"Over the Hedge" is the best animated film since "The Incredibles."

Rating: 8/10 (21 May 2006)

A raccoon named RJ (Bruce Willis) attempts to steal the food from a hibernating bear (Nick Nolte). RJ unfortunately gets caught and the food gets accidentally destroyed. In an attempt to save his life, RJ has a week to bring the bear all the food he destroyed. On his way to the suburbs, RJ happens to come across a group of various animals who have just awoken from hibernation. The animals soon discover that the rest of their forests have been cut down and the only thing left is a giant hedge that blocks them from entering the human world known as the suburbs. With the help of RJ, the animals make a plan to get enough food so they can survive for the year and replenish their food supply for next year's hibernation. A very fun and entertaining animated film ensues
I have always been a big fan of animation films and there have been some really great animated films in the recent years and I am proud to say that "Over the Hedge" ranks up their with various Pixar products such as "Finding Nemo" and "Monsters Inc". "Over the Hedge" is probably the best animated film of the year and I am not sure if "Cars" will be able to top it. This film is loaded with fun and interesting characters that each has their own unique humor and personality to them. Every character from RJ, to Hammy to Ozzie was unique and this made watching each character fun and enjoyable.
Most animated films focus on a few main characters in "Over the Hedge" you have about a dozen or so main characters so for DreamWorks and the writers to pull off every character being liked is quite a challenge but they did it flawlessly. I also found the writing and dialogue to be very clever and witty. This is definitely a film that is going to win over both the kids and adults alike. It's well crafted, well written, and has various enjoyable characters.
Normally I don't understand why animation studios get a big name cast to voice their movies but in this case, I think the voice talent was amazing and actually made the film a little better. Being a fan of most of the actors and actresses who voiced this film I was able to identity all the characters based on their voices. William Shatner, Garry Shandling, Avril Lavigne, Eugene Levy, Bruce Willis, Steve Carell and Wanda Sykes were all instantly recognizable in my eyes. I think I see the purpose of the big name celebrities now because some of the characters have actual resemblances to the actual person or roles they played. I think everyone did a great job voicing the characters and I absolutely loved the little hedgehogs and Hammy.
If DreamWorks keeps making films like "Over the Hedge" I think they could one day be bigger and better than Pixar who I still feel makes the best animated films. But "Over the Hedge" is the closest thing I have seen to a Pixar film (outside of "Antz" which was better than "A Bug's Life) and it is a lot better than last year's Madagascar which I liked but it wasn't as great like most people raved about. DreamWorks and Pixar are both companies that are goldmines because while "Over the Hedge" may not make $80 million its first weekend like "The Da Vinci Code," it will still make a lot of money and be playing for many weeks to come.
In the end, "Over the Hedge" is probably the best animated film to be released from DreamWorks animation studios in years. It's definitely a great film complete with great voice talent, witty and clever dialogue, likable characters and a pretty good script. There really isn't anything to complain about with "Over the Hedge," it's a great movie that both children and adults will love and enjoy for many years to come.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Over the Hedge" is an 8/10. A must see for those who love animated films that have a nice mix of comedy, drama, action and lovable characters.