Television Review: Back at the Barnyard
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the mischief in this animated
series -- which is based on the raucous movie
Barnyard -- is slightly tamer than in the big-screen
version, which included drinking, joyriding, getting chased by
cops, and more. But ringleader Otis (a male cow who,
inexplicably, has udders) still plots, schemes, and tricks his
comrades into following his selfish, often-devious plans. Those
plans sometimes lead to peril (a plummeting hot air balloon) or
cartoonish violence (knocks to the head, etc.), but no one is
ever injured.
Families can talk about being responsible. Kids: Do you think
Otis and his friends act responsibly? Why or why not? What
makes them do what they do? How does it affect the animals and
people around them? Have you ever been talked into doing
something you didn't want to do by a friend (or done the
talking-into yourself)? What happened? Do you think cartoons
like this one encourage questionable behavior in kids? Why or
why not? How do you which behavior you see in the media is OK
to copy and which isn't?
The animated spin-off BACK AT THE BARNYARD picks up a few years after the movie left off. Time has done little to raise the Farmer's (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) awareness of his herd's ability to walk, talk, and throw parties undetected under his nose. Mischievous cow Otis (voiced by Chris Hardwick) leads his gang into hair-brained schemes that bring them ever closer to human discovery. Whether it's plotting to get the Farmer out of the way for a barnyard party or persuading the other animals to open a restaurant and disguise themselves as people, Otis' whacky plans always ensure plenty of mayhem and madness down on the farm. The barnyard gang includes wise-cracking mouse Pip (Jeff Garcia), sassy cow Bessy (Wanda Sykes), food addict Pig (Tino Insana), and newcomer cow Abby (Leigh-Allyn Baker), whose natural athletic ability drives Otis crazy.
While Back at the Barnyard is, on the whole, tamer than its big-screen predecessor (there's no insinuation of drinking or gambling in this version), it's still sends some iffy messages to kids. Otis often coerces his peers into following his lead or schemes with them to pull one over on the Farmer. And no matter how extreme the trouble they get into, they always manage to work their way out of it -- and back into one another's good graces -- within each episode's 30-minute window. Perhaps most eyebrow-raising of all are the misconceptions kids might develop about barnyard animals -- not so much because they talk and walk upright, but because, once again, Otis the male cow sports a protruding set of udders. A biology lesson this is not, so be sure to correct the (hopeful) oversight for your kids.
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