What if Disney and UB Iwerks has merged together?/Over the Hedge: The Big Heist

*Over the Hedge: The Big Heist* is an 2021 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, it is the sequel to *Over the Hedge* (2006) and the second installment in the trilogy, and it would've been released in September 17, 2021. The film was directed by Joel Crawford and co-directed by Karey Kirkpatrick from a screenplay written by Paul Fisher, Bob Logan, and Kirkpatrick and produced by Bonnie Arnold, with executive produced by John Lasseter. The music for the film was composed by Heitor Pereira and songs were written by Ben Folds.

In the film’s ensemble voice cast, Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Avril Lavigne, and Omid Djalili reprised their roles from the first film, with the exception of Gary Shandling (who passed away in 2016), William Shatner, and Nick Nolte, all of whom are replaced by Stephen Stanton, Drew Massey, and Jess Harnell.

Based on the storyline of the 2006 tie-in video game, the film follows RJ, Hammy, Verne, and the gang, who feel that they need to have more things for the log. This leads them on a wild romp through six different areas to snatch different things while avoiding the Verminator during their heist, who tries to defeat them by using a mind-controlled vermin he has captured as his henchmen.

## Voice cast

* Bruce Willis as RJ, a duplicitous, selfish, con artist, and extremely intelligent raccoon.
* Drew Massey as Verne, a naturally cynical ornate box turtle and leader of the foragers.
* Steve Carell as Hammy, a hyperactive American red squirrel.
* Wanda Sykes as Stella, a short-tempered, sassy stripped skunk.
* Thomas Haden Church as Dwayne LaFontant, an over-zealous, middle-aged pest exterminator nicknamed the "Verminator".
* Allison Janney as Gladys Sharp, the president of the El Rancho Camelot Estates Home Owners Association.
* Eugene Levy as Lou, a North American porcupine and Penny’s husband.
* Catherine O’Hara as Penny, a North American porcupine and Lou’s wife.
* Avril Lavigne as Heather, a Virginia opossum and Ozzie’s teenage daughter.
* Omid Djalili as Tiger, a Persian cat and Stella’s fiancé.
* Stephen Stanton as Ozzie, a Virginia opossum and Heather’s father.
* Jess Harnell as Vincent, a murderous, sadistic and conscienceless American black bear.
* Shane Baumel, Sami Kirkpatrick, and Madison Davenport as Spike, Bucky and Quillo, Lou and Penny's three identical children. They appear through the use of previously-recorded material from the first film and the 2006 tie-in video game.
* Brian Stephane as Nugent, an excitable Rottweiler whose only spoken word is "Play!". He otherwise communicates by barks.
* Charlie Schlatter as Milton, a mole who is mind-controlled by Dwayne LaFontant.

## Production

### Development

A sequel to *Over the Hedge* was first announced, with Karey Kirkpatrick returning and Joel Crawford helming the project.

### Animation

The inspiration for the film's animation style came from *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*, which gives it a visual style that resembles storybook illustrations. To make the film look like a comic strip, the team focused more on a *Peanuts Movie* style design by using new technology, different than what it was in the first film, which utilized the realistic style like *Shrek* (2001).

## Trivia

* This is the second DreamWorks Animation film to be released in September after *Abominable.*
* This is the first DreamWorks Animation film of the 2020s to be produced at 1.85:1 aspect ratio.