Over the Hedge (film)

***Over the Hedge*** is a 2006 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, which acquired the DreamWorks Pictures studio the same year. Based on the United Media comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry and T.Lewis, the film was directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick (with Kirkpatrick in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Len Blum, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, and Kirkpatrick and features the voices of Bruce Willis, Hayden Panettiere, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shanter, Wanda Sykes and Nick Nolte.

*Over the Hedge* was released on May 19, 2006, in the United States. It received generally positive reviews from critics, and grossed $336 million on an $80 million budget.

## Plot

RJ the raccoon tries to steal snack food that Vincent, a bear, stockpiled for his hibernation. Vincent wakes up and catches RJ, and the food is destroyed in the ensuing confrontation. Vincent says he will hunt down and eat RJ if the food is not replaced by the time his hibernation ends a week later.

A 14-year old Taylor Lane who lives in the woods in a big mansion like home with her same aged sisters, Sophie Lane and Casey Lane who had been home schooled with caring a family of woodland animals consisting of ornate box turtle and leader Verne who has been taking care of Taylor and her sisters since their parents died, hyperactive American red squirrel Hammy, striped skunk Stella, North American porcupine parents Lou and Penny and children Spike, Bucky and Quillo, and Virginia opossum father and daughter Ozzie and Heather, awaken from their hibernation. They find that much of the forest they lived in has been turned into a housing development, which is separated from the little forest remaining by a giant hedge. The animals wonder how they will forage enough food for the next winter. Taylor's best friend, Timmy B. Turner (who Taylor develops a crush on) convinces that he will help them and for help Taylor develop a new suburban life. RJ meets them and encourages them to traverse the hedge and steal food from the humans which angers Taylor while she develops new suburban place. Despite Verne's concerns, the animals join RJ in stealing and stockpiling human food, not knowing he intends to give it to Vincent while he embarrasses Taylor a bit. Gladys Sharp, the neighborhood Home Owners Association president and Taylor's late mother stepsister and step aunt, takes notice of the animal problem and hires exterminator Dwayne LaFontant to get rid of them.

Spurred on by the exterminator's arrival, Verne tries to return the food to the humans with Taylor and the girls' help and distraction. RJ tries to stop him and Taylor, but they come across the excitable dog Nugent who, wanting to play, ends up pulling the wagon of food through the neighborhood until it lands on Gladys' SUV, causing an explosion. RJ blames Taylor and Verne for the loss of the food, and the family abandons the latter in favor of the former after he inadvertently insults them during a heated argument and making sure Taylor isn't responsible and Taylor angrily says to RJ that he will pay for this and well as Verne and she runs away from home. Gladys has Dwayne cover her yard in animal traps including an illegal contraband device called the De-Pelter Turbo that turns the entire yard into a death trap when activated.

Taylor returns home with Timmy after giving her a pep talk and she and Verne apologizes to RJ for his actions and reconciles with the other animals after Taylor sharing the day her parents dies with RJ by someone and admitting that she is responsible too and the girls too. On the night before Vincent's hibernation ends, RJ sees that Gladys has bought a massive stockpile of food for an upcoming party and enlists the help of the animals to invade her home and steal it. Hammy successfully disables the De-Pelter Turbo while Stella poses as a cat to seduce Gladys' Persian cat Tiger in order to steal his collar, which enables entry into the house's pet door. The Taylor and animals stockpile another wagon full of food with Sophie, Casey and Timmy's video online, but right as they are about to leave at sunrise, RJ sees a can of chips called Spuddies and becomes determined to get them as Vincent specifically requested them. While trying to justify his effort to get the chips, RJ lets slip his true intention for the food. Gladys comes downstairs and finds the animals, and RJ manages to escape with the food. Taylor and others are caught by Dwayne, who takes them away in his truck to euthanize them.

RJ presents the food to Vincent, but as he sees the exterminator truck driving off, he realizes that the family he found in the woodland animals is the most valuable thing in his life since Timmy and Casey's encouraging to Sophie and him. RJ and the teens send the food wagon careening into the truck, knocking out Dwayne and freeing Taylor and the animals. Spike, Bucky and Quillo take control of the truck and drive it back home, and RJ rejoins the family as they try to shake off the pursuing Vincent. They crash the truck into Gladys' home and return to the hedge, but are attacked from both sides of it by Vincent, Gladys and Dwayne, leaving Taylor, Sophie, Casey and Timmy out. Taylor goes into the hedge and RJ gives Hammy an energy drink, making the squirrel hyperactive enough to move at warp speed which he uses to go and reactivate the De-Pelter Turbo. RJ lures Vincent into leaping over the hedge to get him, but puts on Verne's shell which protects him from Vincent's jaws and allows Verne to pull him out with a fishing line and Taylor to rescue him. Vincent, Gladys and Dwayne are caught in the De-Pelter Turbo, resulting in them being blasted with radiation and trapped in a cage left in the ensuing crater.

Vincent is captured by animal control and shipped off to the Rocky Mountains, while Gladys is arrested for possessing the De-Pelter Turbo since she killed Taylor's parents by jealousy and Dwayne is chased by Nugent. RJ joins the woodland creatures' family permanently with Taylor accepting as her father figure, as well as Tiger, who remains in love with Stella even after learning she is a skunk, as he cannot smell. Timmy and Taylor share a friendly kiss. The animals' food storage is quickly replenished by Hammy, who finally found the nuts he stored before the previous winter.

## Cast

* Bruce Willis as RJ
* Hayden Panettiere as Taylor
* Garry Shandling as Verne
* Steve Carell as Hammy
* Wanda Sykes as Stella
* William Shanter as Ozzie
* Nick Nolte as Vincent
* Thomas Haden Church as Dwayne
* Allison Janney as Gladys
* Eugene Levy as Lou
* Catherine O'Hara as Penny
* Avril Lavigne as Heather
* Selena Gomez as Sophie
* Hilary Duff as Casey
* Omid Djalili as Tiger
* Shane Baumel as Spike
* Sami Kirkpatrick as Bucky
* Madison Davenport as Quillo
* Drake Bell as Timmy
* Jeff Bennett as Steve (flashback)
* Grey Delisle as Elsa (flashback)
* Brian Stepanek as Nugent