Back at the Barnyard

Back at the Barnyard is a Nickelodeon CGI animated show that is a spin-off of the 2006 film Barnyard. The debut series premiered on September 29, 2007 on Nickelodeon. The show is produced by Omation, the animation division of O Entertainment, in association with Nicktoons Studios. The show mainly features pop culture references and parodies for the entertainment of the show. In February 2008, Nickelodeon renewed the show for a second season consisting of 24 episodes. On January 22, 2010, Nickelodeon ordered 16 more episodes extending it to a third season. As of March 2011, the show is on hiatus, due to the more recent Omation show "Planet Sheen" pausing production of "Back at the Barnyard" episodes. This is Steve Oedekerk's second animated series for Nickelodeon, as he was one of the executive producers (but not the creator) of .

Plot

The plot generally revolves around Otis (a cow) and his barnyard friends. Otis wants to goof around, but has to be responsible and protect the inhabitants of the farm. He and his friends Pip the mouse, Abby the cow, Pig, Freddy the ferret, Peck the rooster, Duke the sheepdog, and Bessy the cow have many crazy adventures, while at the same time help Otis protect the farm. The setting is unknown but it is heavily implied to be in the fictional Arizona town of Oedeville. While the setting strongly resembles Arizona (the Grand Canyon has been depicted in some episodes, i.e. Cowman and Ratboy), some have questioned whether or not it's in Arizona or a made-up setting. According to the original film and an episode of the spin off, Oedeville (in which Steve Oedekerk most likely named after himself) are 20 miles from the actual city of Phoenix. There is still debate of whether this should be the official location because there are many scenes in the show where the nature background does not look at all like Arizona (it is green and hilly, whereas Arizona is more of a desert-like area which is dry, arid and sandy). Otis and his friends have to overtake many obstacles like preventing Mrs. Beady in proving that animals can talk and distracting the farmer for them to throw a party. In every episode, Otis usually gets himself in a sticky situation where his friends have to come to the rescue, resulting in him learning a lesson. Sometimes, the animals dress up like people when out in public, which nobody notices except Mrs. Beady. The locations and artistic style have been reinvented for the series

Characters

Main characters

Otis

Otis (voiced by Chris Hardwick) is a black and white male cow who is the leader of the barnyard. Although male, he is called a "cow" not because he is one but because of his udders, the fact that he is male despite being a cow is not explained in the series. He is the show's lead protagonist. In the special 1-hour episode "Cowman, the Uddered Avenger", Otis becomes a super-hero named Cowman. Cowman appears again in the episode "Cowman and Ratboy". Otis is also a huge party animal (no pun intended) and enjoys anything with action or stunts and enjoys watching sports bloopers. He has a big crush on Abby. Some of his other aliases are "Professor Exposition", politician "Ned Bovine", newsman "Gil O'Malley", golfer Heifer Woods (punning off the famous golf star Tiger Woods) along with many other human disguises, and in the show's Christmas special, we learn he went to high school with two of Santa Claus' reindeer, Donner and Blitzen. He also plays a lot of pranks on Nora Beady (their next door neighbor, who claims to hear them talking and having their wild parties). Character Design of Otis was created by Southern California Artist Mark Beam. He appeared in as an NPC hidden character. Otis and Pig have made a cameo in the pilot episode of the new series "Planet Sheen". As the name of C.

Pip

Pip (voiced by Jeff Garcia) is a great, gray, barn mouse who speaks with a slight Mexican accent and often rides around on his best friend Otis' shoulder. He is known for his crush on Bessy, the sassy and sarcastic cow best friend of Abby, but she always rejects him. Pip's superhero ego is Ratboy, the sidekick of Cowman. Pip is not usually involved with the gang's crazy schemes as much as Freddy, Peck, Pig, etc. are (being a LITTLE more serious), but still, he usually comes along for the ride. Pip's human disguise makes people question him, to which another animal says 'He's the world's smallest man!'.

Abby

Abby (voiced by Leigh-Allyn Baker) is a beautiful blonde cow who lives on the barnyard, serving as the replacement for Daisy from the original movie. However, Abby is a bit of a tomboy, a wrestler, and former trapeze artist. Abby still shows a girly personality at certain points, has a major crush on Otis and is thought to be his girlfriend, and also is friends with everyone in the barnyard. There have been certain points on the show where she and Otis seem to have romantic feelings for each other, especially when their mini-clones fell in love. She has a love-shrine to Otis revealed in "Cupig". Two relatives of Abby mentioned on the show were her unnamed crazy uncle, and her cousin Veronica, who made an appearance in the episode "Abby and Veronica". She also mentioned multiple times that she has 17 brothers, though some of them made an appearance in the series. Her superhero alter-ego is "Cowgirl." Abby has shown to like Otis for probably longer than he liked her. They admit feeling for each other in the tv movie but later forget the whole thing ever happened. Abby is fond of everyone and is a good sport through it all.

Pig

Pig (voiced by Tino Insana) is filthy and is the only character in the show to be named after his own species living in a mudhole. Pig has various segments on the show that often interrupt the episode at its most important parts, with a few memorable segments are "Viewer Mail", "Ask Dr. Pig", a makeover segment and "Hollywood: Fact or Fiction?" Pig has a strong, but quite strange, love for unicorns, and he wished for one in the Christmas special, and is also the animal on the barnyard to dress up and disguise as humans the most times. He has a pet skunk named Skunky, and in one episode he is shown to have a beautiful singing voice. In another episode, it was shown that Pig is related to the pet pigs of Prince Fripplehoot, telling by a birthmark shaped like a crown on his backside and is therefore royal, but the stuck-up pigs turned him down. His superhero name is "Mr. Hamtastic."

Freddy and Peck

Freddy (voiced by Cam Clarke) is a very funny ferret and is best friends with Peck (voiced by Rob Paulsen), a weak rooster who he is often tempted to eat. Freddy may not be a barn animal, but still he hangs around the barnyard with his pals and suffers from paranoid delusions and has multiple personality disorders. Peck seems to share a slight rivalry with Root, a larger, braver rooster on the barnyard, such as in "Pecky Suave", where we learn that Peck (as the titular alter ego) is shown to have a crush on a beautiful hen named Hanna. Peck and Freddy are the show's resident comic relief as it were, and Peck Is considered to be accident prone, especially with flying meteorites. Freddy's superhero name is "Paranoid Man," and Peck's is "The Green Rooster." Noted Freddy is the only Character to almost be banished from the Barnyard Twice for crimes he never committed.

Duke

Duke (voiced by Dom Irrera) is the dumb sheepdog who is in charge of the Farmer's flock of intelligent sheep. Duke is clearly no match for the intellect possessed by the sheep he herds. Duke loves being a leader and being in charge of things. This was first shown in the movie after Ben, the barnyard leader, was killed and Duke wanted to take his position as leader, but no other animal except his fellow dogs and a cat, wanted him to take the place of Ben and wanted Otis instead. So in the series, Duke fancies himself as the barnyard's unofficial safety inspector and makes the barnyard watch a boring safety film once every year.

Bessy

Bessy (voiced by Wanda Sykes) is a sassy brown cow who lives on the barnyard, and is best with sarcastic comments toward the others. She is the main deuteragonist in the series. In the movie she was Daisy's best friend, but after Daisy was replaced by the more tomboyish Abby, she now serves as her best friend. Although Bessy is known to be the object of Pip's affections, she scornfully fails to return the same feelings. In one episode Bessy reveals that she lost her little son at a county fair, and mistakenly believes it is Otis.

Mrs. Beady

Noreen "Nora" Beady (voiced by Maria Bamford), more commonly known as Mrs. Beady, is a woman who lives close by to the barnyard and serves as the show's antagonist. She is aware about the animals.

Farmer Buyer

Farmer Buyer (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is the vegan owner of the barnyard who Otis cares deeply for. Still, when the animals need some time alone to work on a private project (a movie they are trying to make, a theme park they are attempting to build, etc.), that does not stop them from trying to drive him away with a prank phone call.

Recurring characters

Mr. Beady

(voiced by Steve Oedekerk), more commonly known as Mr. Beady, is Mrs. Beady's reluctant husband who miserably tries to convince his wife that animals do not talk. Mrs. Beady often calls him "Mr. Lump" because he always sits on a chair watching TV and rejects everything Ms. Beady says about the talking barn animals.

Snotty Boy

(voiced by Steve Oedekerk) is the rude, hateful, and bratty nephew of Nora Beady. He easily falls for pranks pulled on him by the barn animals, being very unintelligent, and is the object of their hatred, calling him "Snotty Boy." Eugene, whose dad is a clown, is extremely obese and the only person who he is ever nice to is his aunt and tortures his uncle.

Snotty Boy and his friends whom he treats badly are parodies of Joe Guire, Plug, and Bradley from How to Eat Fried Worms.

Also, despite his mean ways, he considers himself a ladies' man. In one episode he was "dating" Otis and another girl at the same time. His catchphrase is "Ha-ha-ha!" similar to Nelson Muntz from "The Simpsons"

Sheep

The sheep (voiced by Frank Welker) are hang around together in an eternally-close herd and are more intelligent than Duke. They often quote famous literature and make snide comments toward Duke. They seem to be very intelligent and philosophical despite their farmly upbringings.

The Jersey Cows

The Jersey Cows are Eddy, Igg and Bud, 3 cows who enjoy pranking humans and dislike having rules. Eddy is the leader out of the 3 cows. They're seen in the episodes "Cow's Night Out" and "Otis' Mom", and also have cameo appearances in several other episodes as well.

Everett

Everett (voiced by Lloyd Sherr) is the farmer's old bloodhound. The elderly dog first appeared in the movie, where he celebrated his 13th birthday, making him 91 in dog years. As the oldest animal on the Barnyard, Everett is depicted as being droopy and is as thin as his own skeleton, which can easily be seen. Everett uses a walker to get around, except for when he is playing an instrument, and hardly ever talks, but in very few episodes, he speaks.

Baxter

Baxter (voiced by Kevin McDonald) was a small white dog with pointed ears who became Duke's nemesis after he met him at an animal clinic in the episode "Doggleganger". He disguised as Duke with the help of black spray paint to give him spots and markings like Duke's. Although Baxter seemed to be a stray, he might had an owner in order to be able to afford medical care. He made 2 more appearances, first as Duke's replacement on the Barnyard, and then tried to marry Duke's sister, Stamps, only for the fact she was second in line to a relative's priceless bone collection.

Bigfoot

Bigfoot (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), who debuted in "Otis vs. Bigfoot", was in love with Abby and wanted to live at the Barnyard, but opted to go away. He was seen in several episodes since as a minor character, such as a judge in "Barnyard Idol", a mayoral candidate in "Otis for Mayor" and was also a singer. Apparently, Bigfoot can also fly and has his own theme song similar to Gamera.

Pizza Twins

The pizza twins (voiced by Rob Paulsen and Steve Oedekerk) are identical twin pizza delivery boys who first appeared in the original movie and often deliver pizza to the barnyard. The duo are very unintelligent and whenever they manage to successfully perform a task (either good or bad) they chant their famous line, "Doodley-doo-doo doo." One of them is of the Lutheran religion and got a fake arm.

Film-only characters

Daisy

Daisy (voiced by Courteney Cox) was Otis's love interest in the movie. She later gave birth to a male calf and named it Ben after Otis's father, and because Daisy's husband was probably killed after a storm blew Daisy and Bessy's herd away, Otis became baby Ben's adoptive father. In the series, Daisy was completely replaced by Abby, who was more of a tomboy. No mention of Daisy or her son Ben has come up in the series ever since.

Ben

Ben (voiced by Sam Elliott) was the former leader of the Barnyard. In the movie, he was killed by a pack of evil coyotes. He was Otis's adoptive father. He was more strict than Otis, who enjoys partying. Daisy also named her baby calf after him at the climax. Ben has only been mentioned on the show once, but seems to have completely vanished from the Barnyard after his death.

Cast

Note: As this show is translated into several languages (e.g. into Irish on TG4 in Ireland), the voice actors will be different than the English version.

United States

Regular cast

Much of the original cast from the movie reprised their roles. However, Kevin James, who had voiced Otis in the previous film, Andie MacDowell, who voiced Etta, and Megan Cavanagh, who voiced Hanna, did not return for the series. Others, such as Abby the cow, were created especially for the series.

Chris Hardwick as Otis

Jeff Garcia as Pip

Leigh-Allyn Baker as Abby

Tino Insana as Pig

Cam Clarke as Freddy

Rob Paulsen as Peck

Dom Irrera as Duke

Wanda Sykes as Bessy

Maria Bamford as Mrs. Nora Beady

Steve Oedekerk as Mr. Nathan Beady / Snotty Boy

Minor characters

Lloyd Sherr as Everett / Crows

Leigh-Allyn Baker as Etta (replacing Andie MacDowell in the movie)

Rob Paulsen as RoboPeck / Joey / Pizza Twin #1

Steve Oedekerk as Pizza Twin #2

S. Scott Bullock as Eddy

Maurice LaMarche as Igg

John DiMaggio as Bud / Hilly Burford / Officer O'Hanlon

Fred Tatasciore as Farmer Buyer / British Host

Maria Bamford as Jessica Allspice

Dee Bradley Baker as Bigfoot / Ryan Earcrust

Jeff Bennett as The Mayor

Earthquake as Root

Audrey Wasilewski as Dr. Glove

Maile Flanagan as Macy

Chris Hardwick as Boil

Steve Oedekerk as Snotty Boy's Father

Jill Talley as Snotty Boy's Mother

Guest stars

Kevin McDonald as Baxter

"Weird Al" Yankovic as himself

Jim Cummings as Chef Big Bones Mignon

Grey DeLisle as Juanita / Bronco Betsey / Hanna (replacing Megan Cavanaugh from the movie)/Veronica/Inga

Tom Kane as Freddy's Father

Jennifer Hale as Freddy's Mother

Mark DeCarlo as Bingo / Chubs Malone

Patrick Warburton as Bill

Kevin Michael Richardson as Don Bling / Queen Bee / Santa Claus

Valerie Pappas as Ivana Sugardaddy

Maurice LaMarche as Max Fripplehoot

Gilbert Gottfried as Security System Voice

Jim Meskimen as Horaldo

John Kassir as Winky

Thomas F. Wilson as Krouser Krebs

Julia Sweeney as Veterinarian

Billy West as Dr. Furtwangler

Nika Futterman as Stamps

Megan Cavanaugh as Brunhilde

Tress MacNeille as Great Aunt Gerite

Jeff Bennett as Miles (replacing Danny Glover from the movie and the episode "Club Otis")

Popularity (2007-2009)

Back at the Barnyard premiered on Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play in September 2007. After its premiere, the new series was classified as a hit. Back at the Barnyard remained a popular Nicktoon into 2008. During the return on SuperStuffed Nicktoons Weekend, a brand new Back at the Barnyard movie aired on November 29, 2008. On January 19, 2009, the original Barnyard movie aired for the first time on television.

In March 2008, because of the high ratings, Nickelodeon gave the series another season, which debuted October 24, 2008. On August 29, 2009, Back at the Barnyard was presented a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Special Class Animated Program". Because of its popularity and winning an Emmy, Nickelodeon announced in January 2010 that the series had been renewed for a 16-episode third season, which premiered on June 19, 2010. After the season finale of Planet Sheen, Nickelodeon asks Omation to continue the third season of Back at the Barnyard.

Episodes

DVDs

Volume 1: When No One's Looking

Release date: August 5, 2008

8 episodes; 96 minutes

* The Good, the Bad, and the Snotty

* Escape From the Barnyard

* Cowman and Ratboy

* Cow's Best Friend

* Chez Pig

* The Right Cow

* Saving Mrs. Beady

* The Farmer Takes a Woman

Volume 2: Cowman The Uddered Avenger

Release date: January 20, 2009

1 TV-movie and 4 episodes; 97 minutes

* Cowman the Uddered Avenger

* Hypno A-Go-Go

* Fowl Play

* The Barnyard Games

* War of the Pranks

Awards and nominations

Video game

References

External links

Official Site

Press Release

Mark Beam - Character Design / Associate Producer

Category:Nicktoons Category:Nickelodeon shows Category:2000s American animated television series Category:2010s American animated television series Category:Television programs based on films Category:Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:Computer-animated television series Category:2007 American television series debuts Category:American children's television series Category:YTV shows