The Machine sends us to August 4, 2006 to watch the Nickelodeon animated film Barnyard, with voices by Kevin James, Courtney Cox, and Sam Elliot.

The animals at a sleepy little farm deep in the country have a big secret: whenever the farmer isn’t looking, they all walk on two legs, talk, and engage in all sorts of lighthearted shenanigans. The leader of the animals is Ben (voiced by Sam Elliott), a tough and stoic Holstein cow who keeps all the others in line, makes sure humans don’t find about their anthropomorphic lifestyle, and defends the farm from the vicious coyotes that lurk beyond the fence. His carefree son Otis (voiced by Kevin James) is more interested in goofing around with his friends than learning the principles of leadership - until Ben dies in a coyote attack, and it falls to Otis to lead the farm. As he struggles to balance his inner party animal with the new responsibilities that have been thrust upon him, Otis relies on the wisdom of his friend Miles the Mule (voiced by Danny Glover) and flirts with Daisy (voiced by Courtney Cox), a widowed pregnant cow who has just arrived on the farm.

Written and directed by Steve Oedekerk.

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Movie Memory Machine is part of the Grunt Work Podcasts network. For more information on today’s episode, visit moviememorymachine.com.

Theme song by Porky’s Groove Machine.

Special thanks to Nate DuFort.

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