Over the Hedge
Tags: entertaining

Plot synopsis:
While scavenging for food, RJ the raccoon enters the cave of Vincent the bear, who has a wagon full of human food taken from a nearby rest stop. RJ accidentally wakes Vincent from his hibernation, and in a race to escape, causes the stash to roll out onto the nearby highway and get run over. To avoid being eaten himself, RJ promises Vincent that he will completely replace the stash within the week.
RJ heads towards a recently built suburban housing development in Indiana, separated from a forest glade by a large hedge. There he discovers a pack of animals recently awoken from their hibernation, led by Verne the turtle; the others include squirrel Hammy, skunk Stella, porcupines Penny and Lou, along with their triplet sons, Spike, Bucky and Quillo; and opossum Ozzie and his daughter Heather. The animals are scared, as the development had been built during their hibernation and they fear they will be unable to forage for food in the small glade. RJ shows them the amount of food humans consume and waste and suggests they forage from the humans. Verne is hesitant but the other animals acquiesce. They make bold attempts to steal food directly from the humans, with RJ secretly guiding them to help collect the food he needs to replace Vincent's stash.
When the animals raid the trash cans of the homeowners-association chairman Gladys Sharp, she calls an animal exterminator named Dwayne LaFontant, who offers to install in her backyard an illegal, lethal trap called the Depelter Turbo. Verne sees this and tries to warn the others, but RJ insists they will be okay. Fearing for the safety of the pack, Verne attempts to return what they stole; he and RJ argue, causing a small rampage through the development and destroying the stash RJ had collected for Vincent. RJ rallies the others to raid Gladys' home directly on the night before a large party. With Stella disguised as a cat to distract Gladys' own cat, Tiger, the others enter Gladys' home and collect all the food. RJ inadvertently reveals his duplicity to the animals, just as they are discovered by Gladys who calls Dwayne. RJ escapes with the food for Vincent but leaves the other animals to be captured by Dwayne.
As RJ returns the food to Vincent, he sees Dwayne's truck drive by and impulsively uses the food to knock the truck off the road, enraging Vincent. Dwayne is knocked out while the animals get free, and Spike, Bucky and Quillo use video game skills to drive the truck back to the development. RJ pleads to be let in the truck as Vincent tries to catch him, but the others, angry at his duplicity, refuse. Verne convinces the group to forgive RJ since he came back to save them. They return the truck to the development, crashing through Gladys' home, and the animals flee into the hedge. Gladys and Dwayne converge on the animals from one side with a Weedhacker and a Cattle Prod respectively, while Vincent tries to swipe at them from the other. To escape, RJ gives Hammy a caffeinated beverage, allowing the hyperactive squirrel to move incredibly fast. Hammy is able to manipulate Dwayne into capturing Vincent, causing Vincent, Gladys, and Dwayne to be trapped by the Depelter Turbo while the animals escape. The police and animal control arrive, and Vincent is sent to the Rocky Mountains while Gladys and Dwayne are arrested for using the Turbo.
RJ and Verne apologize to each other, and RJ is brought into the group, as is Tiger, who became infatuated with Stella even after learning she was a skunk. Verne realizes they have not had a chance to forage for food until Hammy reveals that while sped up, he had been able to collect enough nuts for them all to last the year.

Review: It is a much stronger film than other Dreamworks titles like Madagascar and Shark Tale, and really seems like it can stand next to the likes of Shrek 1 and 2.The voice acting is all top-notch, from Willis' take no-nonsense raccoon, to the sadly missed Shandling as a neurotic turtle.
The rest of the voice cast, from Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as parents of hedgehogs, to Wanda Sykes as a skunk, to Thomas Hayden Church as an exterminator, to Nick Nolte as Vincent the bear, all are great and well suited for their roles.
After some mediocre animation movies from Dreamworks, they hit a good one again with Over the Hedge..
This is a movie that children can also enjoy (sounds kind of odd being that animation films are usually supposed to be for kids), in addition to adults.
The same is true of most computer animated comedies these days: it is near sure to be a mix of material targeted at children and adults, feature lots of star voices and be entertaining, for the most part at least.
Over the Hedge, the latest offering from Dreamworks, does not disappoint on any of the above fronts, and proves to be one more notch in computer animations belt.The film opens on loner raccoon R.J.
R.J. then manages to stumble across a group of animals that hibernate together, Vern the turtle (Gary Shandling), Stella the skunk (Wanda Sykes), Ozzie the possum (William Shatner) and his daughter Heather (Avril Lavigne), Lou (Eugene Levy) and Penny (Catherine O'Hara) the porcupines and their brood, and Hammy the squirrel (Steve Carell).
Meanwhile, the head of the development's association, Gladys (Allison Janney) has called in an exterminator (Thomas Hayden Church) to take care of this new infestation problem.Over the Hedge is about as broad based as entertainment comes: it features lots of cute, cuddly animals who perform elaborate hijinks for kids to laugh at, while offsetting this with some more adult oriented jokes and situations for the older set.
It doesn't prove to be off-putting, the film is still more than entertaining for adults, it's just not quite as sophisticated as some that have come before.Plot-wise, Over the Hedge is about as predictable as they come: the outsider looking out for numero uno who gets his heart melted with the kindness of a new family unit he has found.
There are plenty of good jokes, gags and situations to leave most audience members laughing a good bit of the time (and in the end, isn't that what a comedy is about).Voice-wise, most of the parts are fittingly cast.
Nick Nolte is also near-perfect for a bear's growly voice and Thomas Hayden Church really fills out the exterminator.Over the Hedge probably won't go down as a great entry in computer animated history, but it does it's job well enough to be entertaining, enjoyable and funny.
Over the Hedge thus sees RJ the raccoon (Bruce Willis) scour the environment in search for goods, a mission that is facilitated when RJ comes across a mismatched family of forest creatures whom he convinces to help him gather the food he needs from the Suburbian residences just over the hedge.The film opens with RJ on a scrat-like adventure after that-one-piece-of-food and he suffers all the detours and diversion that this mission entails.
Although, Nick Nolte makes for a fine bear villain.Soon 'Over the Hedge' thankfully abandons mediocrity and completely stuns me with layered humour and an energy that it begins to apply to all aspects in the film, the hyper-active ADHD squirrel Hammy most of all.
Luckily, this is not thrown in your face and is only mentioned once since most of that would go over the kid's heads and would detract from what is actually a slap-stick comedy of animals searching for the "ultimate" food.Overall, the show-stealer is Hammy the squirrel voiced by Steve Carell.
William Shatner as Ozzie the possum is also great.Some of the funny moments, such as references to West Side Story and such, may go over some kids heads, but they definitely caused me to laugh until my sides hurt.
The film is also quite sweet, not sickly sweet, like say Troll in Central Park, but naturally sweet.And while the ending is surprisingly great, the real delight comes from the animals and the voice acting.
Like most people, I was convinced that Pixar's "Cars" was going to be the animated movie of the year and that "Over the Hedge" was just another cheap attempt with the proved formula of cute talking animals.
almost without knowing it he'll become a member of the family and will begin to have serious doubts about his plan of deceiving the gang.Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, "Over the Hedge" is a huge step forward from Dreamworks' previous animated feature, "Madagascar".
Great care was taken with the characters' design and while they look quite different from their original versions, the change was definitely for the better.The plot at its core is once again the typical story of an outcast who finds a family, but it's spiced up by the satire and wit of the original comic strip and that's what makes the movie different from others.
This balance between the comic strip's sharp social commentary and the funny and simpler slapstick comedy makes that the film can be enjoyed by both children and adults without being overtly filled with pop-culture references.
Well animated, great voice work, fun characters and a half-decent plot...what more could you want?
Well animated, great voice work, fun characters and a half-decent plot...what more could you want?
This movie is wonderful and easily is one of (or possibly my all-time) favorite animated film.
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.
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.
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.
Then comes Over the Hedge a fun exciting and quite funny film based on the very popular comic strip.The story if you don't know star's RJ a raccoon with extremely large appetite and devious nature.
This is also a movie of great character actors, You have everyone from Bruce Willis to William Shatner to Wanda Sykes to Even Nick Nolte, and every part they play is played to perfection.Another great thing about this movie is just looks visually stunning, I mean everything looks so life like, and suburbia looks like well suburbia many rows of houses and small lawns.
I still think it will be a while till they get to Cars visual's but even with Shark tale and Madagascar event though they were not great films they looked and felt life like.In closing I give Over the Hedge a 9 out of 10 for being a smart fun and entertaining film that has it all and handles it with a smart attitude that I will defiantly say put's them into the league of Pixar..
Again,there are stars and has-beens such as Bruce Willis and William Shatner who provide the voices for the CGI-Characters, but it does not help the movie in any way.
Granted,on the technological side its all good and perfect,but why does every 3D-animated movie nowadays have to cater towards a pre -school audience with their (annoyed) parents?I know,I know...more mature stories don't sell that well,and have proved to be difficult to market to an audience that expects Disney-styled cuteness and morally conservative messages.
(lol)The climax near the end of the film got the biggest laugh of the night and we were still talking about it and laughing all the way home.It's great to see a family movie come out like this, I just wish Hollywood would keep these coming out!I highly recommend it if you want a good family movie or just a great laugh..
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!
Never mind the "messages", this is simply one of the best and most entertaining animated movies in recent times, up there with The Incredibles and Ice Age (the first one, not the aptly-named Meltdown).
Fun when it wants to be, boring when it wants to deliver a message, Over the Hedge is no Madagascar, but is better than previous animated films.
Thank goodness the third act picks up the tempo as it lifts the film from total mediocrity and dissatisfaction into a nice, charming film that is worthy of watching more than once.Over the Hedge is about a mischievous raccoon named RJ that gets caught trying to steal food from an angry bear, and has a few days to come up with all the food after it all gets destroyed.
A little-known fact about the movie is that it is actually based off a comic strip of the same name.Kind of like what happened with Madagascar, the writing team didn't have to work much on the dialogue, since most of the humor is visual.
There is an underlying subliminal message in Over the Hedge, and it deals with America's obsession with food, big cars, and never-ending urge to fulfill its desires.Bottom Line: Decent, but really gets good towards the end, which is quite the opposite from the typical summer movie, in which the ending usually falls kind of flat.
However, this film has a great big heart, and includes positive messages from which both young and less-young alike could profit.The story is about a raccoon (whose voice is so well played by Bruce Willis that you will immediately forget whose voice you are hearing) who owes a mean-spirited bear a whole season's worth of food, and whose very life hangs in the balance.
And the animation is a lot of fun, though not particularly innovative (as this genre has advanced so quickly over the last few years).I recommend Over the Hedge to anybody looking for a thoughtful, family-oriented and heart-warming film about love, working together, nature, and honesty..
It had the best characters I have ever seen, and I can say that I enjoyed it more than any other animation movie ever.
I did not regret spending the $7 to see it.If you have not seen it, or have felt disappointed with animated films in general these last few years, I would highly recommend you watch 'Over the Hedge.' It may once again give you hope..
In its opening night, Over The Hedge made more than Doogal did in its entire run in the theaters, and after two weeks will have easily surpassed Hoodwinked.The movie itself was good, and the characters were believable and reminded me of real people even though they had a lot of shtick in their antics.
Trust me older viewers, this is something both you and your kids will like.It's sweet but not stupid, clever but not dumbed down, and it's got a great cast of characters which I think is the film's overall appeal.
These animals work great together and there charming family ties and colorful appearances make them a truly lovable bunch of critters.Go see this movie, whether you're a kid or an adult or otherwise, there's a whole lot to like..
Dreamworks managed to put together a computer-animated feature with a name cast that largely avoided the tiresome pop-cultural references that bog down the genre and make it feel like you've taken your child to "Scary Movie 8: The Cartoon!!!".
Not only do they have to compete against some truly marvelous predecessors (see SHREK, HOODWINKED, and FINDING NEMO), they also have to entertain not just kids, but adults who enjoy taking their kids to watch such films.OVER THE HEDGE has some great animation and some good voices, but we've seen these things time and again.
While the cast of "Over the Hedge" was a little surprising and mystifying the end result was remarkable.Nick Nolte looks better as a bear than the last time we saw him as a human.
No, it's still not in Toy Story's league, but doggone it they gave it the ol' college try, and I appreciate the solid effort.It helps that Bruce Willis, William Shatner, and Steve Carrell all lend their highly entertaining voices and styles to give us characters that I actually cared about (awww!) and wasn't annoyed by.
Otherwise this was totally stupid and I would not recommend it if you are the type who enjoys a NORMAL movie that has actual character development, drama, well-timed humor, good story pacing, etc.
great for all ages, a few adult jokes, but mostly family fun.This one is bound to go down as one of the great animated movies of the 21st century.100% great and absolutely hilarious.If you like Shrek, Madagascar, Toy Story, Monsters inc.
unfortunately it still can't avoid the label of being a "formulaic" movie.OVER THE HEDGE tells the story of RJ (Bruce Willis), a scavenger raccoon who lives on his own off of other people's food.
To save his life, RJ sets out to con a loving family of forest animals led by Verne the Turtle (Garry Shandling) into robbing the local humans of all their food.OVER THE HEDGE excels at infusing it's story with laugh-out-loud comedy.
Dreamworks, as always, did an extremely good job making this movie, from the animation to voice casting, I give it a 10-star rating.
When I saw the first seek peek on Over the Hedge I thought I was going to be bored,so later the day it showed I watched it and I was amazed.This is a not bad movie that I've seen,for sure I know-ed this is a bad cheesy movie but I was wrong.I loved this movie they made,it was funny,teaches a lesson,and great for families to watch.Each of these cute little critter had a memorable moment to remember that animal.Hammy for his extra fast funny mouth,RJ for his smarts and planner,and Verne for keeping a family.This was also very sad on betrayal but learns a lesson,this movie taught me life by comparing animals to us.So don't stay here,go and watch this miracles movie everybody is talking about..
I really like animated films and Over The Hedge was VERY funny.
Fun Animated Movie for Kids & Adults.
They are approached by RJ, a raccoon voiced by Bruce Willis, who has his own reasons for wanting to assist in their hunt for food.Unlike some of Dreamworks previous animated movies, this one does not have nearly as much humor aimed at adults.
Despite the few lines she is given, Avril Lavigne does a pretty good job with her first acting role.All of these components come together to make a great family movie that is great for kids and adults.
Although it is not really a genre per se, the films that fit into the world of Pixar animation with plenty for kids and adults with famous voices have historically been seen as well worth checking out.
What they are unaware of is that RJ only wants to gather food for a hungry bear (Nick Nolte) so he himself doesn't get killed.'Over The Hedge' is nowhere near other animated films like 'Shrek' and 'Toy Story' in terms of greatness.
R J, the badger voiced by Bruce Willis has made my list of favorite animated characters  funny and cute.
to tell you the truth, i was expecting something more bad, but i got a big smile after watching it, its a family movie, but you can enjoy it even if you have 99 years and even if you are alone, with friends or with the family, i really recommended this film, its really nice, fun, it has a really good script, and, everyone will enjoy it!!
Garry Shandling plays the part of the straight man - or should I say, tortoise - who doesn't want anything to do with the hedge.The problem with this movie is that, in spite of all its funny moments and star-studded cast, it just isn't as memorable or in the top quality that other DreamWorks animation films are in.