Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

In the animated feature film 'Barnyard', the farmer thinks he's in charge, keeping all the animals safe and sound. But when the farmer is out of sight, the lookout sheep shouts "Clear!" and all of the barnyard animals spring up on two legs, walk, talk, watch TV, and orchestrate outrageous practical jokes. Otis the cow (left, voice of Kevin James) is the biggest goof-off of all - until he's forced to take on responsibility for the other animals. - Contributed

If you have no problems with the fact that the bulls in this flick all have udders, then Barnyard, written and directed by Steven Oderick, is a watchable flick. The movie will definitely have a stronger pull for the tots in the audience but the adults who carry them along need not fear for terminal boredom.

The flick starts out innocuous enough, managing to be mildly amusing though not particularly thrilling or over-imaginative. Even from the beginning, there are enough antics to keep the young ones very entertained. As the flick goes along it picks up momentum and by the time we have seen a very fat rat sing Boombastic and gone through an incidence of boy tipping, Barnyard has become enjoyable enough.

'Two bull cyaa rule'

The flick seems to have been created in defiance of the idea that 'two bull cyaa rule inna one pen' as the farm, run by a vegan, has mainly bulls. Indeed, there are only two cows in the entire flick, and they are both new to the farm. The animals in Barnyard lead double lives, behaving as we would expect before humans, then engaging in all the things humans do, including walking upright, joyriding, and even drinking milk.

The 3-D animation is for the most part adequate, but occasionally, some shots have been very beautifully created. Indeed, the artwork for the show's villain, a coyote named Dag, is the most outstanding piece of artwork in the flick. Dag is the brilliant red of a bloody sunset and he is rendered in all pointy, vicious edges that make him easily identifiable as the baddie in this flick, so that he has no need for a black hat.

Barnyard is in many ways a coming of age flick with touches of the western but the characters are largely drawn from the contemporary teen scene. Otis (voiced by Kevin James) is a dairy bull who happens to be a born party animal. He believes that the party is the ultimate goal of life. Unfortunately, he soon finds he has to step in to fill his father's shoes. Rather than lead, Otis would rather go land surfing with his friends Pip (a mouse voiced by Jeffrey Garcia) and Pig (voiced by Tino Isuana).

Journey to self-hood

His father, Ben (voiced by Sam Elliot) who seemed to have been cut from the same mould as The Duke and Johnny Cash, is Otis' immediate opposite. As Otis goes on his journey to self-hood, however, he will discover that he does not have to be his father in order to be his father's son. The film is also filled with family oriented values about friendship and standing up for other people.

Though it has a largely similar theme and storyline, Barnyard has neither the strength of story telling nor characterisation that made The Lion King an instant classic. Fortunately, however, toward the end of the flick it adds some emotional depth to the main characters. Additionally, a little hoof-holding is added to bring a little romance to the flick as well.