SYNOPSIS
Life is at its best for the happy animals at "Patch of Heaven," a "pretty as pie" dairy farm way out west owned by a kindly lady named Pearl. Seldom is heard a discouraging word except perhaps from Jeb, a cantankerous old goat who thinks every tin can belongs to him. In her unofficial role as barnyard boss is Mrs. Caloway, a fastidious British cow with an air of authority and a stylish straw hat. Grace, the younger cow, is wide-eyed, a bit naïve, and has a penchant
for new age thinking.The farm's other inhabitants include a colorful assortment of pigs, chicks, and ducks.
This idyllic life is shaken to its core by two major events. A sassy show cow named Maggie (three time winner of the Golden Udder Award and the original Happy Heifer) comes to live at the farm when her owner's land is foreclosed and she finds herself in need of a new home. Shortly afterwards, Sheriff Brown, on his hotshot horse Buck, arrives to tell Pearl that "Patch of Heaven" is set to go on the auction block in
three days unless she comes up with a payment of $750. Maggie proposes that the animals could win some Blue Ribbon prize money at the upcoming county fair, and suggests the three cows mosey into town to convince Buck to help them get more time. Mrs. Caloway sees Maggie as an outsider and is reluctant to leave Pearl, but ultimately agrees to go along with the plan.
In town, Maggie, Mrs. Caloway and Grace learn about a $750 reward being offered for a notorious cattle rustler named Alameda Slim. They decide to pursue the desperado themselves and collect the reward money in order to save the farm. Buck refuses to help the girls, and sets his sights instead on assisting his hero, a mysterious champion bounty hunter named Rico. When Rico chooses Buck to be his horse, the ambitious horse champs
at the bit to ride into action.
Meanwhile, the three cows attempt to find Slim by hitching up to a chuck wagon that is headed to a cattle drive. Their plan pays off, but the wily cattle rustler sends all of the cattle into a hypnotic trance with his trademark yodel before Maggie and the gang can stop him. Luckily, a tone-deaf Grace is unaffected and manages to save her two traveling companions while Slim makes off with the rest of the herd. Rico arrives too
late to catch the slippery varmint, and ends up dumping Buck in favor of a more reliable horse.
The cow trio can't seem to catch a break, and getting caught in a turbulent flash flood leaves them wondering, "will the sun ever shine again?" Their luck changes with the arrival of Lucky Jack, a onefooted rabbit who turns out to be a Jack-of-all-trades. When he reveals that his home at Echo Mine has been taken over by a yodeling cattle rustler, the girls set out with a new sense of purpose.
At the mine, Slim outlines his master plan to his knuckle-headed nephews, the Willies, and prepares to sell off his hijacked cows to a shifty cattle broker named Wesley. Maggie, Grace and Mrs. Caloway arrive on the scene and set into motion a daring plan to de-rail Slim. Things seem to be going their way until Rico makes an appearance and reveals a few surprises of his own.
Slim escapes and heads for the "Patch of Heaven" auction. It is the last parcel of land he needs to complete his real estate kingdom and exact his revenge on the homesteaders who failed to appreciate his genius for yodeling. Buck finally sees Rico's true colors and joins the girls as they make a last ditch effort to save the farm. With the odds firmly against them and time rapidly running out, the stage is set for
a final confrontation with Alameda Slim. -- © Disney Pictures
PRODUCTION NOTES
All trails lead to laughter, adventure and musical comedy in Walt Disney Pictures' rollicking new animated feature, "Home on the Range," a wild and woolly tale spotlighting a colorful cast of animal characters and some larger-than-life humans. Featuring six great new songs by Oscar®-winning composer/songwriter Alan Menken ("The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," etc.)
and lyricist Glenn Slater, this film follows in the best musical tradition of Disney animation.Adding to the fun and entertainment is an all-star vocal ensemble led by Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid, Steve Buscemi, Carole Cook, and Governor Ann Richards. Equally impressive is the line-up of musical superstars – k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt,Tim McGraw and The Beu Sisters – who seem right at "home" singing the Menken/Slater tunes.
Menken also composed the film's magnificent original score.
Set in a fanciful version of the untamed West, "Home on the Range" takes off at a full gallop when a greedy outlaw named Alameda Slim (voice of Randy Quaid) schemes to take possession of the "Patch of Heaven" dairy farm from its kindly owner, Pearl (voice of Carole Cook). Unwilling to stand by and see their idyllic way of life threatened, three determined cows (voiced by Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, and Jennifer
Tilly), a karate-kicking stallion named Buck (voice of Cuba Gooding, Jr.), and a colorful corral of critters join forces to save the farm in a wild quest full of high-spirited adventure.This unlikely assortment of animals brave bad guys and the rugged western landscape as they risk their hides and match wits with a mysterious bounty hunter named Rico (voice of Charles Dennis) in a high stakes race to capture Slim and collect the reward money. With its stylish animation, hilarious action
sequences and inspired musical moments, "Home on the Range," is an animated adventure that is fun for moo-viegoers of all ages.
Overseeing the film in her role as producer was Alice Dewey Goldstone, a 14-year Disney veteran whose previous credits include producing "Hercules," a stint as associate producer on "The Lion King," and production manager on "Aladdin." Making their feature film directing debuts are Will Finn and John Sanford. During his 25-year career in animation, Finn supervised the creation of such memorable
characters as the precision-minded clock Cogsworth (for "Beauty and the Beast"), the evil parrot Iago (for "Aladdin"), and the garrulous gargoyle Laverne (for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"). Sanford joined the Disney animation team in 1993 and contributed to the story development of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Mulan," and "Lilo & Stitch." He also served as head of story on "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." Finn
and Sanford wrote the screenplay for "Home on the Range," and also received a "story by" credit along with Michael LaBash, Sam Levine, Mark Kennedy, and Robert Lence. David J. Steinberg served as the film's associate producer. H. Lee Peterson was the editor.
According to Sanford, "Our goal with this film was to make it a lot of fun for ourselves and for the audience. Will and I share a love of cartoons and feel that making them is a great art. There are values in our story that are good, but we didn't want to be too heavy handed with any kind of message. We're proud to have made a very fun and entertaining cartoon."
Finn adds, "I've always loved broad characters and my favorite Disney films are the big funny crowd-pleasers like ‘101Dalmatians' and ‘The Jungle Book.' ‘The Jungle Book' is my desert island movie, and I could watch it every day. In creating a comedy western, we had to really roll up our sleeves and analyze the themes of the genre so we could work with them, use them and then turn them inside out."
David Stainton, president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, observes, "‘Home on the Range' is pure entertainment from start to finish, and a great showcase for the talents of our animators.Alice,Will and John have done an outstanding job creating a fresh and original comedy western that will appeal to everyone who loves movies. Alan Menken and Glenn Slater have come up with some truly amazing songs that add so much
to the film and are sure to become favorites. This film is a great example of the power and joy of animation and we're all very proud of this latest Disney animated musical. We hope audiences think it's as much fun as we do."
Helping to give the film its whimsical style and colorful look were a team of top artistic talents. Art director David Cutler was instrumental in creating the film's graphic style that uses layering of textured shapes and a bright palette to set up a fun and fascinating world. Background supervisor Cristy Maltese Lynch led a team of 15 top artists in painting digital and traditional backgrounds that had the feel of "crafts
projects," with hard-edge faceting, and textures that suggest a handmade quality. Layout supervisor Jean-Christophe Poulain and his team were influenced by the classic movie westerns in their camera placement and shot composition, and used close-ups, long shots and the placement of the horizon to add to the scale, drama, and comedic possibilities. Character stylist Joe Moshier ("The Emperor's New Groove") brought his unique design sensibilities to the visual development
of the film.
To prepare the filmmakers for their Western themed assignment, producer Goldstone brought twelve members of the creative team along on an authentic cattle drive. In the fall of 1998, the group – including songwriters Menken and Slater along with the art director, layout and background supervisors, etc. – headed for Wyoming for a rugged week-long 40-mile adventure. Spending up to eight hours a day on horseback, camping
out under the stars, and rounding up herds of cattle gave the participants an opportunity to soak up the environment and observe the cowboy life firsthand. In the evenings, the group would gather around the campfire and listen to authentic western music sung by the ranch hands and cowboys. On the final evening, back at the lodge, Alan Menken picked up a guitar and gave an impromptu concert of his own compositions for an intimate audience of locals. By the time the Goldstone gang arrived
home, they were no longer tenderfoots, but seasoned cowfolk.
Goldstone recalls, "It was so inspirational hearing those wonderful catchy songs when we were on our cattle drive. There's something about riding along and hearing that sweet music. One of the purposes of our trip was to study horse and cow behavior. We each had our own horse for the week and we had to brush, saddle and feed them. You got quite attached to your horse and got to know their moods. From an art direction standpoint,
we started above the timberline and went through the timber, chaparral and into the high desert. In a week's time, we really got to see a lot. During that time, we saw no cars, no phone wires, had no cell phones, and ate off tin plates."
She adds, "I'm so proud that we ended up with the film that we wanted to make.We all feel like we got the movie that was in our head and that it delivers such a rollicking, good, fun time."
ORIGINS OF THE PROJECT
Walt Disney Feature Animation had been interested in making a western themed comedy for many years, and several different storylines were explored during the film's development period. One early version of the story, entitled "Sweating Bullets," followed a little calf named Bullets, who wanted to be more like the horses who led the herd. In 1999, story artist Michael LaBash suggested a surprising approach involving
three cow protagonists who become bounty hunters to save the farm. Other story artists and writers contributed to the new idea – including Sam Levine, Mark Kennedy, and Robert Lence and Shirley Pierce. Directors Finn and Sanford came on board in October, 2000, and helped to shape the story further and write the final screenplay.
Sanford recalls, "When we came on board, we had a free hand. The song ‘Little Patch of Heaven' was already in production, but other than that we had no restrictions. We knew we wanted to make an upside-down western where the cows are the heroes instead of the cowboys. And from there, we had the freedom to move in any direction."
Finn adds, "The good news was we could make it our own, in any shape or form we wanted.The bad news was we had to move the project along quickly. It was like jumping on a moving train. We were pretty bold with the story and with the arcs of the characters. Buck and Slim were the characters that needed a lot of work. Buck was unlikable and arrogant. Instead of being the best bounty-hunting horse in the West, we made him
this sort of untried, young hopeful character who wanted to be a hero but never had a shot."
"Figuring out what to do with Slim was another major hurdle for our story team," adds Sanford."We went through so many motivations and so many different reasons for why he was doing what he was doing. The problem was we had heroes who had absolutely nothing to do with the villain. When we came up with the idea that Slim was stealing cows to buy up the land, it all started to fall into place. By going after the
land, and specifically ‘Patch of Heaven,' we gave the cows something to gain by catching him."
Another major piece of the story puzzle fell into place with the inspired idea to cast Roseanne Barr as the outsider cow, Maggie.
Sanford explains, "Will and I have been huge fans of the Roseanne show from way back, and I loved her HBO specials. But the idea to cast her really came from my wife Sara. I was showing her some scenes from the movie, and she was having trouble liking or understanding the Maggie character. She just blurted out, ‘Why don't you get Roseanne?'Will and I had been racking our brains trying to figure out what kind of personality
might contrast with Caloway and Grace.This seemed like a great idea and when I brought it up at the Studio, everyone seemed to agree. Suddenly we had a character who was disruptive and a consensus breaker."
Finn adds, "Maggie adds a tension that wasn't there before. Even if they do save the farm, will Maggie ever fit in? And is Mrs. Caloway going to accept her? It made the tension that we always wanted to have between those characters real." |
