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Barnyard (film)
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Barnyard: The Original Party Animals is a computer-animated film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures, that was released on April 4, 2006. The film was directed by Steve Oedekerk, who was also the principal scriptwriter, and stars the voices of Kevin James, Courteney Cox Arquette, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell and Wanda Sykes. The film was rated PG by the MPAA for some mild peril and rude humor. Most of the production was carried out in San Clemente, California. It was distributed in Switzerland, Spain, and Netherlands by Universal Pictures.
This makes it the second Nicktoon to be spun-off from a movie, the first being Jimmy Neutron.
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Encyclopedia
Barnyard: The Original Party Animals is a computer-animated film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures, that was released on April 4, 2006. The film was directed by Steve Oedekerk, who was also the principal scriptwriter, and stars the voices of Kevin James, Courteney Cox Arquette, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell and Wanda Sykes. The film was rated PG by the MPAA for some mild peril and rude humor. Most of the production was carried out in San Clemente, California. It was distributed in Switzerland, Spain, and Netherlands by Universal Pictures.
This makes it the second Nicktoon to be spun-off from a movie, the first being Jimmy Neutron. Coincidentally, both are computer animated.
Synopsis
The film starts with farmer leaving his barnyard and going into the fields. As soon as the truck is out of sight, all the farm animals relax and promptly stand up on two legs. A cow named Ben, who is the leader of all the animals on the farm, asks where his son Otis might be, since Otis' carelessness worries him. When Miles and a mother hen aren't sure, Ben notices the "Jersey Cows", a group of three troublemaking cows, and they ask Ben if he knows where Otis is. Ben rigidly states he knows exactly where Otis is and that they should stay away from him. Seeing Ben's concerned expression after the Jersey Cows leave, the mother hen reassures him of Otis' punctuality, but Ben continues on still unsure.
Otis and his friends are on the top a cliff with a surf board with a large ice cube tied under it. The group prepares to slide down the hill when Pig pulls out an apple. When asked where he got the apple, he shows them a large tree branch he is holding, which pushes the surfboard backwards (he is at the very back) and topples them down the other, more treacherous side of the hill. Careening down the hillside, the group eventually crashes into a rock, which shatters their ice cube and throws them into the air. They fly through an oil pumping station, and, sticky with oil, smash through a chicken farm, covering them in feathers. Ben calls a farm meeting, and while talking, Otis, Freddy, Pig, Peck, and Pip smash through the door, standing on a surfboard covered in oil and feathers. Ben is now more angry at his son than ever, and he tells him to he'll have to grow up some day. He then explains that, "a strong man stands for himself, but a stronger man stands for others." Otis gets mad and tells Ben that he isn't anything like him and he doesn't want to be the next leader of the farm, despite Ben's attempts to prepare him to be. Ben tells him to remember his shift, and Otis complains that he remembers as he walks away.
Later that day, Otis meets two new additions to the farm, female cows named Daisy (who is pregnant) and Bessy. Both Daisy and Otis are smitten with each other at first glance, but Bessy does not like Otis one bit (and blatantly declares such). Later that night, a big party is held at the Barn. Otis arrives at the lookout point (where Ben is keeping watch) and trips over a tree root saying he isn't late. Otis at first states that he accepts Ben's apology, but when Ben gives him a perplexed look, he explains that he doesn't want there to be any animosity between them. Ben then says that they are good. Otis takes this opportunity to tell Ben that he is expected that night at the Barn during his shift, and he doesn't care either way, but they wanted him to skip his shift and he did not want to. Ben begins explaining about when he found Otis, a small calf in the woods outside the fence, and how the stars seemed to twinkle the night Ben took him home. When Otis is still intent on going to the Barn, Ben agrees to take the shift, since it is so important to Otis. Otis walks away thanking him, jumps over the root he tripped over, and states that he can learn. Ben then asks if Otis remembers what he'd said earlier, and Otis hurriedly misquotes Ben and then runs off.
In the Barn, Otis enters, proves himself a party clown, and then is quickly snatched backstage. He then is featured as the Barn's lead singer in their animal band. Otis begins singing, as the crowd dances and shouts. Meanwhile, as the music beats in the Barn, the chicken coop is raided by a pack of coyotes. The red coyote leader, Dag, grabs a hen by the neck, and another hen immediately declares that they'll never get away with any hens. Dag asks her who will stop them, and the hen replies, "Him," pointing to the silhouette of Ben in the doorway. Dag notices that Ben is outnumbered, and the coyotes attempt to gang up on him, but Ben proves a worthy adversary. The fight moves outside, and while Ben is taking on the pack, Dag sneaks up from behind and bites him in the leg. Ben falls down and all the coyotes pile on him and repeatedly bite and scratch him. Dag begins walking towards the chicken coop, but Ben grabs his leg and bats the coyotes away with Dag's body. He then threatens to punch him, but lets him go when the other coyotes flee. The hens cheer, but Ben falls, exhausted from the fight. Etta, the hen that spoke up, runs into the Barn to tell Otis, and the alarmed son bursts open the Barn door and finds his father on the ground near death. As Otis cradles him, Ben opens his mouth as if to say something but dies before he can make a sound.
The next morning Ben is buried atop a hill, and all the animals are present, to respect and thank him. Otis, who still remains sad about his father's death, is then elected the new Leader by the frantic animals. Otis, however, thinks it's too much pressure and responsibility. Knowing he is a party animal, the animals then begin doing as they please. As Maddie and he family of chicks are walking, she notices Otis sad. She attempts to cheer him up, when her mom calls Otis to come look at something. The animals have gone out of control, and the farm is in mayhem. Otis comes into the farm yelling that they never party in daylight because the farmer could see, and they ask him what to do. As he denies his capability to lead, the farmer enters the Barn and encounters the animals partying and standing on two legs. Miles the Mule kicks him, knocking him out, much to Otis' dismay. Otis and his friends attempt to position the farmer somewhere he may have plausibly been knocked out (they eventually decided on a tree branch). The farmer eventually comes to and goes back into the now empty barn, and leaves dazed and confused. Later that night, Freddy the Ferret, and Peck the rooster, are stationed in the chicken coop to watch for coyotes (even though Peck seems unable to crow in alarm if he needs to warn Otis).
Otis watches as a group of kids "cow-tip" (knocking cows on their backs so they cannot get up) at the cows in a field, and Otis and the three "jersey cows" steal a car nearby and follow the kids to their homes. They trick the fat kid (Snotty Boy) by tipping him off the bed. Otis talks and so the boy screams, and the cows make their escape. On the way home, the cows are caught by the police, but instead of stopping they speed up, starting a car chase. The police are filming the chase for the COPS TV series. When Otis finds out, they must escape or the world would realize that cows aren't what they appear to be. Taking a detour, they end up crashing, and make a break for it. They make their way through the woods stopping in the field on the other side of the forest dropping onto all-fours appearing to be harmless cows to the police.
Later that night after the car chase, Otis hears the coyotes from Dag's pack. Otis is on the scene and distracts the coyotes allowing the Rabbit they were chasing to escape. Dag tells Otis that he should stay immature, to not bother dealing with him, and that they will capture the chickens tomorrow night.
Otis announces to the animals that he is leaving the barnyard, but before departing, Daisy says that the Coyotes captured some of the Chickens including Maddie, Otis's chick friend. Otis then leaves to face off Dag alone. At the junkyard, before eating Maddie, Otis confronts Dag but is easily defeated, due to the larger amount of coyotes in Dag's pack. Pig, Miles, Pip, Freddy, Peck, and "The Jersey Cows" help Otis at his time of need. Most of the Pack is scared away, but Dag attempts to strike at Otis one last time, but he is warned by the Crow made by Peck and he catches Dag, and warns him to never come back, then the red coyote is hit into the air with an iron.
The team returns to the Barnyard by motorcycle and discover that Daisy is in labor. She gives birth to a calf, naming it after Ben, in his memory. Otis announces to the animals that no animal will be harmed inside of the fence surrounding the Barnyard, and all of the animals cheer. At the end of the movie, Otis walks outside and watches the stars 'dance'(which is what Ben said he saw)(and it was Ben who made the stars dance). note: there was an extra clip at the end of Mrs. Beady pampering herself when her hair becomes a mess because Wild Mike is actually in it.
Main cast
Characters
Otis (Kevin James) is a carefree bull who would rather pull pranks, and party than stand watch and be sure the farm is safe. He is the adopted son of Ben and, upon Ben's death, reluctantly assumes the role of leader. Also even though Otis is a male cow, he for some reason has an udder. He lacks horns.
Ben (Sam Elliott) was a cow who was responsible for the barnyard when the Farmer is away. All the time in his later life he tries to teach his son Otis to grow up (he gets sick and tired of Otis fooling around), knowing that when he passes away, Otis must take his place. This worries Ben deeply. Ben is killed by coyotes early in the film. He had a handmade guitar and on it he played and singed a part of I Won't Back Down (In a piece of irony, Like Otis, he had an udder.
Dag is a coyote and the main antagonist of the movie. He and his fellow coyotes killed Ben and captured the Poultry to lead Otis into a trap near the end of the film. He is eventually defeated by Otis at the end of the movie.
Daisy is a pregnant cow who moves into the barnyard. She is Otis's love interest and she gives birth at the end of the film, the father being an unnamed cow at her old farm. She names her baby after Otis's father, Ben. She is replaced by another character named Abby in the CG cartoon.
Miles is a wise old mule that lives in the barnyard. He along with Pig, Pip, Freddy, and Peck help Otis defeat the Coyote pack. He is absent in the CG cartoon.
Pip is a mouse that lives in the barnyard. He is Otis' best friend in both the movie and the television series. He has a love interest in Bessy.
Bessy is a cow who is a "bodyguard" to Daisy. She intensely dislikes Otis because of his behavior at first, but then learns to like him in the end.
Pig is a pig who loves to eat constantly. He is another close friend of Otis's
Duke is a sheep dog who watches over the sheep. He is briefly placed in charge of the farm when Otis decides to leave. In the Video Game he enjoys cue sports like Pool.
Freddy is a ferret who suffers from a need to eat chicken, true to his species. He resists his instincts, however, to be a part of the farm. It is revealed in the television series that Freddy has hidden his resolve to vegetarianism from his parents for years, and has not spoken to them since years before the events of the movie and series.
Peck is a rooster who is friends with Freddy. He gets worried about Freddy at times. Peck only learns to crow at the end of the movie.
Etta is a hen that mothers all the chicks on the farm. She and her babies have been captured by the Coyotes and it is up to Otis to rescue her and the children.
Maddie is one of Etta's chicks. She loves Otis like a big brother as he is just as nice to her. She is absent in the CG cartoon.
The Farmer is the man who runs the Farm. However, when he leaves, the animals are free to do as they please. He is a Vegan. It's revealed in the cartoon that his last name is Buyer.
Eugene Beady (Snotty Boy) is an obese child who enjoys cow tipping, but Otis and the Jersey Cows pay him back with a game called boy tipping.
The Jersey Cows are group of 3 Cows that behave similarly to Otis at the beginning of the movie. Eddy, Bud, and Igg enjoy driving the farmer's truck, shooting milk from their udders, and partying hard.
Mrs. and Mr. Beady are a married couple who live near the Barnyard. Mrs. Beady is alerted when she sees Otis and the Jersey Cows walking on two legs, while Mr. Beady sits, watches TV and does not care about one thing.
The Pizza Twins are a pair of teenage pizza delivery guys. It appears that they are not very bright and easily amused, even when they actually witness the anthropomorphic farm animals.
Wild Mike is an unknown animal (a furry ball with legs) who is kept in a Crate and only let out for parties. He dances wildly, which to Otis's personality, makes him want to join. He is set to appear in a new episode of the CG cartoon. He is let out his crate by Miles to help defeat the coyotes. His eyes appear at rare points and makes shrill screeches.
Everett is an elderly dog. He turns 13 years old in the movie, which, in dog years, is 91 years old. He can play the banjo. He appears as a cameo in the TV series.
Video game
A Video Game by THQ and Blue Tongue Entertainment was created based on the film. It is an adventure game which you name your own male/female cow and walk around the Barnyard and Play Minigames, Pull Pranks on Humans, and Ride Bikes, plus Party Hard. The Game is for PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, PC, and Game Boy Advance.
Spin-off TV Series
In summer 2007, a television series based on the film was released called Back at the Barnyard. Otis's voice was replaced with Chris Hardwick's and Daisy does not make her appearance in the series. Daisy appears to have been replaced by another female cow named Abby. Also, Daisy's Son, Ben doesn't appear in the series.
Reception
It grossed $16 million its opening weekend, and made $73 million in its domestic theatrical release. It has made $108 million in its worldwide theatrical release.
Barnyard has received mainly negative to mixed reviews from film critics. The film has a "Rotten" rating of 24% at Rotten Tomatoes and a 42 out of 100 on Metacritic, i "mixed or average reviews", but has a number of advocates, including Michael Medved, who gave Barnyard four stars (out of four) calling it "hilarious, thrilling" and "flat out one of the year's best films."
"Male cow"
In the real world a male bovine is called a bull or a steer and does not have an udder. However, in this film several characters are "male cows" with an udder, while there is a character who is a bull. The director of the movie told Nick Magazine he did this for fun. This is, however, not the first time cattle have been portrayed in this way. In the United Kingdom, Boddingtons Bitter featured an animated "male cow" in some of its 1990s advertising, and recent computer animated adverts for Anchor butter portray two "male cows" as having udders. Also, the Dairylea adverts in the UK have male cows with udders. A more recent advert portrays that they really are male because they all have male voices.
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