the film has been beautifully mastered and pushed the format to its potential.
For the 1st time on Blu-ray, Walt Disney’s Home on the Range was the last traditionally animated film between 2004 and 2009 until The Princess and the Frog. It is a heartfelt story of the old west Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford. Voice talents include Roseanne Barr as Maggie, Judi Dench as Mrs. Calloway, Jennifer Tilly as Grace, Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Buck, Randy Quaid as Alameda Slim, and Charles Dennis as Rico. It’s a musical and a western. So the sights and sounds are of the old west.
The tale begins with a prize cow named Maggie, who has to find a new home after an infamous cattle rustler robs her home, Dixon Ranch. The rustler named Alamida Slim robbed the ranch of 500 cows in a single night. With Maggie being the only one left, Mr. Dixon sells her to a farm owner named Pearl. Her farm is called Patch of Heaven and it is a farm that keeps all of the animals more as pets. They use the food they produce like milk and eggs. Living on the farm already are Mrs. Calloway and Grace, 2 milking cows who are content with their lives. The local Sheriff and Buck the Horse bring Pearl the news that her farm is going up for auction unless she pays the bank. So the 3 cows get the idea that they’re going to save the farm by having a fair and ask the Sheriff for a little more time. While in town, they watch Rico bring a bandit in and collect a reward. The cows decide then and there that they will bring in Alimada Slim to collect the reward and save Patch of Heaven.
The plot comes together for a Disney kid’s film and in classic Disney fashion, has a happy ending. However, there are some parts during the film which almost seem thrown together. Without giving too much away, my only real issue is the dialogue and jokes is they are somewhat dry. There is just a lack of cohesiveness between actors.
The film looks excellent in 1080p and the frame rate is smooth. I really feel that animation shines in HD because it captures and presents the film the way it should be seen. Also, the coloring looks great. It is very vibrant to showcase the scenery and even the drab colors are done well. All in all, the film has been beautifully mastered and pushed the format to its potential.
Absolutely well done. Disney has done well with using an array of sound effects for years in their films whether it be live or animated. Makers of the film used their resources well with all of the effects and mixing them well with the score. Each channel of the home theater is frequently used and the music is loud but clear.
Supplements
Video resolution: 1080p AVC
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English SDH
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Discs in set
Two-discs (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Blu-ray Copy
DVD Copy
Playback is Region free
Disc 1 Blu-ray film + features
Bonus Short- A Dairy Tale: The Three Little Pigs
Deleted Scenes – Four Deleted Scenes with Filmmaker Intro
Music Videos
Trailblazers: The making of home on the range
Yodelmentary – Wacky funumentary toplines the history of the Yodel and ends with a yodel-off from kids and adults from around the world.
Joke Corral: Herd of Jokes (deleted jokes)
And much more!
Disc 1 DVD film + features
Bonus Short- A Dairy Tale: The Three Little Pigs
Deleted Scenes – Four Deleted Scenes with Filmmaker Intro
Music Video
Trailblazers: The making of home on the range
Yodelmentary – Wacky funumentary toplines the history of the Yodel and ends with a yodel-off from kids and adults from around the world.
The film does exactly what it is meant to do: entertain. It is a good film for kids because it has a few winning elements such as animals, outlandish/over-the-top characters, music and singing. And for adults, its a film that holds your attention and sometimes will drop small, adult jokes. The disc itself is done beautifully and really shows off what Blu-ray has the potential to do.
The audio and video are strong but the extras and supplements are a little light. That to me is a perfectly acceptable trade off in. My recommendation, pick it up and watch it with the family, You’ll enjoy it.
