Over the Hedge

What a fun movie! It was so nice to be able to sit back and let this film wash over me. After all the terrorism, sinking ships and boring codes, it was nice to just see a simple story play out on the screen. I was a tad apprehensive at first because Over the Hedge is put out by Dreamworks Animation. In my opinion, Dreamworks will never hold a candle to the geniuses over at Pixar. You may ask, what about Shrek? Well, I was never a huge fan of Shrek, sure it was funny but the animation was always a bit more degraded than Pixar and the humour was sometimes way too adult in nature. Dreamworks then followed up Shrek with the disastrous Shark Tale and the tepid Madagascar, so my expectations were not real high. To my surprise, I had an enjoyable time watching these woodland creatures invade suburbia to look for food. Considering all the housing developments that are arising all around us, this film seems to be at the right place at the right time.

Ever since Robin Williams lent his voice to the genie in Aladdin, the cartoon industry has reveled in finding big name stars to join their cartoon creations. Some have worked great (Ray Romano as a mammoth), some not so much (Brad Pitt as Sinbad). Over the Hedge hired some great comedians to lend their distinct voices such as the depressive Gary Shandling, the neurotic Eugene Levy, the angry Wanda Sykes and the hyperactive Steve Carrell. Even William Shatner seems to have fun playing possum for his on-screen daughter played by Avril Lavigne. It’s an eclectic mix that is lead by Bruce Willis who I will always remember as the voice of Mikey in Look Who’s Talking. While I will admit that I was not a big fan of Bruce Willis’ storyline or the forgettable songs, the antics and personalities of the woodland creatures more than made up for the shortfalls. This is definitely one to rent and just enjoy.