Cowgirls n Angels

Plot

12-year old Ida Clayton (Bailee Madison) lives with her single mother, Elaine (Alicia Witt), but Ida's summer days are boring and full of nothing to do, so she begins sneaking off to rodeos in order to keep herself entertained. Ida's father, a man named Walker whom she never met, is a subject that Elaine refuses to speak about, and is part of the reason why she disapproves of rodeos. When Ida is given the opportunity to tour America with The Sweethearts of the Rodeo, a group of young women who perform at rodeos, Ida takes it, and after several scenes, Elaine approves. Ida quickly befriends the Sweethearts managers, Terence Parker (James Cromwell) and his daughter, Rebecca (Kathleen Rose Perkins). She sets off on a quest, looking for her father with the help of fellow Sweethearts, troubled, retiring alcoholic, Kansas (Dora Madison Burge), Madison (Leslie-Anne Huff) and Kansas's new lover that Rebecca disapproves of Justin Wood (Jackson Rathbone).

Cast

Development

Cowgirls 'N Angels was shot in Stillwater,Oklahoma, Guthrie, Oklahoma including Lazy E Arena and Pawnee, Oklahoma and environs during April–May 2011. The film used already existing rodeos to complete the look as well as two staged rodeos. Rodeo and horseback riding facilities of Oklahoma State University and Barnum Ranch as well as the facilities in Pawnee were used in the shoot and the filmmakers also shot the Guthrie Oklahoma annual parade which included the fictional Sweethearts of the Rodeo drill and trick riding group. The production retained the services of the Sky High Angels drill team from Arkansas as the core Sweethearts of the Rodeo and added the actors cast as well as three professional trick riders from Oklahoma and nearby Texas. One of the trick riders, Haley Ganzel, was cast as Rose in the production for authenticity. Another trick rider actually doubled for both Madison and also Ida's fall from her horse Prince in the film. Production went well notwithstanding extreme weather conditions which included high winds, rain, extreme heat as well as a large tornado which required the cast and crew to hide in the basement tornado shelter of the Stillwater National Bank in Stillwater. Multiple drafts of the script were written prior to productions and a number of changes were made on the set based on input from the film's cast, crew and production team.

In January 2013 the producers and director began developing a story for another Cowgirls 'N Angels film which they hoped to shoot in 2013 somewhere in the Southwest USA. This companion film, titled Dakota's Summer,commenced pre-production in the spring and principal photography began in June 2013 in Louisiana at various locations including Benton, Keachie, Keithville, Ruston, Shreveport and Belcher. Production was completed prior to July 4, 2013

Release

Production was completed by July 2011. Samuel Goldwyn Films released the film theatrically in the USA on May 25, 2012 after its world Premier in the Dallas International Film Festival, Dallas Texas. Twentieth Century Fox released the DVD & Blu-ray in the USA on October 2, 2012. Cowgirls as also exhibited in the Ft Lauderdale Film Festival accompanied by its young star Bailee Madison. The film has subsequently aired on Starz pay tv service and Netflix in the USA. The second Cowgirls n Angels film, Dakota's Summer was released in April 2014 in the USA by Twentieth Century Fox after Premiering in the Dallas international Film Festival, Dallas Texas, on DVD, VOD and Blu-ray and similar to the first Cowgirls n Angels film has positive 4 star ratings on various services like I tunes, Amazon, Netflix and Rotten Tomatoes.

Music

The Cowgirls 'N Angels soundtrack is filled with young country pop artists many of whom are from Oklahoma including Amber Hayes, Maggie McClure, Susan Herndon, Caitlin Rose, The Powwows, and Kim DiVine. An original composition Always There For Me performed by Richie McDonald, formerly of the band Lonestar, and Amber Hayes, as part of the father daughter motif is included both in the soundtrack as well as performed in the film's honky tonk sequence. The Soundtrack is available digitally on iTunes, Amazon.com, Google play and many other digital outlets.

Book

A Cowgirls 'N Angels book was created to accompany the film. The book was written by Timothy Armstrong, Pam Bassuk, and Stephen Blinn. The digital book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Reception

It is well received all around the globe and got mostly positive feedback and reviews.

Reviews

"Cowgirls ‘N Angels is a great movie for all ages so encourage your family to take a ride with Ida and find out who you really are. -The Dove Foundation

“Cowgirls ‘N Angels is one of the best live-action family movies in recent years. It’s a little gem with a big heart.” -MovieGuide

“You'll want to TAKE THE WHOLE FAMILY TO SEE Cowgirls ‘N Angels” -Cinema Review Magazine

“Cowgirls ‘N Angels boasts good performances and a tender message for both parents and kids.” -Common Sense Media

“If you have any horse lovers in your family, then this movie may be a winner!”-Homeschool Roster