Critic's Grade: C

Just when I thought that the world would be proved wrong in its assumption that basic 2-D animation can't hold a candle to the explosion of the digital realm, Disney had to go and give us "Home on the Range." Not that this is a bad film or a truly terrible one, but it certainly doesn't live up to the reputation that the House of Mouse has built for itself in the past with such titles as "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King." This is partly due to the fact that there's nothing particularly interesting about its plot or the characters, who strive for a hipness along the lines of "Finding Nemo" but end up coming off more like failed stand-up comics who only achieve a few half-hearted teeters from their audience.

The story is as simple as a dusty country plain: after a notorious outlaw named Alameda Slim (voiced by Randy Quaid) took her owner's entire herd of cattle, bos largus Maggie (Roseanne Barr) is forced to go and live on a dairy farm filled with all sorts of cutesy little animals of all kinds. Of course, being a former prize cow doesn't make Maggie the ideal addition in the eyes of Mrs. Calloway (Judi Dench), the self-appointed leader of the pack who finds the new arrival's antics a bit out of place. Then comes the plot hook: Alameda Slim is back, and ready to pounce on the farm, which is in danger of being auctioned off after unpaid mortgage payments. So like all good pets should, Maggie, Mrs. Calloway, and the bright-but-bubble-headed Grace (Jennifer Tilly) set out to catch Slim and claim the reward money to save their home.

I'll tell you that after seeing that absolutely hilarious trailer, I was ready to exit the theaters with split sides. It never happened. There were a few light chuckles, some smiles, but mostly I was bored with this barren wasteland of missed opportunity. It's not so much the animation, really: given the context of the movie as a whole, the simplicity of the artwork was in its favor for the most part. What bothered me was this nagging feeling of Disney's post-Pixar attempt to rival its computerized competitor with in-jokes and humor for the adults and the children. Sorry, but Roseanne just wasn't my ideal choice on television, and she's sure not up to the job here, although she does try, so much so that it becomes grating. And despite their best efforts, Dench and Tilly don't fare so well, either. At best, "Home on the Range" will find a comfort zone with those looking to recapture the simpler days of animation, although once it's finished, they may find themselves holding on more out of desperation than actual enjoyment.

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