What’s With the Hermaphrodite Bulls in Barnyard?
I went to see Cars today, and it was pretty great. More on that later. Before I could watch Cars, I had to sit through at least seven or eight trailers (and a fantastic short). I didn’t mind, and I guess they figured the kinders don’t either.
Among the many animated films coming out in the near future, there’s one called Barnyard. It looks pretty ordinary, except for one peculiar detail. This is the film’s protagonist, and his name is Otis:
If you watch the trailer, you’ll hear that Otis has a decidedly male voice. He’s performed by Kevin James of “King of Queens” and Hitch fame.
Now, I don’t get out to the country much, but I do know this: bulls don’t have udders.
Additionally, bulls usually have horns. Neither Otis nor his dad have any such head gear. Roger Ebert noticed the same issue (or, more accurately, one of his readers did).
What gives? Where did these hermaphroditic cows come from, and what are they teaching our children?
Of course, I suppose you’ve got an obvious problem in an animated feature about farm animals walking upright. You can’t exactly be depicting bull testicles and expect to retain your G rating.
JohnB 
Todd