In my opinion the reason that many movie-goers will be dissappointed by this film is because they would expect something more of the last Disney film to be animated in the traditional way. Instead, they are only given a reasonably enjoyable film. So if you want to enjoy it, don't get your hopes up that this will be something of the calibre of Beauty and the Beast of The Lion King. You may be pleasantly surprised. What makes the movie most enjoyable is its characterization, and the actors and actresses behind the characters. The jokes brought on by Roseanne Barr's crass in-your-face humor are refreshingly adult and witty, and Roseanne proves to be a capable comedienne. She can be wildly funny one moment, and remarkably sad in the next. Dame Judi Dench's presence as a cartoon cow is puzzling, but she brings out her character's dryer, more contained sense of humor perfectly. Some of her physical characteristics are even visible in her character's face. Cuba Gooding Jr. is perhaps the only truly unexciting thing about this movie. His character's presence does not slow it down, but the character itsself is handled all wrong. For one thing, the African-American element is overdone to the point where it becomes irritating, and, sadly, it seems to be one of the only things defining his character. Jennifer Tilly, however, after her unnusual, but remarkable performance as the mystic Madame Leota in "The Haunted Mansion," returns to her typically innocent slightly "ditzy" type of character. My personal favorite, however, is the villain, who may very well be Disney's most original villain. Though this movie is enjoyable, there is not much of a sense that this will be lost as CGI takes over. The animation of the surreal American West is beautifully captured here, and characters are visually presented in the square single-toned colors of the Disney shorts of the '50s. But, despite this, an interesting cast of characters, and a score by Disney music veteran Alan Menken, the context of this movie stops it from being truly memorable. 7/10, with points for originality.
Review of Home on the Range
