Pearl Gesner is a supporting character in Disney's 2004 animated feature film Home on the Range. She is the owner of the dairy farm Patch of Heaven & acts like a mother-like figure towards her livestock.
Early life and before Home on the Range[]
Not much is revealed about Pearl' s early life. She has been shown to have lived in her farm for a long time, and had built a respectable reputation with her neighbors. It is mentioned in the sales papers which was nearly signed by the end of the film that she's a widow, meaning at one point in her life she was married. In any case, Pearl had ran the farm for many years in her own by the time the film takes place. As seen in her own reflections on how she has survived many harsh catastrophes, including blizzards, and even tornadoes.
Role in the film[]
Pearl is an elderly farmer who owns a farm called Patch of Heaven. Like any farmer, she tends to her farm and livestock. She is shown to love and care for all the animals that live on her farm, especially Maggie, a show cow that was sold by her previous owner and whom Pearl took in. She is also revealed to keep a few photos she had taken of her farm animals as fond memories, including one of her bottle-feeding Grace when she was a calf.
Later, Sheriff Sam Brown arrives on the farm and shows Pearl another bank notice. He explains that the banks are going to auction off her home if she can't pay the full amount she owes them because they are losing so much money due to cattle rustlers leaving behind so many bankrupt ranchers. He then suggests that Pearl sell off a few of her livestock to pay the debt. This angers Pearl, who explains that she would never sell her farm animals because they're family. She then chases the Sheriff off her property in a fury, sending him running.
Pearl is later seen mourning over her three cows, who had gone AWOL in an attempt to save her farm from foreclosure, and wonders if she will ever see them again. Nevertheless, she is also upset about losing Patch of Heaven to the highest bidder, as she had no choice but to auction off her remaining farm animals after Alameda Slim, disguised as Yancy O'Del, had closed the deal with the Sheriff, although Sam does show Pearl a little sympathy.
In the film's climax, when Pearl sees a train (which her cows hijacked earlier to get home) coming dangerously behind, she rushes forward to grab the chicks that were being auctioned before they get hurt and shoves the Sheriff out of the way of the train just as he notices it. After a brief battle, the cows get the better of Slim when his disguise is removed, revealing his true identity. Pearl becomes shocked and horrified that the auctioneer who is buying her farm is Alameda Slim, and the outlaw is then roped up, gagged, and arrested by Sam. The Sheriff later arrives with the reward money and asks Pearl if she can find any use for it, to which she happily states that her farm is saved and pays the debt she owes the bank. Afterwards, a photographer takes a picture of Pearl and her livestock, with everyone smiling save Jeb.
At the end of the film, Pearl dances with Sam as they and all the farm animals (who are also seen dancing) celebrate Patch of Heaven being saved and re-opened.
Disney Parks[]
Pearl appeared at the "Patch of Heaven Petting Farm" (which was actually called the "Big Thunder Ranch" area themed to Home on the Range) at Disneyland for meet and greets for promotion of the film. After the attraction closed in 2005, Pearl had vanished and has not made appearances at any of the parks since.
Trivia[]
- In the original version of Home on the Range, Pearl was going to be a male farmer before the script changed.
- It is revealed by the grant deed, which was nearly signed at the time Patch of Heaven was due to be auctioned off, that Pearl is a widow, meaning at one point in her life, she was married to an unknown husband who passed away prior to the events of the film. Interestingly, no photograph is shown in the movie to give clues of this past.
Gallery[]
