| Barnyard | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steve Oedekerk |
| Written by | Steve Oedekerk |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | John Debney |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures[1][4] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States[2][3] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $51 million[4] |
| Box office | $116.5–118.6 million[4][1] |
Barnyard (also known asBarnyard: The Original Party Animals) is a 2006 American animatedcomedy film written and directed bySteve Oedekerk. The film features anensemble cast, includingKevin James,Courteney Cox,Sam Elliott,Danny Glover,Wanda Sykes,Andie MacDowell andDavid Koechner. It tells the story of Otis, a carefreeHolstein cow, who learns the value of responsibility when he becomes the leader of his farm home's community after his adoptive father's death from a coyote attack.
Barnyard was released in the United States on August 4, 2006, byParamount Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $116.5 million worldwide against a $51 million production budget. A sequel television series,Back at the Barnyard, premiered in 2007.
Otis, a carefreeHolstein steer, lives on afarm in theArizonian town of Oedeville, where its animal occupants are allowed to reveal their anthropomorphism when humans are not watching them. He prefers to have fun with his friends, Pip themouse, Pig thepig, Freddy theferret and Peck therooster, to the disapproval of Ben, his adoptive father and the farm's leader.
One evening, Otis convinces Ben to cover his night watch so he can attend a massive party in the barn and impress Daisy, a pregnant cow who recently arrived at the farm with her best friend Bessy. Before Otis leaves, Ben tells him he saw the stars dance the night he found him as a calf. As thefarm animals party, the sadisticcoyote Dag and his pack attempt to raid the farm'shen coop. Ben arrives and successfully fends the coyotes off alone but is mortally wounded. Otis rushes to Ben's aide, but Ben dies in his arms.
Following Ben's death, the animals elect Otis as the new leader. He struggles with his new position and duties, which includes salvaging an incident in which the farmer witnesses the animals partying and Miles, an elderlymule and Ben's childhood friend, knocking him unconscious. Leaving Freddy and Peck to guard the chicken coop, Otis joins the Jersey Cows, a trio of troublemaking cattle, in getting revenge against acow tipping bully. After narrowly avoiding the authorities, Otis returns for his night watch and shares a tender moment with Daisy, who recalls the time her late husband and fellow cattle were lost to a storm.
Otis soon encounters Dag, who easily deters him using his weakness as a leader and guilt over Ben's death. Dag arranges a deal to periodically steal animals from the farm, threatening to kill them all if Otis attempts any interference. Ashamed, Otis decides to abandon the farm, but relents after learning that the coyotes have kidnapped the hens, including Etta and her young daughter Maddy, during the day behind his back.
Encouraged by Miles, Otis sets out to confront Dag alone at hiswrecking yard den. Otis is initially outnumbered by the coyotes but his friends arrive to fight alongside him. Together, they defeat the pack, with Otis warning Dag to never threaten their home again. The animals hijack motorcycles and drive home, where Daisy gives birth to a calf named in Ben's memory. Otis vows to protect the farm as his father did before watching the stars form images of him, Daisy and young Ben dancing together.
Archival recordings ofShaggy's "Boombastic" were used for the performance of Biggie Cheese, a mouse musician.
Paramount Pictures releasedBarnyard in theaters in the United States on August 4, 2006.[1] It grossed approximately between $116.5 million and $118.6 million at the worldwide box office, against a budget of $51 million.[4][1]
Barnyard was released byParamount Home Entertainment on DVD on December 12, 2006, in separate widescreen and full-screen versions.[5] The DVD includes the alternate opening, a "Barnyard Bop" music video, a comic book creator, and a commentary by Steve Oedekerk and Paul Marshal.Barnyard was released onBlu-ray for the first time on January 25, 2022.[6] This released on4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on TBD byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment; (throughStudio Distribution Services and Mill Creek Entertainment under license fromParamount Pictures)
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 23% based on 93 reviews and an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Unimaginative and unfunny, this tale of barnyard mischief borders on 'udder' creepiness and adds little to this summer's repertoire of animated films."[7] OnMetacritic, it has a score of 42 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[8] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[9]
Roger Moore of theOrlando Sentinel gave the film 2 stars out of 5, saying that, "withBarnyard, another quick-and-dirty 'all-star cast' mess churned out by the digital start-ups hired to steal some ofPixar's cash, the year that computer-generated animation 'jumps the shark' becomes official. Politically correct, anatomically incorrect, and ugly to look at, the only thing that savesBarnyard is writer (and director) Steve Oedekerk's gift for gags and almost-edgy humor."[10]Kyle Smith of theNew York Post gave the film a score of 1.5/4, saying that "if you want to punish your kids, send them to bed without dinner. If you want to disturb, frighten, and depress them while making sure they fail biology, take them to the animated featureBarnyard."[11] Gregory Kirschling ofEntertainment Weekly criticized the film's plot, giving it a C+ score and said that "it feels likeBarnyard swipes too much of its plot fromThe Lion King."[12]
On the positive side, J. R. Jones of theChicago Reader enjoyedBarnyard, saying that "it's way funnier than many of the R-rated comedies I've seen lately, though Oedekerk seems to have ignored the writer's edict to know your subject—most of his cows are male. The CGI is excellent, with characters whose depth and solidity suggestNick Park's clay animations. 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 non-parents alike."[13] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today gave the film a score of 2.5/4, calling it "a sweet and mildly funny movie that will entertain young audiences, but one aspect is utterly mystifying: The two main characters, father and son bovine creatures, have large, distracting udders."[14]
Barnyard grossed $72.6 million domestically and $43.9 million internationally for a worldwide total of $116.5 million against its production budget of $51 million.
The film opened at No. 2 at the box office on its opening weekend behindTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, earning around $15.8 million at the domestic box office from 3,311 theaters. On the film's second weekend, it dropped 38.7%, grossing $9.7 million and finishing in 4th place, behindTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,Step Up, andWorld Trade Center. By its closing on November 2, 2006, it grossed almost $73 million in its domestic theatrical release.[4]
 | This sectionis in a table format thatmay be better presented usingprose. You can help by converting this section to prose.Editing help is available.(December 2024) |
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2006 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst Movie Title | Paramount,Nickelodeon | Nominated | [15] |
| Worst Animated Film |
| Barnyard (Music from the Motion Picture) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | August 22, 2006 (2006-08-22) |
| Recorded | 2005–2006 ("Wild 'N Free" was recorded in 1994; "Boombastic" was recorded in 1995) |
| Genre | Alternative rock, Pop |
| Length | 36:58 |
| Label | Bulletproof |
The film's score is done byJohn Debney, who also previously scoredJimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001). The soundtrack was released on August 22, 2006, by Bulletproof Records. It includes an original song by indie pop bandthe Starlight Mints and "You Gotta Move" byAerosmith.[16]
| No. | Title | Performed by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mud" | North Mississippi Allstars | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Hittin' the Hay" | North Mississippi Allstars featuringLes Claypool | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Down on the Farm (They All Ask For You)" | Kevin James and North Mississippi Allstars | 1:12 |
| 4. | "I Won't Back Down" | Sam Elliott | 2:12 |
| 5. | "2StepN" | North Mississippi Allstars | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Hillbilly Holla (End Credits)" | North Mississippi Allstars | 3:25 |
| 7. | "Kick It" | The Bo-Keys | 2:33 |
| 8. | "Father, Son" | Peter Gabriel | 4:56 |
| 9. | "Freedom Is a Voice" | Bobby McFerrin andRussell Ferrante | 4:17 |
| 10. | "Popsickle" | Starlight Mints | 3:01 |
| 11. | "Wild ‘N’ Free" | Rednex | 3:37 |
| 12. | "Boombastic" | Shaggy | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 36:58 | ||
Other songs featured in the film:
A video game based on the film was produced byTHQ andBlue Tongue Entertainment. It is an adventure game in which the player names their own male or female cow and walk around the barnyard and play mini-games, pull pranks on humans, and ride bikes. The game was released forPlayStation 2,GameCube,Wii,Microsoft Windows, andGame Boy Advance.
On September 29, 2007, a sequel television series titledBack at the Barnyard, premiered onNickelodeon.Chris Hardwick replacedKevin James in the role of Otis, andLeigh-Allyn Baker voiced new character Abby, who replaces Daisy, Otis' love interest from the film.[17] The series had a considerably lighter tone than the film and ran for two seasons, ending on November 12, 2011.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
