20 Weeks of Disney Animation: ‘Home on the Range’

Home on the Range is a simple story about three cows that go on a journey to save their farm. Throughout this journey we get yodeling, burping, and a whole lot of Roseanne Barr. Now you have basically seen the movie. None of those things are particularly enjoyable for me (expect the yodeling, which is one of the more fun parts of the film). However, if those things sound entertaining to you then you will probably love this movie, though most don’t.

Read: 20 Weeks of Disney Animation: ‘Brother Bear’

This was the one of the last traditionally drawn features made by Disney before computer generated animation took over until a brief return with 2009’s The Princess and the Frog. This was partially due to the negative reception to the film, but was more likely due to the studio’s need to keep up with the technology of rival studios such Pixar and DreamWorks. However, it is disappointing that the streak of traditionally animated Disney films ended with this one.

There honestly isn’t a whole lot to say about Home on the Range because there really isn’t much to it. It’s a simple story with bland, forgettable characters and a paper thin plot. The best part is probably the music which was, surprisingly, written by Alan Menken and sung by a variety of talented artists such as Bonnie Raitt.

Before I watched Disney’s Home on the Range for the first time, I fully expected it to be one of the worst movies ever. In fact, people often refer to this film as the worst in the Disney animated canon. It came to my surprise, then, that when I finally sat down to watch it, I didn’t find it terrible. It’s definitely not good movie but for me, it isn’t memorable enough to be the worst. It is just a disappointing Disney film.

Though this is not anything worth watching on repeat, it is a movie that is fine for families, especially ones with young kids.

Live-action remake: There is no live-action remake planned for Home on the Range.

Home on the Range in the theme parks: At one point, Big Thunder Ranch in Disneyland featured elements from Home on the Range.

Home on the Range is available to stream on Disney+.

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