t used to be that only one or two computer-animated features would premiere each year. Now, there are practically one or two per month. Unfortunately, quantity has clearly surpassed quality, with countless studios attempting to cash in on the craze of anthropomorphized, misfit animals embarking on road trips or other various misadventures.

Ben (Sam Elliott) is the elder cow on the farm and attempts to maintain some semblance of order over the security and daily routines of the other animals. His efforts are essentially in vain, however, as his party-crazy, adopted son Otis (Kevin James) manages to bring out the wilder side in his fellow denizens, even going so far as to break trade laws with the Gopher Underground or walking on two legs in front of humans. But when a pack of evil coyotes attacks the ranch, Otis must learn to stand up for himself and accept responsibility for the safety of his friends.

That synopsis might sound a bit truncated, but it’s not because of the numerous plot twists peppering the script; it’s because there really isn’t much more to the story. The premise is intellectually obtuse, containing no trace of ingenuity or nerve. Annoyances and shortcomings pop up left and right as recycled events are undertaken by stereotypical, insincere roles. And perhaps worst of all, unlike some of the recent animated films that contain their fair share of adult humor, “Barnyard” seems geared exclusively toward small children.

The character designs range from mildly creative to downright bland. The models of the chickens, coyotes, and a handful of the minor background players are actually quite appealing. On the other hand, the cows (who are the main characters and therefore garner the most screen time), embody some of the poorest conceptualizations of recent memory, with unconvincing textures, a simplistic color scheme, and modeling-clay shapes and movement. The lack of complexity becomes ever more apparent later in the film, during a showdown with the coyotes in a junkyard. This scattered wasteland the malicious scavengers call home is so magnificently realized – complete with a beautifully rendered, abandoned school bus – that it’s a greater shame the artists didn’t take some of the time they must have used in generating supplementary imagery to apply to the lead roles. There’s even an animal whose species appears indeterminable – and it’s not the dancing furball that was purposely left ambiguous.

Another perplexing element is that every cow in the movie has an udder – even the male ones. Whether or not audiences are familiar with bovine anatomy is irrelevant, though in one particular unintentionally funny scene, Otis cradles a newborn calf who clearly has an udder, and proclaims, “It’s a beautiful baby boy!” This might be oversight (or intentional due to the extremely young target audience), but it’s just one more inattention to detail that proves indicative of the bigger picture – one of general genericness that can’t be bothered with entertaining scripting, innovative character designs, or a wider range of humor. On the bright side, in a few more weeks another computer-animated movie will undoubtedly hit theaters – one whose director will hopefully have a more impressive resume than “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist” (though that film’s use of a CG martial artist cow is likely not a coincidence for Steve Oedekerk’s involvement with “Barnyard”).

– Joel Massie