Cut Rate Animation and Story
Avoid the Barnyard

There is something disturbing about having Sam Elliot's low, gravelly voice coming out of a cow. The veteran actor, so well known for the many Westerns in which he has appeared, is also recognized as the spokesman for National Cattlemen's Beef Association ("Beef, It's What's for Dinner."). This, however, is just one small problem in the new animated family adventure Barnyard. In addition to an unoriginal story, the film offers low-grade computer animation that belongs on television, not the big screen.

Barnyard
Otis (Kevin James, far right) and the Jersey cows Igg, Bud, and Eddy outside the home of Mr. and Mrs. Beady in Barnyard. (Paramount, 2006)
Directed by: Steve Oedekerk
Written by: Steve Oedekerk
Starring: Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, and Wanda Sykes

Rated PG (for some mild peril and rude humor)
Running time: 90 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 3 out of 10.

Barnyard is the story of an irresponsible young cow named Otis (voiced by Kevin James), who lives to party. His father, Ben (Elliot), is trying to mold his son to accept responsibility, but he doesn't try too hard.

When coyotes attack the chicken coop one night, Ben manages to save the hens. The price, however, is the loss of his own life. The Barnyard, still in shock, elects Otis as Ben's successor, but he doesn't want the responsibility.

It doesn't take a genius to see where this is going. In fact, I had the recipe for this film figured out in the first couple of minutes: take a healthy dose of The Lion King and add a dash of Ice Age and a bit of A Bug's Life. It's not very original. In fact, the very idea of cows standing up when people aren't around was first popularized by Gary Larson in his The Far Side comic strip.

The humor in the film is aimed at younger audiences. For instance, when a cow jumps into the water he yells, "Man-abunga!" Most jokes are the kind of dumb, silly things that little kids find extremely clever (like the "boy tipping" scene).

The cast of the film is exceptional, and it's amazing that so many good actors agreed to be in this film. Aside from Elliot and James, the film also boasts Danny Glover (as a mule named Miles who bares a striking resemblance to the donkey in Shrek), and Wanda Sykes as a cow named Bessy. Courteney Cox also plays a cow, Daisy.

I know I grew up in the city, but it was still in the great state of Kansas (where we know a thing or two about farms). Although I'm just a city fella, I know this: male cattle don't have udders. Someone should have pointed this out to the animators of Barnyard. Watching the male cows prance around with udders was distracting and completely disturbing.