable ideas (including some of the writing), and the effective use of the timing. When it's off, the comedy is a miss with some exaggerated creepiness of the animation, some wacky antics, some empty passages, and there are a few times where the cartoony voice-acting is not so funny. There are also times where I did laugh at the some of the exaggerated creepiness, because of how Steve Oedekerk manipulated these elements, and he did a surprisingly good job at doing this. There are some elements that tread into the familiar territory of "Toy Story" and "The Lion King." This film may have a carefree protagonist who refuses to be a leader, But the lion king is about being the rightful king and battling an antagonist who also wants to be king. This film is about protecting others, developing confidence, courage, and strength, and mentioned that being a good leader is the one who cares the most. Not to mention that this film feels ambitious at times, which is compelling. The structure for this enterprise is nicely done, as it contains a sharp screenplay with unforgettable imagery that was shot, lit, cut, and framed very well, especially involving the foreground and the background. There are also times where there is also something subtle to be found within the screenplay. The cartoony animation may not be one of the best-looking animation work that I have seen, but it is brightly colored, and it offers some solid humor that is nicely executed. The voice talent is excellent from a pitch-perfect cast voicing the characters that the film focuses on; Kevin James as Otis delivers the perfect fit for this carefree protagonist. Sam Elliot adds serious credibility for Ben. The antagonists are a menacing pack of coyotes. Coyotes have a notorious reputation for being the scourge of livestock, pets, and occasionally human civilization. The dastardly pack leader is Dag voiced by David Koechner. The combination of the sinister design, David's phenomenal performance, and the fact that coyotes are a real threat makes Dag an intimidating villain with effective results. Otis and his love-interest "Daisy" even has some sympathetic backstories. And the scenes with a chick named Maddy are cute. The film has a phenomenal soundtrack that contains lively songs that are fitting, and a fantastic score by John Debney. The craftsmanship, the voice talent, the soundtrack, the funny moments, and the dramatic action is what contributes the entertainment value. Based on the experience of watching this flawed yet pleasant diversion (As long as they have already learned that bulls don't have udders and it's wrong to steal), I think it should suit the kids just fine. Worth a rental.

This movie isn't a movie to be remembered. Not only is the animation irritating to look at, but the characters and plot are obnoxious and unlikable. The movie hardly gives off any message at all, and it relies on poor humour than anything. There are scenes of violence, not with blood or gore, but still violent. There are hints of alcohol, as cows are drinking milk but getting drunk off it as if it were alcohol. The movie obviously isn't intended to be used for educational purposes, so I'll keep the fact that there are male cows with bulging utters out of the picture. The characters were annoying, I think that the only character that stood out to me was Wild Mike, since he seemed crazy, had a silly design and wasn't a defined creature. There are only a few memorable scenes, but even those are surely to be forgotten eventually. But overall, this movie was a huge waste of money and time.

It's okay, the show is better. The design choice of giving male cows udders is odd, but, I don't pay it any attention; it's just an odd design choice. Besides, it's a movie, and if I saw it when I was a kid, it wouldn't have confused me. I knew better than to believe anything I saw on a clearly fake cartoon because my mom and dad took the time to teach me not to accept cartoon stuff as facts.