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Home on the Range is a 2004 American animated Western musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was written and directed by Will Finn and John Sanford and produced by Alice Dewey Goldstone, from a story by Finn, Sanford, Mark Kennedy, Michael LaBash, Sam Levine, and Robert Lence.

Named after the popular cowboy song of the same name, the film stars the voices of Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid, Carole Cook, and Steve Buscemi. Home on the Range is set in the Old West, and centers on a mismatched trio of dairy cows—brash, adventurous Maggie; prim, proper Mrs. Calloway; and ditzy, happy-go-lucky Grace. The three cows must capture an infamous rustler named Alameda Slim for his bounty in order to save their idyllic farm from foreclosure. Aiding them in their quest is Lucky Jack, a feisty, peg-legged rabbit, and a selfish horse named Buck, eagerly working in the service of Rico, a famous bounty hunter, who seeks the glory for himself.

Home on the Range premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 21, 2004, and was released in the United States on April 2. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $103–145.3 million at the box office.

Plot[]

Amidst the Old West, wanted cattle rustler Alameda Slim steals most of Dixon Ranch's cattle. The ranch owner, Mr. Dixon sells the remaining cow, Maggie, to Pearl, a kind, aging woman who runs a small farm called Patch of Heaven. Sam, the local Sheriff, arrives to tell Pearl that unless she pays back the bank in three days, her farm will be sold to the highest bidder. Hearing this, Maggie convinces farm cows Grace and Mrs. Calloway to go to town with her to win prize money at a fair. While the cows are in town, a bounty hunter named Rico drops off a criminal, collects their reward, and looks for a replacement horse while his rests. Idolizing him, Sam's horse Buck convinces Rico to take him. Upon seeing this and learning the reward for capturing Slim will cover Pearl's debt, Maggie convinces the other cows to help her collect the reward to save Patch of Heaven.

That night, they hide among a large herd of steers when Alameda Slim arrives with his henchmen, the Willies. Before Maggie can attack him, Slim starts yodeling, which puts all of the cattle except the tone-deaf Grace into a hypnotic trance, allowing Slim to lead them away. Grace brings Maggie and Mrs. Calloway back to their senses before Slim uses a landslide to cover his escape. Narrowly missing him, Rico and his men discuss their next move while Buck argues with the cows, leading Rico to believe he is unreliable and return him to Sam. However, Buck escapes, determined to capture Slim for himself to prove his worth.

The cows continue their search in the hopes of capturing Slim before Buck until they lose the trail during a flash flood and have a falling out, with Mrs. Calloway believing Maggie only wants revenge and Patch of Heaven would be better off without her. Along the way, the cows are joined by a peg-legged jackrabbit named Lucky Jack, who also lost his home, an old mine, to Slim. The cows decide to follow him, with Mrs. Calloway and Maggie making a deal that after the farm is saved, they will go their separate ways. With Lucky Jack’s help, the cows discover Slim converted the mine into his hideout and stole cattle from his former patrons to render them unable to support their land. When the subsequent auctions occur, he then disguises himself as respectable businessman "Yancy O'Dell" to buy their land using the money he makes from selling off the stolen cattle.

The cows and Jack capture Slim and rush back to Patch of Heaven with the Willies and Rico in pursuit. Learning Rico works for Slim, a devastated Buck helps the cows fight him, setting the stolen cattle free in the process. Slim escapes and dons his disguise to buy Patch of Heaven, but the cows return and join forces with Buck, Jack, and the rest of Patch of Heaven's farm animals to defeat and expose him. As Sam arrests him, Pearl uses the reward money to save her farm.

At first, Mrs. Calloway—who had come to like Maggie—and Grace are sad that Maggie had seemingly left, but their spirits are lifted when they see that Maggie decided to stay. The three cows—along with two bulls they had encountered earlier—celebrate with a good old-fashioned square dance.

Cast[]

  • Roseanne Barr as Maggie, a former show cow and the newest animal on Little Patch of Heaven farm, Chris Buck served as the supervising animator for Maggie.
  • Judi Dench as Mrs. Caloway, a Holstein cow who serves as the leader of the animals on the farm, Duncan Marjoribanks served as the supervising animator for Mrs. Calloway.
  • Jennifer Tilly as Grace, an optimistic and innocent-minded cow, Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Grace.
  • Cuba Gooding Jr. as Buck, a Thoroughbred horse and Rico's biggest fan that dreams of being a hero, Michael Surrey served as the supervising animator for Buck.
  • Randy Quaid as Alameda Slim, a cattle rustler wanted by law, Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Slim.
  • Charles Dennis as Rico, a famous bounty hunter and Buck's idol, Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for Rico.
  • Charles Haid as Lucky Jack, a clumsy rabbit with a wooden leg that he says brings good luck, Shawn Keller served as the lead animator for Lucky Jack.
  • Carole Cook as Pearl Gesner, the farmer, and owner of Patch of Heaven, Bruce W. Smith served as the supervising animator for Pearl.
  • Joe Flaherty as Jeb, a grumpy goat who lives in Patch of Heaven, Sandro Cleuzo served as the supervising animator of Jeb.
  • Steve Buscemi as Wesley, a black market businessman and magician who negotiates with Slim, Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Wesley.
  • Sam J. Levine as the Willie Brothers, Slim's three nephews and henchmen, Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for the Willies.
  • Richard Riehle as Sam Brown, the town's sheriff, and Buck's owner, Sandro Cleuzo served as the supervising animator of the Sheriff.
  • Lance LeGault as Junior, Alameda Slim's pet buffalo, Dale Baer served as the supervising animator for Junior.
  • G.W. Bailey as Rusty, Sam's dog, and Buck's best friend, Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Rusty.
  • Estelle Harris as Audrey, a chicken who lives in Patch of Heaven.
  • Charlie Dell as Ollie, a pig who lives in Patch of Heaven.
  • Bobby Block, Keaton Savage and Ross Simanteris as The piggies, Ollie's childrens.
  • Marshall Efron as Larry, a duck who lives in Patch of Heaven.
  • Mark Walton as Barry and Bob, Texas longhorns.
  • Dennis Weaver as Abner Dixon, Maggie's former owner.
  • Patrick Warburton as Patrick, a horse that takes Rico to Slim's lair.
  • Ann Richards as Annie, a saloon owner.
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