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Common Sense Note

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?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Emily Ashby

Fans who just couldn't get enough of the gang of party animals in Barnyard (presumably, you're out there somewhere...), will want to tune into the animated spin-off BACK AT THE BARNYARD.

The series 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: Otis (voiced by Chris Hardwick) and the rest of the bunch are still up to their old tricks under his not-so-watchful eye.

Led by the scheming cow, the gang is forever dodging trouble as Otis' hair-brained ideas bring them ever closer to human discovery. Whether it's scheming to get the Farmer out of the way for a barnyard party or persuading the other animals to open a theme restaurant and pretend to be people in disguise, Otis is never short on plans that ensure plenty of mayhem and madness down on the farm.

In addition to Otis, those who've seen the movie will recognize characters like wise-cracking Pip the mouse (Jeff Garcia), sassy cow Bessy (Wanda Sykes), and food addict Pig (Tino Insana). Newcomer Abby (Leigh-Allyn Baker) adds some spice to the bovine population; her slow southern drawl hides her inner tomboy and a natural athletic ability that 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.

For better animated tales from non-human perspectives, try Toy Story, Cars, and A Bug's Life. For more farm animal cartoon fun, check out Garfield and Friends; the U.S. Acres segments are lots of fun.

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