Barney's Great Adventure facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barney's Great Adventure |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Steve Gomer |
| Produced by | Sheryl Leach |
| Screenplay by | Stephen White |
| Story by | Stephen White Sheryl Leach Dennis DeShazer |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Van Dyke Parks (Credited only in trailer) |
| Cinematography | Sandi Sissel |
| Editing by | Richard Halsey |
| Studio | Lyons Partnership Lyrick Studios |
| Distributed by | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | March 27, 1998 |
| Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States Canada (filming locations) |
| Language | English French |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Money made | $12,218,638 |
Barney's Great Adventure (also known by its promotional title Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie) is a 1998 American musical comedy adventure film based on the children's television series Barney & Friends, featuring Barney the Dinosaur in his first ever feature-length film. The plot follows Barney, along with 3 young children named Cody, Abby, and Marcella, as they discover a magical egg in a barn. After learning that the egg is a dream maker, Barney and the gang must return the egg to the barn before it hatches. The film was written by Stephen White, directed by Steve Gomer, produced by Sheryl Leach and Lyrick Studios and released by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment on March 27, 1998 in the United States and Canada at the height of Barney's popularity.
The film received mixed reviews and was a box office bomb, only grossing $12 million against a budget of $15 million. This was the third and final film to be produced by Lyrick Studios before it was folded into HIT Entertainment in 2001. It is also the only theatrical Barney film as all other Barney films were just direct to video productions.
Plot
Cody, Abby, and Fig Newton, alongside Abby's best friend Marcella Walker are dropped off to the Newton's grandparents' farm for a whole week during summer break. As Cody believes there's nothing exciting at the farm, Abby and Marcella rub a Barney doll in his face. Cody starts a game of "keep-away" by taking the Barney doll and running off with it. The two go after Cody, who hides the doll in the bathroom. The girls catch up with Cody, who tells them to use their imagination and laughs when he thinks that nothing happened. However, the doll comes to life as Barney the Dinosaur takes the girls to play in the barn. Cody refuses to believe in Barney, and claims that real dinosaurs don't talk.
That night after dinner, the whole family is outside the front porch where Cody further discusses how Barney was in their barn and was not just a little doll. Grandpa then sings Let Me Call You Sweetheart to Grandma before he goes back inside with her and Fig. Right on cue, Barney appears after Fig and their grandparents went back inside and they sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star before Abby and Marcella go back inside to play in the attic. Barney then gives Cody advice to wish upon a star. Cody takes his advice and wishes for a real adventure that summer and to do things no one else has done before. A shooting star deposits an egg in the barn, and Cody discovers it the next day. Barney and the kids go tell their grandparents about this, but Barney gets distracted when he hears Fig cry. Grandma suggests to Abby and Marcella that they go see Mrs. Goldfinch. Cody finds Barney in the baby room and takes him to see his grandparents, but Abby and Marcella take Cody and Barney to see Mrs. Goldfinch, who tells them that the egg is a dreammaker. Cody accidentally knocks the egg off the table which lands on a birdseed truck. Barney and the others recover it through a parade as the egg avoids being cracked by the people in the parade. Barney's friend B.J. catches it when it almost lands on the ground, but tosses it away. Barney and the gang chase the egg through a French restaurant where Barney sings If All The Raindrops, a circus where Barney and the kids sing We're Gonna Find A Way, and finally, they fly through the sky to continue their pursuit of it. However, they eventually make it back to the barn in time. All the while, Baby Bop is looking for her blanket and B.J. and Baby Bop arrive just in time to see the egg hatch.
After they return the egg to the barn, it finally hatches into a koala-like being named Twinken who shows everyone Abby's dream, then Barney's. Cody apologizes to Barney for being mean and says that he's cool. Barney accepts his apology and tells Cody he thinks he's cool too and the two share a hug. Twinken shows everyone a magical fireworks display which lands in Barney's arms. Barney begins to sing "I Love You", and the rest of the cast sings with him. Baby Bop gets sleepy, which prompts B.J. to decide they are ready to go home. The film ends with Twinken sitting next to Barney who has reverted into his doll form.
Cast
- David Joyner as Barney (costume)
- Bob West as Barney (voice)
- Trevor Morgan as Cody Newton
- Diana Rice as Abigail "Abby" Newton
- Kyla Pratt as Marcella Walker
- Jeff Ayers as Baby Bop (costume)
- Julie Johnson as Baby Bop (voice)
- Jeff Brooks as B.J. (costume)
- Patty Wirtz as B.J. (voice)
- George Hearn as Grandpa Greenfield
- Shirley Douglas as Grandma Greenfield
- David and Edouard Larouche as Fig Newton
- Renee Madeline Le Guerrier as Mrs. Goldfinch
- Roch Jutras as Mr. Millet
- Alan Fawcett as Dad (Mr. Newton)
- Jane Wheeler as Mom (Mrs. Newton)
Production
Filming
The film was shot on locations outside Montreal, Canada, including the renowned Ste. AnnedeBellevue's Morgan Arboretum, a popular wildlife sanctuary. The veteran film crew was initially a bit skeptical of the large purple star.
Original version
According to writer Stephen White, in the original script, the egg was going to hatch a giant bird who misses its mother, Baby Bop and BJ were expected to make a lot more screen time, appearing in the farmhouse attic, but those scenes were soon scrapped, as director Steve Gomer claimed the scenes to be "unaffordable", Miss. Goldfinch was originally planned to be a comedic character, as opposed to the more subdued character of the final film, the circus scenes and the "Collector" character were not in the original drafts, as well as rather than using a log, Barney and the gang would have built a plane out of cardboard boxes.
Release
Box office
In its limited release weekend, the film grossed $2,203,865 from 540 theaters and ranked number 11. A week later, in wide release, it grossed $1,382,373 from 809 theaters and ranked number 15. By the end of its run, the film grossed $12,218,638 in the domestic box office, falling short of its $15 million budget.
Home media
In the United States, the film was released on VHS and DVD on September 1, 1998, and was re-released on DVD in 2012, whilst in the United Kingdom, it was released on DVD in 2002.
