Looking back at "Home on the Range"...

pap64 · Post by **pap64** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:10 am

I rented the movie for the heck of it. Its been nearly 4 years since I last saw it and thought it was the right time to give the movie another chance.

When I first saw it, I hated it. I enjoyed some of the songs but I didn't like it because I felt it wasn't Disney. I didn't accept the fact that this was going to be their last 2D animated feature. Their legacy had ended on a dud film.

Seeing again knowing that this shall never be the last 2D film (granted "The Princess and the Frog" does well) I really enjoyed it and thought its an underrated little gem.

The movie reminds me a lot of the package films from the 40s;light on story but with inventive visuals, fun characters and great music.

The animation really surprised me when I watched it again. The design might not be everyone's fancy but I really enjoyed it. It gives the film an old timey feel to it (hence why it reminds me of the package films). The color and backgrounds are great. Its a delight to see on DVD.

The story is definitely lacking and may lack the timelessness the other films have but its enjoyable nonetheless. Characters are really fun, especially the three cows and the farm animals. The only character I found myself being annoyed at was Buck. I understand they wanted to create a character that was really a loser with delusions of grandeur, but he was way too over the top and should have instructed Cuba Gooding Jr. to tone it down. The character should have been an earnest horse that wanted to be something more. The whole attitude thing gets annoying.

The jokes and some of the humor is also an issue. At times, Maggie is basically the cow version of Rosseanne. I know the creators wanted to get the most out of the actors, but sometimes I felt like I was watching Rosseanne rather than Maggie. The burping and the modern music didn't help either.

But other than that the film itself is quite enjoyable. The music is fantastic and my favorite part of the whole film. There's barely a stinker in the movie and they really add a lot to it. If there's one movie that is severely underrated in terms of music, "Home on the Range" is it.

So looking back the film got a lot of unfair flack back them. I understand it, though. The last 2D movie from Disney was going to be a country western story featuring cows and an unique style. Plus like I said the story is pretty light, and Disney pretty much released it to die without any proper advertising behind it.

If you enjoyed the package features or the light Disney films (like Aristocrats) Home on the Range must be seen at least once.

ichabod · Post by **ichabod** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:36 am

My God. It's taken 4 years, but finally someone else agrees with what I've been saying all along!

yukitora · Post by **yukitora** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:03 am

I've always "loved" Home on the Range XD

Its interesting that you compare them to the package films, because I'm one of the few that really enjoyed those too, but I didn't see any similarities.

But yay, I think this thread

Lets spread the HNTR love

pap64 · Post by **pap64** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:29 am

yukitora wrote:I've always "loved" Home on the Range XD

Its interesting that you compare them to the package films, because I'm one of the few that really enjoyed those too, but I didn't see any similarities.

But yay, I think this thread Lets spread the HNTR love

I didn't realize the connection till one of the HOTR artists mentioned that she drew inspiration from the western Disney shorts (like Pecos Bill). It was then that I realized that HOTR was similar to the package films in more ways than one.

The package films showcased great music and amazing animation. HOTR also does this.
Both the package films and HOTR showcase modern talent (well known voice actors and pop music).

Finally, these films were released during very dark times at the studios. The package films were cheap productions that made little money during WWII. HOTR was released during a time in which 2D animation was dying. Disney's 2D efforts kept flopping and the industry saw hope on 3D animation. It too made little money...

Its amazing how the films were released during eras that marked Disney forever, and are nearly forgotten because of it.

I think people make the mistake of watching HOTR as a Disney epic when its just a silly western film. The movie barely tries to achieve the epic feel of "The Lion King", the lush romance of BATB and the emotional depth of Bambi.

What I find funny is that people praise Jungle Book for being fun and light hearted, yet bash HOTR for not being good enough.

PatrickvD · Post by **PatrickvD** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:33 am

I've always loved Home on the Range for what it was. A simple little film that evoked the feeling of the less popular Disney films from the 40s and the 70s.

I'd consider it to be in the same league as Melody Time, Robin Hood, The Aristocats and Ichabod and mr Toad.

It's also far more entertaining than those overblown films that surrounded 'Home' earlier this decade like Brother Bear, Treasure Planet, Atlantis and Chicken Little.

There's much more "Disney" in Home on the Range than quite a few other films they've made recently.

singerguy04 · Post by **singerguy04** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:36 pm

I have also been a fan of Home on the Range. I think it's a good light Disney film and I sometimes find myself having the urge to watch it on a gloomy day.

Barbossa · Post by **Barbossa** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:46 pm

Which ones are the package movies? I'm just going to take a guess and say:
Fan and Fancy Free
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Are Melody Time, Make Mine Music, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros package films too?

Simba3 · Post by **Simba3** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:50 pm

I have always appreciated "Home on the Range" for what it is. I don't think it's one of the best animated classics, but it is certainly not the worst.

Siren · Post by **Siren** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:03 pm

The villain ruined it for me. I found him so annoying. And the only joke I really liked was "Stallion of the Cim-Moron!"

The style was fine. It goes hand in hand with the style of Hercules, Pocahontas, Atlantis, and Emperor's New Groove. Its not the "traditional Disney style" and that doesn't mean the animation is bad. Far from it. Just as the style changed from Sleeping Beauty to Jungle Book. Disney has ALWAYS changed their style when you think of it. Compare the animation styles of Snow White to Lion King. Neither style is superior. Just as when comic books get new artists, the styles change, so goes the animated movies. So when people used the style as a reason to complain about Home on the Range, its a weak argument. Unless of course, they simply didn't LIKE it, but that doesn't mean its bad animation. That's like say Salvador Dali wasn't a quality artist...just because his style differs from Monet, doesn't make him a bad artist. It just means people have different opinions on what they like.

Now music wise, Home on the Range disappointed me. Storywise, I didn't like it much either. The cows reminded me a bit of the Sleeping Beauty fairies, mixed with the Golden Girls, and then they all became cows. The horse was kinda funny. But out of all of the Disney feature length movies, I place Home on the Range right above Snow White for disliking it the most. Don't hate either movie, just didn't like them much.

Elladorine · Post by **Elladorine** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:09 pm

Siren wrote:The cows reminded me a bit of the Sleeping Beauty fairies, mixed with the Golden Girls, and then they all became cows.

Now that's probably the best description I've ever heard of them.

Siren · Post by **Siren** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:17 pm

enigmawing wrote:
Siren wrote:The cows reminded me a bit of the Sleeping Beauty fairies, mixed with the Golden Girls, and then they all became cows.

Now that's probably the best description I've ever heard of them.

LOL, thanks, it does look funnier than I meant it to be now that you pointed it out.

Escapay · Post by **Escapay** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:24 pm

Barbossa wrote:Which ones are the package movies? I'm just going to take a guess and say:
Fan and Fancy Free
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Are Melody Time, Make Mine Music, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros package films too?

Yes, all six of those are considered the package features. They came during the period when Disney's studio was "recovering" after the war (which drafted a good deal of young employees, some of which didn't return), and they needed to get new product out there to keep the studio from sinking, so rather than have his studio focus on one movie at a time, they'd focus on smaller segments that would be strung together under some kind of umbrella title. They were called the "meat and potatoes" pictures, because it was done with just enough budget to make just enough back to pay salaries and bills.

The first two, Saludos, Amigos and The Three Caballeros came about as part of the Goodwill tour of South America. A third one (Cuban Carnival, featuring the addition of a fourth Caballero named Condorito) was planned, but ultimately never made.

Make Mine Music can really be considered the first package film in the sense of "stringing short subjects together". IMO, it's the weakest of all the package films, though it boasts the best short to come from any of them: "Peter and the Wolf".

Fun and Fancy Free, which followed was created because work on Mickey and the Beanstalk and Bongo the Bear (both of which would have been feature-length) had to be halted due to the war, and shortened and attached together with live-action footage featuring Bergen & McCarthy, Luana Patten, Jiminy Cricket, and Willie the Giant.

Melody Time is also a combination of strung-together shorts, and like Make Mine Music, is a weak film. Standouts include "Blame it on the Samba", "Johnny Appleseed", and "Pecos Bill".

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is similar to Fun and Fancy Free, in that it took animated projects that were to be feature-length, and condensed them. The Wind in the Willows segment was meant to be its own feature-length film, but story development reached a standstill and it was decided to shorten it (47 minutes was done, but only about 30 minutes are in the film, I believe) and combine it with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which I think was always meant to be a short film).

A lot of people always seem to discard the package features because of their "meat and potatotes" reputation (that they were done simply to keep the studio afloat). What many don't realize, and what few often see, is that these films built the foundation for the style and direction of animation that would be seen in the 1950s Animated Classics. They are, in essence, the prequel of the Golden Age.

And to steer this topic back to Home on the Range...I'm not a big fan of it. I've seen it probably only twice, and both times I wasn't very enthused with the film. I'll try watching it again later, but that screening will likely be later rather than sooner.

albert

Razor Roman · Post by **Razor Roman** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:59 pm

HOTR is a great little film.
The only problem with it I think was that it went a bit too far off into the Shrek scatalogical humor area.

The visuals were great; it has an awesome Mary Blair feel to it, and I think the use of 3D / Deep Canvas was perfect. It accentuated the flat style of the characters and gave it a great Pop-up book type feel.

pap64 · Post by **pap64** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 10:33 pm

Escapay wrote:
Barbossa wrote:Which ones are the package movies? I'm just going to take a guess and say:
Fan and Fancy Free
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Are Melody Time, Make Mine Music, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros package films too?
Yes, all six of those are considered the package features. They came during the period when Disney's studio was "recovering" after the war (which drafted a good deal of young employees, some of which didn't return), and they needed to get new product out there to keep the studio from sinking, so rather than have his studio focus on one movie at a time, they'd focus on smaller segments that would be strung together under some kind of umbrella title. They were called the "meat and potatoes" pictures, because it was done with just enough budget to make just enough back to pay salaries and bills.

The first two, Saludos, Amigos and The Three Caballeros came about as part of the Goodwill tour of South America. A third one (Cuban Carnival, featuring the addition of a fourth Caballero named Condorito) was planned, but ultimately never made.

Make Mine Music can really be considered the first package film in the sense of "stringing short subjects together". IMO, it's the weakest of all the package films, though it boasts the best short to come from any of them: "Peter and the Wolf".

Fun and Fancy Free, which followed was created because work on Mickey and the Beanstalk and Bongo the Bear (both of which would have been feature-length) had to be halted due to the war, and shortened and attached together with live-action footage featuring Bergen & McCarthy, Luana Patten, Jiminy Cricket, and Willie the Giant.

Melody Time is also a combination of strung-together shorts, and like Make Mine Music, is a weak film. Standouts include "Blame it on the Samba", "Johnny Appleseed", and "Pecos Bill".

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is similar to Fun and Fancy Free, in that it took animated projects that were to be feature-length, and condensed them. The Wind in the Willows segment was meant to be its own feature-length film, but story development reached a standstill and it was decided to shorten it (47 minutes was done, but only about 30 minutes are in the film, I believe) and combine it with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which I think was always meant to be a short film).

A lot of people always seem to discard the package features because of their "meat and potatotes" reputation (that they were done simply to keep the studio afloat). What many don't realize, and what few often see, is that these films built the foundation for the style and direction of animation that would be seen in the 1950s Animated Classics. They are, in essence, the prequel of the Golden Age.

And to steer this topic back to Home on the Range...I'm not a big fan of it. I've seen it probably only twice, and both times I wasn't very enthused with the film. I'll try watching it again later, but that screening will likely be later rather than sooner.

albert

Yes, I've always felt that the package films were severely underrated, especially since the main reason is that they aren't epic fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White etc.

Yes, these movies were essentially filler projects so that Disney could stay afloat in a dark time. But for filler projects they are fantastic.

Really, anyone that "hates" these movies should sit down and watch them closely. Some of them feature stunning and surreal animation never again seen till the likes of "Alice in Wonderland". The music is amazing on some of these shorts. And the incredible surreal humor is hilarious!

Mary Blair, one of Disney's best artists, worked on a lot of these shorts and she did an amazing job and was pretty much a rehearsal for what she would later on do.

I won't deny that the stories are pretty light and some are rather forgettable. The only package feature I would declare "the worst" is "Saludos Amigos", and even then "Aquarelo do Brazil" is beautiful, "Pedro" is fun and "Gaucho Goofy" was fun.

So its a shame that these films are so overlooked in the Disney canon.

As for "Home on the Range", I definitely understand why some people don't like this film. Its definitely a love it/hate it film whose qualities might be annoyances for some. I can't argue against that, though, as I personally hate "Chicken Little" and some seem to enjoy it.

Widdi · Post by **Widdi** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:29 am

Home on the Range had to grow on me over time. I always liked the cows, but the other supporting players and especially the villain were always the biggest turn-offs for me. Over time I have grown to like the movie more, but that damn villain still drives me batty. I just hate him. The story is pretty weak too, but the visuals are stunning and the bovine trio makes the the flat tale moo-ve along at a steady enough pace that I enjoy it anyways. It doesn't drag as bad as some of the Walt-era films do (Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland come to mind), but it isn't consistent like the 90's musicals were.

Still, despite it's many flaws Home on the Range is a DVD I break out every now and then and enjoy. It is not anywhere near the league of the company's best work, but it does sit comfortably at number twenty-seven on my rankings of the animated cannon.

Ariel'sprince · Post by **Ariel'sprince** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:49 am

I have never seen this movie,is it good? (Well,I have seen Brother Bear in theater but I haven't seen this movie).

yukitora · Post by **yukitora** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:28 am

I actually think Make Mine Music the best out of the package films.

Peter and the Wolf
The Operatic Whale Singer
Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I've love to own a decent DVD of this film (it's the only animated classic not released in australia!)

mrfivefingers · Post by **mrfivefingers** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:00 pm

Ive also never seen Home on the Range but i've heard that its terrible, but then the people who told me that said that the Package films were terrible and after watching all of them recently i actually enjoy them much more than i thought i would.

I do understand that Fans would be angry as this was going to be the last disney 2d film but it cannot be that bad at all. Better run and order a copy of the film to see for myself what the films like.

Will Barks · Post by **Will Barks** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:46 am

I didn't like HotR because of the boring story and low animation. Nothing could attract my interest. The special Disney feeling is missing too.

yukitora · Post by **yukitora** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:34 am

^IMHO, "That special Disney feeling" died when Walt died.

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