Yeah, I'll admit, after a glut of recent animal-centric CGI productions ("Over The Hedge," "The Wild," "Ice Age 2," "The Ant Bully," "Chicken Little," etc.), I had little hope for this Paramount effort, but I gladly admit I was wrong.
This was actually a pretty decent animated feature; and while the artwork wasn't the greatest (do male cows really have udders, and if so, do those udders look like baby bottle nipples attached to plumber's helpers?!), the story was good and the vocal characterizations were right on.
Ben the Cow (voiced by Sam Elliot) is the leader of the barnyard when the farmer is gone (why a cow has this role, and not a bull, a dog or a horse is never really answered). His sworn duty is to protect the animals from a pack of vicious coyotes, led by the vile Dax (David Koechner, "Anchorman").
Ben's favorite saying is, "A strong man stands up for himself, a stronger man stands up for others." Ben's adopted son, Otis (Kevin James, "King Of Queens"), however, has no such loyalties or philosophy, and is a living example that cows just want to have fun. That includes partying all night in a literal barn dance, ice surfing off a tall mountain with his idiot friends, or going for a joyride and "boy-tipping" with some "Jersey cows." Otis is definitely one non-stop party animal.
When his father is attacked by the coyotes while trying to protect the farm, though, Otis has got some growing up to do real fast. His relationship with a new bovine, Daisy (Courtney Cox)- who's about to give birth - also proves to be a major complication.
Sweetly told, "Barnyard," with more than a passing allusion to "The Lion King," stresses the importance of fathers, friends, and mustering the courage to do what's right - there's even a couple of good old-fashioned tear-jerking moments here, as well.
Some small children may be frightened by the intense scenes with the predators, but, overall, while certainly no "Cars," this will keep both kids and their parents entertained for 90 minutes or so. And there's nothing wrong with that.
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