Share Email Print RSS

Party Poopers

If I was a parent, it would be an alarming trend. But as a sophomoric movie critic with only a dog and a '97 Tracer to care for, it kind of amuses me.

Kid movies, especially the animated variety, are getting away with more and more and more. Remember the shock when the super sexy Jessica Rabbit posed seductively in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" That was 18 years ago.

Today, no one would bat an eye if Mrs. Rabbit was wearing clear high heels and working the Sunday night shift at Richard's Rendezvous.

Take a scene in "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals" where hero Otis the Cow (voiced by Kevin James ) goes rebel-rousing with a couple of pierced, Jersey-accented pasture mates. They steal a neighbor's car, chug milk, get crazy and finally "tip" a young kid who earlier went cow tipping.

Well, right there you have drinking and driving, Mafioso undertones, grand theft auto and general misbehavin'. Not to sound like the Church Lady.

Listen, I'm not a prude, but the scenario begs the question - who is the audience for "Barnyard?"

Last year "The Incredibles" was able to find the perfect balance of humor: sight gags for the kids and smart wordplay for the adults. "Shrek" achieved the same. But since then, animated family fare is akin to a 14-year-old choking on a Camel Red outside the schoolyard - always trying to act older and cooler. Why can't family movies just act their age anymore?

"Barnyard" does have soft spots and is sort of a country version of "The Lion King." Whenever the local farmer leaves his fences or calls it a night, the roosters, dogs, horses and other barn denizens start to party. The farmhouse turns into a speakeasy complete with fat rats singing Shaggy songs, cows getting bombed on honey and raucous dancing among the hay bales. Otis is the ringmaster of all the tomfoolery and holds center stage with his gaggle of friends, including a pig (voiced by Tino Insana ), a mouse ( Jeffrey Garcia ) and a ferret ( Cam Clarke ).These scenes are cool to watch and rich with comic detail. They would make for a great cartoon.

But while this is going on, Otis' dad, Ben the Cow (voice of Sam Elliott ) is guarding the fences from the neighboring coyotes. These coyotes, led by Dag ( David Koechner ), are a fearsome bunch and animated in such a way that even grown-ups might get a jump. And of course, you can only guess as to what happens to the wise dad and reckless youth. All that's missing is Elton John humming "The Circle of Life" in the background.

Like most animated fare, "Barnyard" spends the first hour goofing off, suddenly realizes it has to tell a story and then rushes to resolution. This isn't a bad thing, as some of these playful scenes are better than anything featured in "Chicken Little," "Madagascar" or other recent wannabes. The idea of cows going human tipping or a bull riding a "mechanical person" is pretty clever and you can't help but wish there was more of this irony-fueled comedy.

At best, "Barnyard" is one of the unexpectedly funnier animated movies to be churned out in the past year or two. At worst, you might find your kids making fake IDs so they can go buy a gallon of 2 percent from the local grocery store.

"Barnyard: The Original Party Animals" is rated PG and is now playing nationwide. Last time out : Shampoo your mullet, iron your jean shorts and get ready to ride shotgun with Will Ferrell in the NASCAR lampoon, "Talladega Nights."