Barnyard

Barnyard (also known as Barnyard: The Original Party Animals) is a 2006 animated adventure comedy film produced by Nickelodeon Movies and O Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures, and the first installment in the Barnyard franchise. The film is directed, produced, and written by Steve Oedekerk, the co-creator of Nickelodeon Movies and O Entertainment's Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) and its television series continuation The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. The film stars the voices of Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes, Andie MacDowell, and David Koechner. It tells the story of Otis, a carefree 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. The film began development in 2002, and was released on August 4, 2006, in the United States. The film received mixed reviews on Metacritic and negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, whose critical consensus describes it as "unimaginative and unfunny". It was also criticized for its inaccurate depiction of steers with udders. However, the film was a box office success, grossing $116.5 million worldwide against a $51 million production budget. Additionally, it spawned a television series, Back at the Barnyard, which ran on Nickelodeon and later Nicktoons for two seasons. Plot Otis is a carefree cow who lives on a farm where the animals are anthropomorphic when humans are away. Instead of following rules and accepting responsibility, Otis prefers to goof off with his friends Pip the mouse, Pig the pig, Peck the rooster, and Freddy the ferret, to the disapproval of his adoptive father Ben, the farm’s leader. One day, 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. Before Otis leaves, Ben tells him he saw the stars dance the night he found him as a calf. As the animals party, a pack of coyotes led by Dag attempt to raid the chicken coop. Ben fends them off alone, but is badly injured and dies. The farm elects a mournful and reluctant Otis as the new leader. A natural party animal, Otis struggles with his newfound duties, which unexpectedly includes salvaging an incident in which the farmer witnesses the animals partying and Miles, a mule and Ben’s old friend, knocks him unconscious.