Barney's Great Adventure is a Barney movie film based on the children's television series, "Barney & Friends". It was released to movie theatres on April 3, 1998.
Plot
On a road trip to their Grandparents' farm, Abby and her friend Marcella are content playing with a stuffed Barney doll, while Cody believes Barney's "kids stuff." At the farm house, Cody takes Barney from the girls and hides him in the shower, where he comes to life. Barney tries to convince Cody that it was his imagination that made him real, but fails to do so. Instead he points out that real dinosaurs don't laugh or talk or laugh- there aren't any real dinosaurs anymore! Cody plays a trick for Barney to disappear, because he doesn't believe in him. For revenge, Barney reappears because he believes in Cody. Wishing to do something no one's done before, an egg shoots down from the sky into the barn. The next day, Barney, Abby and Marcella went to have fun on the farm and Cody steps in cow poop all over his new shoes. They find the egg in the barn and the first ring lit up. While going to ask Abby and Cody's grandparents about the egg, Barney heard Baby Fig and went up to check on him. Cody finds Barney in the baby's room and they take the egg to Mrs. Goldfinch, the local bird lady. They learn it's a dream maker and they have to return the egg before all five of its colored rings light up. Cody loses the egg by knocking it out a passage way and it lands on a bird seed truck. The chase is on! From a parade with a marching band and a visit to Chez Snobbe, a fancy restaurant, to a circus, the kids and Barney are on a persuit for the egg. When a juggler sends it flying, the kids lose all hope of finding it, but Barney tells them to not give up. After learning it ended up on a balloon, the group imagines (with the help of the audience) flying on an airplane made out of a log. Barney's friend, the Collector, has the egg as a ballast (to keep the balloon steady), but after some convincing, he drops it and Abby catches it just in time. Back on the farm, the egg hatches in the barn, revealing a koala-like creature, named Twinken. He shows Abby's dream (to be a jockey and win a horse race) to everyone. Cody apologizes to Barney for being mean to him and admits he thinks he's cool. Barney accepts his apology and tells Cody he thinks he's cool too and the two share a hug. Twinken then shows Barney's dream : "a special time, a special place and sharing it with the people he loves," which leads Barney and the rest of the cast to sing "I Love You." Baby Bop gets sleepy, which prompts BJ to decide that they're ready to go home. The film ends with Barney turning back into a doll with Twinken sitting right next to him, as the two of them wink.
Educational Theme: Imagination / Dreams / Never Giving Up
Cast
Songs
- Barney - The Song
- Imagine
- Let Me Call You Sweetheart
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
- Old MacDonald Had A Farm
- If You're Happy and You Know It
- Who's Inside It?
- The Stars and Stripes Forever
- The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
- If All the Raindrops
- We're Gonna Find a Way
- I Love You
Writer
Director
Musical Director
End Credit Music
- You Can Do Anything
- Rainbows Follow the Rain
- Barney - The Song
Production
Word of a Barney film first arose in November 1992 when Debbie Ries, sales director for the Lyons Group said plans for a movie was in the works. In 1993, it was later announced by creator Sheryl Leach at the The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. that a movie was coming. Later in 1994, a Barney Magazine states that Barney would star in his first ever film entitled Barney: The Movie .
It would originally be distributed worldwide by Geffen Pictures through Warner Bros and produced by Sheryl Leach and Dennis DeShazer. According to Sheryl Leach, it had a release date for summer 1995. Warner Bros. and Lyons had disagreements over marketing, leading the latter to bring the film (with help from now former producer Geffen) to Polygram.
on June 20, 1997, Barney himself announced his film at a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Later in 1997, teaser trailers for the film Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie arose on VHS cassettes with some Barney Home Videos. To Sheryl Leach, it was a joy of filming as she stated "It was a joy to do the film because it took me back to the early days in Barney's development. Just like the beginning days of Barney, this movie takes him to places children have never experienced with him before. The film was a great opportunity to open new story lines and environments so that children can travel to new places with their friend, Barney," Leach says. "The film goes to some incredible places that we hope will appeal not only to children but to adults as well." Leach adds that the film allowed them to "take the familiar Barney and put him outdoors and in other very different settings from his traditional environments." 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.
Release
Critical Reception
The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a "Rotten" score of 26%, based on 23 reviews with only 6 fresh reviews, and a rating of a 4.2 out of 10.It was nominated for two awards at the 19th Golden Raspberry Awards: "Worst New Star" (Barney) and "Worst Original Song" (Barney - The Song) , but lost to An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn, though the former award was tied with Ringmaster.
Box Office
In its limited release weekend, the film grossed $2,203,865 and ranked #11.A week later, in wide release, it grossed $1,382,373 and ranked #15. By the end of its run, the film grossed $12,218,638 in the domestic box office, almost returning its $15 million budget.
Home Media
It was released on video on September 1, 1998.
Trivia
Movie Theatre Release Dates
North American
- April 3, 1998 (PolyGram Filmed Entertainment print / Lyrick Studios print)
Movie Theatre Re-Release Dates
North American
- November 23, 2013
- April 18, 2025 (Universal Pictures print / HIT Entertainment print / HIT Movies print)
Video Release Dates
North American
- September 1, 1998 (PolyGram Video print / Barney Home Video print / Lyrick Studios print / Kids Motion International print (Canadian print))
Video Re-Release Dates
North American
- 2002 (Universal Studios Home Video print / Barney Home Video print )
- February 2015 (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment print / Barney Home Video print)
- May 31, 2016 (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment print / Barney Home Video print)
- June 17, 2025 (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment print / Barney Home Video print / HIT Entertainment print)