"Over the Hedge" - Animals Do the Darndest Things by Homer Yen (c) 2006
Foragers of the wilderness go head to head with suburban consumers in this diverting piece of family entertainment. In "Over the Hedge," encroaching residential development has virtually leveled what was once fertile ground for tiny woodland critters. Without nature's supply of nuts and berries, how can they survive the winter?
The opportunistic RJ the raccoon (voiced by Bruce Willis) seems to have the answer. In an inspired monologue, RJ describes the best way to forage food by dissecting the food distribution chain. Suburbia offers such an abundance of food that much of it frequently winds up as leftover waste in garbage cans. One whiff of a nacho cheese flavored corn chip and your reality will begin to shift.
Instead of scampering about looking for grains, he fervently campaigns for an excursion into the kitchen of the home over the hedge on the other side. It sounds easy enough, but there are two challenges that put these critters at risk. RJ is as shifty as a 3-card Monte dealer. Meanwhile, the homeowner is a cold-hearted monster who would probably not think twice to start up the WeedWhacker. She is angered because she believes that these small critters will cause the home values to decrease. I found her so utterly odious that it would be a welcome sight to watch her home value decrease.
As storytelling goes, the plot arc doesn't offer anything out-of-the-ordinary. We can see everything coming as if we had the power to peer into the future. We see RJ's true motivation to get his woodland cousins to rally around his cause. We see that RJ will also have to make a tough decision later on.
The fun is in watching the various ordeals that unfold for RJ and his gang. At first, they accomplish purloining various items with relative ease despite a few bumps and bruises. But then things get a little dicier when the aforementioned neighbor calls in the Verminator, who goes after the animals with the same amount of zeal that Mad Dog the Bounty Hunter goes after fleeing convicts. Complex traps and even an infrared field are installed, making this look more like Mission: Impossible.
What I enjoyed was the manic energy that the characters displayed. Most crazed was Hammy the Squirrel (voiced by Steve Carell), who when even standing still seemed to be vibrating. The dialogue is frenetic and there's always something going on to keep us engaged. In general, you'll be grinning.
Yet, it felt more like a film geared towards the kids. They'll definitely appreciate the kinetic feel of the film, like watching an 8-yr old after drinking 3 cans of Coke. The film hums for the kids. It might be a little ho-hum for the adults. It's certainly not as rich as "Shrek," and that may be the kind of quality that we kind of now expect. The bar for summer feature animated films has been set high. RJ and his gang may find a way to get over the hedge. But they didn't find a way to get over the bar.
Grade: B- S: 0 out of 3 L: 0 out of 3 V: 1 out of 3
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