Mediocre; lacks originality

Rating: 4/10 (15 August 2007)

What might have been. The popular comic strip becomes the latest source for an animated movie about talking animals, but the source material was wasted. The comic strip pokes fun at mainstream life, putting a bunch of forest animals in an awkward co-existence with Urban (or Suburban, actually) encroachment on their way of life. The gags that can be tapped are endless, and so the comic strip has a loyal following.
Not enough of that is adapted for the screen. The two main guys, RJ the ambitious raccoon and Verne the naive yet ethically wise turtle do some of their shtick, but it's lost in a forest of uninspired plot devices. RJ rips off a bear, who, as you might expect, plans to bash his head in, and who can blame him? The forest creatures spend their time acting out RJ's schemes, such as stealing a wagon full of a famous cookie product placement brand being sold by little girls.
Add to that the cheap joke of an exterminator (he must be evil because he has thinning hair) who uses nukes to kill vermin. Worse still is the Cruella de Ville act-alike/sound-alike who runs around screeching all the time.
The movie makes a half hearted effort to instill some family values, but only after everybody in the movie has made a negative impact to someone else, thus masking the value lesson. Numerous celebs are used for the voices, but any little kid could have done just as well, if not better. The animation, it should be noted, is done relatively well.
The movie has its moments; but, for talking animals, you're better off with a Madagascar or an Ice Age.