Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Remember when this was called SWEATING BULLETS?
This has been one of those Disney films that has changed completely from when it was first announced to now, and I sort of like the trailers. I have to say, though, that I am unnerved by the big butch cowboy posters that read “BEEF THIEF!” across the top that are all over Hollywood. In this town, that could mean so many different things, particularly when coming from a studio run by a guy named Dick Cook.
Hey, I can make these jokes. My last name gives me freakin’ immunity for life. Read the review. Stop hissing at me.
Greetings from sunny San Diego Harry!
Long time... oh never mind...
I had the opportunity to attend a "Premiere Screening" of Disney's "Home On The Range" tonight at the AMC 12 in La Jolla, hosted by the San Diego Cinema Society and attended by Associate Producer David Steinberg. (I got in because my last student film is entered into the San Diego Best Fest College Film Festival, who is partnered with the San Diego Cinema Society. A nice perk of festival entry, eh?)
Mr. Steinberg apparently is related to one of the Society's members and as such he coordinated this "Premiere Screening" because of this. Not that any of that matters to anyone really, but they seemed to make a big deal of it before the screening... so there you go.
So Mr. Steinberg intros the film for us with this great line, "You are now about to witness Cinematic History. That's right, this is history in the making as Rosanne Barr is acting alongside, or opposite of none other than Dame Judi Dench. (long dramatic pause) AS COWS." Hilarious.
And here's the exciting and amazing part of the review... The movie is actually good. It is. No really. I mean it.
It's not as good as Aladdin or the Lion King... but it is a solid effort from the Mouse House that is very enjoyable. Especially for adults as well as kids.
The opening starts off establishing the fact that this film is a western with some beautiful music by Alan Menken (Hooray for his return!), the animation is fun and bright in much the way Lilo and Stitch was, but with a color palette more suitable to the West than to Hawaii. We follow a Jackrabbit with a peg leg around on some funny misadventures during the song.
Then the dreaded Rosanne starts her narrative dialogue... This was what I was dreading. I HATE ROSANNE. LOATHE HER. DESPISE HER. But as soon as they finally got to a shot of her as a cow, I was sold. Rosanne as Maggie the Cow... PERFECT CASTING! And to top the opening dialogue off she ends it with, "Yeah, they're real... stop staring," as a new camera angle reveals her udders. Now I'd heard that this bit was going to be in the film prior to seeing it tonight and I groaned. What a horrible, easy joke that is, but it is executed with a wonderfully subtle manner that skips past the kiddies and hits home with the adults. The audience really laughed out loud at that one and from that point on it was an onslaught of great one-liners from every character in the film.
After learning that all the ranches are being sold off due to some extensive cattle rustling by "Alameda Slim" (brilliantly voiced by Randy Quaid) Maggie is delivered by her former owner to a gentle old woman named Pearl who owns and operates the "Patch Of Heaven" farm. "Patch Of Heaven" is a beautiful, peaceful place where the animals are all part of Pearl's family. The baby animals are what makes this place great, especially the three little pigs who have a tendency to bug the old goat who lives in the barrel.
Pearl is soon told that she's got to come up with $750 to save her farm from the bank in three days or else the farm goes on the auction block. Naturally Pearl won't sell off a single member of her family to come up with the money, so the two cows who already live at "Patch Of Heaven", Mrs. Calloway (Judi Dench) and tone-deaf Grace (Jennifer Tilly) decide to go off with Maggie to catch Alameda Slim and use the reward money to save "Patch Of Heaven".
I know... it sounds completely absurd, and it is. And that's what makes this movie work. The absurdity of "Bovine Bounty Hunters" is just what makes this an enjoyable ride.
The three lead cows are extremely different and unlike so many of the cookie cutter characters we've been seeing out of Disney for a while. Gone is the seemingly formula mandate of the "Plucky Sidekick". Here the three girls are equally developed and diverse characters who all have something to contribute to the story. Judi Dench brings a wonderful characterization to Mrs. Calloway and her reluctance to change and anything different from her normal everyday life. Jennifer Tilly (who bugs the shit out of me normally) is so funny as a soft hearted cow who's into Holistic Remedies and sings horribly out of tune all the time. They are both rich characters with a good play off one another and off of Rosanne.
The movie is full of a bunch of secondary characters that are funny and different and totally enhance the feeling of this Old West world.
I could go on more about the film... but I don't want to give anything more away... Not to mention I'm just damn tired now...
Let me just say this... The movie is witty. It's beautifully drawn and thankfully sparing in its integration of 3-D Computer elements. (Traditional 2-D and 3-D Digital just shouldn't be mixed in my opinion) The dialogue is full of moments of brilliance that are really a joy to hear. The music, while country based, is not too twangy for the masses and for this California boy was actually quite enjoyable. Nothing overly memorable like in Aladdin, but completely fitting to the overall whole of the film.
And that's kind of the point here... "Home On The Range" is a film that is complete. Nothing really seems to be missing from it. It has a good bad guy, good guys (or girls... or cows, whatever) that we like and care about, animation that is bright and very well executed and music that enhances the moods and locations. This is a great Disney outing that the WHOLE family can enjoy.
And that's a good thing... A very good thing. Since this is the LAST hand drawn Disney film we are likely to ever see. According to Mr. Steinberg we will not see another hand drawn movie out of Disney again. Starting with Chicken Little everything from Disney in the future will be Digital Animation. As Mr. Steinberg put it, "An era comes to a close with this film, and a new era is about to begin. From Snow White to Home On The Range Disney has been a strong force in hand drawn animation. With the conclusion of Home On The Range Disney is now moving into a new era of animated films."
That says a lot, probably, about the major tussles between Eisner and Roy Disney. And while I'm sad to see traditional hand drawn animation go the way of Black and White (gone but not completely dead) I hope that Disney continues to keep the focus of their films on the characters and the stories. Not the technology. Here's hoping.
I did get a chance to ask Mr. Steinberg about the creative direction of these new Digital Animation films that Disney is currently prepping after the Q&A was done. (He was kind enough to stick around after my question was passed up by the moderator during the Q&A. Thank you Mr. Steinberg) I asked him if the future intention was to do the films in Digital but mimic the look of hand drawn or if they were going to go full 3-D render a-la Pixar's brilliant creations. His response was that they were approaching their new Digital Animation films with an eye towards creating a new look that is influenced by both. A kind of hybrid look that hopefully works well.
I guess we'll find out how well it works when the sky starts falling for Chicken Little. Until then I highly recommend everyone goes to see "Home On The Range," and remember they are watching the closing of a chapter in the history of filmmaking.
If you use this... just call me Burma
Thanks a lot, Burma. Nice work.
"Moriarty" out.
