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Over The Hedge

Before “Over the Hedge,” Dreamworks’ animation sector consisted of “Shrek,” “Shrek 2” and the forgotten “Antz,” all three of which relied on clever pop culture references to sway a larger audience base. Now that they’ve exhausted that resource, which will only ever work with the “Shrek” series (and only if done well), it’s time for a change. It’s time to drop pop culture in favor of fresh jokes and perspectives. And that’s exactly what “Over the Hedge” does. The film creates a believable world, one that all Americans can relate to but have never truly experienced in fiction. Who hasn’t dealt with animals peering in the garbage cans every now and again?

Directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick’s adaptation of Michael Fry and T. Lewis’ comic strip places a fresh spin on the age-old tale of what happens when the forest gets chopped down and humans and animals collide. Well, not exactly collide; there is a gigantic hedge separating the remaining forest from the newly erected housing development. The dialogue and action in both forest and human scenes blends together smoothly, and the all-star cast is shockingly unobtrusive, providing both chemistry and realism to the characters. Bruce Willis plays raccoon RJ, responsible for replenishing food which he stole from angry bear Vincent (Nick Nolte), who enlists the help of an army of critters, whose voices include Steve Carell, William Shatner, Wanda Sykes, Thomas Hayden Church, Gary Shandling, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy. Each character is unique, but standouts include Shatner’s possum Ozzie and Carell’s hyperactive squirrel Hammy. And all of them do a good job voicing their roles, not pronouncing their acting prowess with every word. It makes for a highly enjoyable experience, one unmarred by celebrity and product placement (there are no name brands anywhere), reliant solely on the strength and delivery of its script.

Technically, the animation is, once again, standard. But we haven’t seen any major breakthroughs in CG since “Toy Story,” so it shouldn’t shock most people. Things are flashy and shiny enough to attract most children. I don’t know when the next breakthrough in animation will occur in the US, we’re far behind Japan in that department. But for now, smooth surfaces and crisp motion capturing will suffice. It feels like production did put a lot of work into refining the graphics without cutting corners, which is all we can ask for.

Animation critics aside, the film captures on the family formula, even throwing in some unique devices of its own. The references to human wastefulness and destructiveness are obvious, albeit underdeveloped. And the age-old questions of leadership and loyalty present themselves for all the kiddies to learn a lesson. We live in an age of both destructiveness and waning loyalty, and while salvaging what’s left of respectable humanity seems to border on impossible, at least films like “Over the Hedge” will make people aware and educated on our current state of affairs. That, and think twice before leaving unprotected food in the garbage can.

Written by: Jason Villemez

Reviewers Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 7.67
Reader's Votes: 3

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