Interesting and likable at best

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2008)

A raccoon tries to get the help of a group of woodland creatures to gather food for an angry bear before the moon gets full.
With a list of a-list actors, including Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, William Shatner and Nick Nolte, this 2006 DreamWorks picture provides stability and a few laughs, in a pretty ordinary but still highly lovable story.
Willis voices raccoon R.J who tries to gather food for angry bear Nick Nolte. Like plenty of other plots in the animation genre, a character goes into something then half way through he goes into deep and his emotions get all confused, so don't expect anything different with this picture.
Most characters are plain and provide little entertainment but watch out for Steve Carell's squirrel Hammy, who is so full of life and energy you can't help but smile when he is zipping all around the screen. Willis' raccoon is likable at best, Shandling's Verne is interesting to watch as the over protective turtle, with some good moments. Others lend good support, if somewhat predictable. Like Hammy, Tiger, voiced by Omid Djalili, is funny and gives the film a different dimension with the sophistication and high class to the character against the rough and wild forest animals, in an interesting but brief comparison.
The plot, predictable once R.J joins the group, is consistent, with some exciting moments involving the hedge and the humans. An interesting point could have been developed about building houses in forests but was never touched after one brief mention. The differences between animals and humans gets a good shout out, as does animal cruelty.
With animations being so frequent in modern cinema, it would take something of a massive gamble to make a true classic; such was recent Pixar masterpiece Wall-E.
With a run of the mill plot and little humour, Over the hedge stands as interesting and entertaining at best.