Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 20:27:08

Eh.

My heart sank when I saw the Nickelodeon logo at the beginning of this movie, and my fears were confirmed. Seeing the promo (after the movie) for a Barnyard TV series this fall only confirmed what I already knew. Barnyard was just a TV pilot released to the theaters. And it has all the problems of the usual kiddy TV show: everything is medium instead of well done, with maudlin segments to try to jerk tears, and lessons taught so heavy-handedly that I expected to see the E/I tag in the corner of the screen. Overall, the best way to describe this movie is TV bland.I did note that while the story was similar to The Lion King--main character comes back from his lazy wastrel lifestyle to inexplicably have the ability to save the day--there was more of an attempt at character development in Barnyard. But not enough to make me care.I thought it was funny that, when Barnyard was released, half the world carried on about the fact that the bulls had udders. Steve Oedekirk's answer to that was, udders are funny. And that, combined with the skillful editing for the movie's trailers, had me thinking the movie would be funny. It wasn't, really.I think a better observation about the bulls would be, why don't the bulls have horns? To keep the Christian fundamentalists from asserting that there is a demonic element to them? You have to think of such things when you're designing a TV show.I don't hate this movie--I'm not that emotionally invested in it. There's nothing in it to care about. I probably would have been better off spending 90 minutes channel surfing--I might have stumbled across something interesting. But the deleted scenes on the DVD show that Barnyard could have been much worse than it is.

M. K. Terrell 2012-05-24 11:15:50

This coming-of-age story can seem like a series of "Far Side" panels expanded into a feature, but it imparts its lessons with a wealth of detail and too many gags to catch in one viewing.

jovoice 2012-05-22 22:57:18

Udders look more than wrong

We rented the video and I have to say I went to the computer and lookedup the movie to see if anyone else found the udders on the bullsdisturbing. Boy, did you ever! I've been reading a lot of interestingcomments. I was surprised that more people didn't think that they wereoffensive. My mind isn't generally in the gutter, but it did seem to melike these udders were very low and reminded me of male genitalia. Ifound it impossible to watch. I felt like I was watching an adult filmin a way. And I don't watch adult films, OK? My teenage daughter andher friend were out of the room before half and hour was up. I'm sureit probably has some redeeming qualities but I just couldn't watchthose udders. What a disturbing movie. Bad decision about the udders.My husband disagrees.

donvasy 2012-05-22 10:45:20

this 1 great movie

I finally saw the movie...and i must say...it has its moments...its nota incredible movie...just animals at a farm...but there were someAwesome AND FUNNY AND KICK A.. lines.i laugh with tears.Indeed it Steve oderkek as director (hope a spell it right)..this hasno chance in failing as a comedy.There is one thing that puzzled me(yeah right...its a cartoon you dope: ).)..does not matter if its a cartoon..the fact is that i saw a cowand...only cows..no bulls...well there were bulls but with ti-ties...(thats some funny ...:) .)Anyway i enjoyed the movie and its worth...go see it..it rocks.

ian-262 2012-05-20 08:56:07

Silly and fun

Firstly the look of the animation is a refreshing change. They havegone for a children's storybook illustration look. It is alsoreminiscent of plastic barnyard toys.Secondly ignore all the reviews whining about udders and male cows. Itis a children's animated movie and they're entitled to take liberties.Children often think that a cow is a type of animal, just like a sheepor goat and don't realise it refers to the female of the species. Bigdeal.Finally there is some violence and death in the movie. There is nothingwrong with this and it does not make it inappropriate for youngchildren. The violence is fairly standard harmless animated fare. Andit is appropriate to expose sadness and loss. See Bambi, Lion King etc.Overall this was lighthearted, silly and fun. There are some goodlaughs throughout.

2012-05-20 03:38:32

Barnyard fun

This review is from: Barnyard: The Original Party Animals (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) This is a good film if you can overlook the obvious complaints (all bovine do not have udders). Good story and good solid characters.

Robert Roten 2012-05-16 02:22:15

Relatively unfunny comedy about barnyard animals. It is notable mainly for its anatomically incorrect portrayal of bulls with udders.

J. R. Jones 2012-05-15 21:31:43

The laughs subside near the end as the requisite moral kicks in, but this is still that rare kids' movie I'd recommend to parents and nonparents alike.

2012-05-13 16:43:58

Very Entertaining Animated Film

This movie, especially in the beginning, provides almost nonstop laughs, the kind that adults would laugh at probably more than kids.. This is adult-funny, but don't misinterpret: there is nothing raunchy in the script. It's not totally innocent, either.I do wave a "red flag" for small kids. There are a couple of scenes in here that are definitely too scary for little ones. I am referring to a pack of coyotes attacking "Ben," the father character seen early in the movie, and literally killing him. That, and the short funeral scene, are too intense for impressionable kids. Later, the coyotes return a few times, too. Those mothers who complained about their little kids seeing this have a legitimate point.Nonetheless, for me - and I assume most other adults - the rest of this is pure entertainment, with a little sentiment mixed into the comedy as the main character, "Otis" (voiced by Kevin James) learns to grow up. Otis is one of the funniest characters I have ever seen on film, animated or not. When he and his barnyard pals are partying it up, which is frequently, it's just hilarious. With those parties comes some great music, too. I found myself really into the music, more than on any animated film I have watched (or heard).And - not only is the music excellent, the visuals are outstanding. The movie is filled with rich, deep colors that are stupendous to view. The only improvement would be a sharp Blu-Ray transfer.

Sean O'Connell 2012-05-13 08:09:25

A Lion King clone that's tailored to the Fisher-Price crowd.

rozach27 2012-05-07 03:24:12

Decent Movie.

I was very surprised of how much I liked this movie considering i'm 15and I do NOT like kiddie movies. It was either this or that ricky bobbymovie but I was lazy and already bought my ticket for barnyard so Ithought what the heck. From the start there was some humour for allages, and it continued throughout the whole movie. I will say therewere some parts you had to be older to understand, like when the dog istalking about licking himself, (I thought that was hilarious). By theend of the movie in the lobby all my friends were callin me a fagbecause I went to see some dumb animated "gay faggish movie for twoyear olds", as they said, but hey I don't care I thought it was frigginhilarious.

ccthemovieman-1 2012-05-06 22:05:59

Funniest & Most Entertaining (for adults) Animated Film I Have Ever Seen

Just when I recently wrote about a new animated film being the bestI've ever seen ("Cars"), a week later I watch this movie and now I havea new number one. I cannot believe how funny, how entertaining thisfilm was. I give it a nod over "Cars" for two reasons: 1 - it's easierto watch being a half-hour shorter at 89 minutes, and 2 - it's evenfunnier.This movie, especially in the beginning, provides almost nonstoplaughs, the kind that adults were laugh at probably more than kidswould. This is adult-funny, but don't misinterpret: there is nothingraunchy in the script. It's not totally innocent, either.I do wave a "red flag" for small kids. There are a couple of scenes inhere that are definitely too scary for little ones. I am referring to apack of coyotes attacking "Ben," the father character seen early in themovie, and literally killing him. That, and the short funeral scene,are too intense for impressionable kids. Later, the coyotes return afew times, too. Those mothers who complained about their little kidsseeing this have a legitimate point.Nonetheless, for me - and I assume most other adults - the rest of thisis pure entertainment, with a little sentiment mixed into the comedy asthe main character, "Otis" (voiced by Kevin James) learns to grow up.Otis, however, is one of the funniest characters I have ever seen onfilm, animated or not. When he and his barnyard pals are partying itup, which is frequently, it's just hilarious. With those parties comessome great music, too. I found myself really into the music, more thanon any animated film I have watched (or heard).And - not only is the music excellent, the visuals are outstanding. Themovie is filled with rich, deep colors that are stupendous to view.Whether you are a teen or a senior citizen, I would think you would geta lot of laughs out of this movie. Some of the best animated films Ihave ever seen have come out in the past year or two, and I have tobelieve I'll probably watch this one more times than any of them.

pandabat 2012-05-05 18:31:21

Lame Duck in and Even Lamer Farmyard

Oh dear, why are we persecuted with muck like this? Who read the scriptand actually said go ahead with this? The mind truly boggles.Set on a farm where the animals walk and talk like humans as soon asthe farmer is not looking, this is a tale which completely rips off"The Lion King" except for the following few details: (1) The lions arenow replaced by cattle (2) The hyenas are now coyotes (3) "The LionKing" was a triumph of a movie in both visual and aural flair and ittold a story well, while Barnyward is stinker of a movie with noinnovations an tells and old story badly.I basically ended up seeing this because it fitted into my timetablefor that day rather than out of any great need/want to see it. Lookingat the poster, with male cattle oddly having female udders, one'sthoughts dreamed of some Gary Larson type humour but would have settledfor less. It was upsetting to find out first hand how much less wasactually here to laugh at. Indeed the funniest moments wereLarson-esquire in their vein in that they occurred during moments ofinteraction or close encounters with humans. However those scenes coverabout 2 minutes of the movie and the rest is just one boring, emptyscene after another. Even the kids in the cinema seemed uninterested.I cannot emphasise enough how much you should stay away from this. Beg,steal, buy or copy "The Lion King" and watch it rather than stooping towatching this. Even drawing your own version of the Lion King on yourcarpet using embers from your fire and watching your home burn downaround you would be more entertaining than sitting through "Barnyard".

Sean McBride 2012-05-05 05:25:30

never really amazing enough to separate it from the rest of the herd of great animation that we've seen this summer.

garlicgenx 2012-04-29 03:56:33

Hello?

Last night we saw this movie, and my partner was looking up the moviereviews after the movie. We both were surprised not by the fact themovie has been boo'ed, but by the fact that people are taking thismovie seriously. Number one, who have had heard of talking animals? I'msure they do exist somewhere...but not on this planet, that I know ofanyway. Number two, it's a CARTOON! Since when there gotta be somerules of reality gotta adhere to cartoons? Do me a favor, go watch "WhoFramed Roger Rabbit" and learn all the fundamentals of cartoon rules(if there are any, that is). Oh! That probably explains the talkinganimals to begin with! Number three, granted, the udders are a bitdistracting, but then again so are the glasses on Mrs. Beady, the crackof the butt on that annoying little cow-tipping kid, and the uttermoronity of the pizza boy and the Farmer- but then again, it's aCARTOON, for Bugs Bunny's sake! I enjoyed the flick tremendously,because it's not realistic, consists of situations that seemingly humanyet unhumanly possible which makes it funny in a, granted, sophomoricway. Life's too serious to take this movie seriously! Go watch it anddon't expect to be realistic about it, except having a urge to laugh!

2012-04-28 22:14:13

Since when do bulls have udders?

Enough said! Couldn't make it through the first 5 minutes, but watched for 25 hoping I could find a redeeming element...what a waste!!!

Brian Clark 2012-04-23 16:07:58

Strictly for kids, and, as the three or four people who saw Oedekerk's previous directing effort, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, can attest, the writer/director tends to stretch even throwaway jokes minutes past the punch line.

cwrdlylyn 2012-04-23 04:09:49

BARNYARD : Rips Off "The Lion King" & Can't Balance The Drama W. Comedy

BARNYARD For severe lack of options currently in theaters, I found myself seeinga movie I thought you wouldn't have been able to pay me to see...BARNYARD. I couldn't have had less interest in seeing this movie,however a friend of mine swore that when they took the kids they werebabysitting, they laughed so hard they snorted. So I figured, why not.I can honestly say the film is enjoyable, and I'll get to the reasonswhy later on in this write up. But their are some glaringly badqualities to these movies that need to be mentioned. The animation issimply not up to par for what other studios are offering right now. Itall feels non-dimensional and simple. Character designs lack creativityand the execution could have been much better. Also, the voice workdoes little to improve the material (with the exception of DavidKoechner as the villainous Coyote). To be honest, people like CourtneyCox have never been worse or less engaging.I would describe the plot here, however it's easier to say watch THELION KING. Except here, the film tries to mix the most dramaticelements of THE LION KING with slapstick/crude humor that doesn't mix.THE LION KING's humor had some class to it which allowed the drama tofeel real. However, when BARNYARD attempts to be dramatic it just feelsawkward because two seconds before you watched a mouse crap pelletsonto the head of a pig. Not only are main plots stolen from THE LIONKING, but the villains are painfully reminiscent of the Hyenas in thatbetter film.Nonetheless, BARNYARD has some genuinely funny moments. While otherfamily CGI films seem to excel at balancing wonderful storytelling withintelligent humor and social commentary (Pixar for example), this filmsimply goes for the laugh at all costs. This takes away virtually allartistic merit for the film. But then again, it's not as if BARNYARDwas ever aiming for artistic merit. BARNYARD was gunning for mindlesshumor that would appeal to kids and adults, and it succeeds to greatextents in some sequences. In particular, there is a scene in which thefarmer witnesses the other life his animals lead and they hilariouslytry to convince him it was all a hallucination.While this works well for kids, I couldn't help but want a moreengrossing plot. The plot is too familiar and the animation doesnothing to enhance it with a visual flair. Though the film kept melaughing, anytime I wasn't laughing at some stupid joke I found myselfanxious for it all to be over. In general, BARNYARD is good for ahearty laugh, but not as a full movie.... C ...

Sarah 2012-04-22 02:33:25

PLEASE read before wasting your money

Hello - I normally love movies. I'm 19, I have seen many and dislikeonly one or two. This one though, the second it finished, I had to pullmy sister (who had wanted to see it) out by the arm and I burst intotears of laughter as soon as I got out because it was such aridiculously awful movie. Why it was awful: - all the cows had udders, especially bothersome werethe MALE ones with udders - none of the characters were unique orengaging, except perhaps the main Coyote Dag - the idea of cows keepingwatch against coyotes is just ridiculous - the 'funny' moments arerepetitive and become simply a sequence to out-do the last one - thethemes of working together, which should have been present at the end,were nonexistent. Instead, people get the impression: Well, I'll takethis all upon myself, and in this case I was lucky that my friendsdecided to back me up without my knowledge - all the moments similar tothe lion king (as mentioned below) were beyond corniness, even for akid's movieand...the worst of all... IT PARALLELS THE LION KING IN EVERY SINGLEWAY Responsible father figure who is killed by Coyotes (the Coyotes areessentially the Hyenas, with Dag, the lead Coyote, being the equivalentof Scar) The farm falls into chaos, Odis (the cow, though basicallySimba) wants to play around, and is shocked that his dad died, believesit was his fault (even though in this movie, it WAS his fault),confronts the Coyotes and gets an ass whooping, after which Dag tellshim to leave, and on the verge of leaving, Odis somehow decides to goand save some chickens and his friends back him up (by completesurprise of course, he leaves without knowing they will come help him). Other things taken from Lion King: stars moving around as signs, fatherfigures referring to stars/signs in a mystical loving way, theobviously circularness of how the father Ben found Odis and took careof him, and how at the end Odis' love interest gives birth and he has asimilar experience. Birth at the end? GOOD GOD, what the hell... andeven similar type music, which seems completely tacked on at the endbecause it is completely different from all the previous music.Honestly, this is the first movie I have ever seen where I really WASrooting for the bad guys - I never understood what other people weresaying, until now.BOTTOM LINE: Don't waste your time to go see this. Convince the kidsnot to see it, and re-watch the Lion King. Either that, or take them tosee the Ant Bully, which was creative and artistic.

Poe-17 2012-04-21 10:58:18

Righteous

Out of the chute; the director said the decision to put udders onbulls(steers?) took about 2/10 of a second ... he thought they werefunny. Most of America isn't rural and think "cow" is mammalianspecies. Bovine, or cattle, define the species. "Cow" is the femaleversion of the species. Bull (or the altered by human intervention"Steer") are the males and emasculated males.That aside; this animated movie is, essentially an old-fashionedwestern with nods to "High Noon", "A Fistfull of Dollars", "Tin Star"and on and on.One thing I've noticed about this movie and other animated features isthat reviews tend to refer to them as kids films, as in; "I took my 4YOto see this" or "I took my kids to the Movie-Plex and they wanted to...".These new animations are working on many levels, like the old BugsBunny and Road Runner cartoons, and a lot of it will sail over theheads of "my 9YO"; hence the PG and sometimes PG13 rating."Barnyard" has some absolutely hilarious moments, exciting animationyour kids will love and possibly be frightened by. Plot elements thatmay be too deep or may be just right, lessons about ethics we allwished we practiced and a lot of thematic elements and jokes you justhave to be an adult to appreciate.These aren't cartoons. They're cinema. Kids are drawn to them becausethey are animated and adults think they're kids films for the samereason.This is an incoming realm of cinema (mainly from graphic novels butthat will be changing) we need to know isn't "cartoons".Barnyard is nothing new (remember the westerns), very funny, veryrewarding and worth your time. Animation serves its purpose but notcutting edge.Sam Elliot: "Put the hen down, Dag" is one melodramatic moment as wellas his "Won't Back Down" song in his own voice at two pivotal moments.Favorite line; "I'm going right into your ear"."Barnyard" is also the "hook" to create loyalty to the upcoming series.Really good movie. Righteous.We've got live action films incorporating CGI coming at us from thatdirection and we've got "all CGI" coming at us from their end.It's a big blending and no one knows where cinematic entertainment isgoing.Don't miss this step-stone to wherever we're going.It's fun.