Posted: 05/29/2006

Over the Hedge

(2006)

by Tony Liccardello

As far as crappy animated movies go, The Wild this year set the bar at a depth that will never be reached. And much like Pauly Shore’s career, traditional animation is basically extinct. Instead, Pixar has coined the CGI-type animation, with great examples like Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo. So where does Dreamworks’s latest animated movie rank with the rest of them?

Over the Hedge boasts an enormous cast. Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, Nick Nolte, Thomas Haden Church, Eugene Levy, William Shatner, and Avril Lavigne are just some of the talent that lent their voices to this project. As it turns out, it wasn’t wasted either, Over the Hedge has some seriously funny material.

The story begins with RJ (Bruce Willis), a raccoon version of Frank Abignale who loves to stir up trouble. The forest that he resides in is filled with animals who are petrified of the humans that live over the hedge. Verne (Shandling), Hammy (Carell), Stella (Wanda Sykes), and Ozzie (Shatner) lead the forest community. That all changes once RJ convinces the animals to overcome their fears and step into paradise, where delicious snacks await their empty stomachs.

The cast does a great job, especially Sykes and Haden Church, two of the funniest characters. Then there is Carell, who has the funniest sequence in the entire movie. The physicality between the characters is hilarious, something straight out of the three stooges. A music montage to Ben Folds Five (although it did eerily remind me of Shrek)

had everyone laughing in the theater.

The material is funny for all ages. It is peppered with kid and adult jokes, and maintains a solid balance throughout. The suburban satire laced in the story is funny, poking fun at various types of technology (sound systems, cell phones), and junk food. The adult jokes sail way over the kids heads so it really is the best of both worlds. It is a perfect length, slightly under 90 minutes, so the film never drags. The dialogue is witty, and the script is filled with plenty of physical humor amongst the characters.

And while Over the Hedge is no Shrek by any means, it still is a solid entry to the animated film world. At worst, it is something that will hold us over until Cars releases next month.

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

Tony Liccardello is a film critic living in Michigan.

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