"Over the Hedge" will be huge

Rating: 10/10 (13 May 2006)

You gotta be pretty confident to open a movie the same week as a surefire blockbuster. Such is the case with Tim Johnson's "Over the Hedge" as he opens opposite "DaVinci Code". And Tim has every right to be confident, because he has crafted an exceptional animated feature film that will also make a ton-o-money!
With DreamWorks backing, his experience with "Antz", and the voices of Bruce Willis, William Shatner, Wanda Sykes, Garry Shandling and others-Johnson has a film that may catch Shrek!
Willis' character, RJ, is a raccoon that has swiped the food of a hibernating bear (Vince played by Nick Nolte). Unfortunately Vince catches RJ in the act and the loot is accidentally destroyed. Vince agrees to spare RJ if he replaces every single item. With the naïve assistance of an assorted group of critters, RJ sets out to replace the goods.
Urban scrawl has encroached upon the territory providing a cornucopia of goodieson the other side of a hedgerow. Though Shandling's character (a tortoise named Verne) objects, the rest go for it. Ozzie the possum (Shatner), Hammy the Squirrel (Steve Carell), Stella the Skunk (Sykes) and others team up with RJ to pilfer suburbia. That's all I'm saying concerning the story. Do look for a couple of sidesplitting scenes involving Ozzie as Shatner makes fun of his own overacting. Also there is a classic scene with Hammy after he drinks an energy drink-it is taken straight from an old Star Trek episode "In the Wink of an Eye". CLASSIC!
"Over the Hedge" is going to entertain both young and old. Youth are going to enjoy the energy of the characters and excellent animation. Oldsters are going to enjoy some of the gags slickly targeted toward baby boomers (like the Hammy scene). Sykes character has a big scene straight from an old Pepe le Pew episode.
The animation is superb, as DreamWorks seems to be taking a shot at Disney and Pixar Studios as to who is the top cartoon creator. With Shrek, Shrek 2, Madagascar, and Antz under their belt, and now "Over the Hedge"; there is little doubt.