Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (2007)

***Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi*** is a 2007 American animated musical-adventure comedy film Produced by Vanguard Animation, Renegade Animation, Cartoon Network Movies, Nickelodeon Movies, DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, Illumination Entertainment, Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation and distributed by TriStar Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, with animation provided by Rough Draft Studios in California and South Korea and TMS Entertainment in Japan. It was directed by Lindsey Pollard and produced by Sam Register, Ramsey Ann Naito, Michael Ouweleen, John Pomeroy and Charlie Bean, from a story written by Adam Beechen, Michelle Lamoreaux, Robert Lamoreaux and Howie Perry. and is based on the Japanese pop-rock group Puffy AmiYumi, as well as the Cartoon Network animated spin-off television series of the same name and United Media comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. the film was directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick (in Kirkpatrick's feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Len Blum, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, and Kirkpatrick. Featuring the voices of cast with Janice Kawaye, Grey DeLisle, Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Keone Young, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Pamela Adlon, Wanda Sykes, Frank Welker and Nick Nolte. *Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi* held its world premiere in Japan on March 1, 2007, and was released in the United States on March 13, 2007. It received mixed reviews from critics, but was a modest box office success, earning $319 million worldwide on its $59 million budget.

## Synopsis

In the film, Ami and Yumi must work together as friends in order to stop Julie Jewel from trying to rid the world of music forever.

## Plot

After RJ (Bruce Willis), a hungry raccoon, fails to get snacks from a vending machine, he becomes so desperate that he tries to raid a large food cache belonging to Vincent (Nick Nolte), a hibernating black bear. However, while trying to finish by stealing a can of "Spuddies" potato chips, he wakes Vincent and loses both the food and the wagon that it is on when a truck runs it over. Hastily, he promises to replace everything by the time Vincent reawakens in a week.

Meanwhile, a group of forest Characters Humans and animals, led by Verne (Garry Shandling) the box turtle, emerge from hibernation to find their food cache nearly empty. The animals consist of, Hammy the hyperactive squirrel (Steve Carell), Stella the striped skunk (Wanda Sykes), opossums Ozzie (William Shatner) and his daughter, Heather (Avril Lavigne), and porcupines Lou (Eugene Levy), his wife, Penny (Catherine O'Hara), and three children, Spike (Shane Baumel), Bucky (Sami Kirkpatrick) and Quillo (Madison Davenport).

They begin foraging but find a large hedge blocking their way. Verne investigates, discovering a human residential community that confuses and frightens him. RJ, who sees the entire commotion, convinces the other animals that it is easier to raid the humans' garbage for food rather than forage for it, and they manage to get enough food to keep them from starving. Verne, however, remains wary, especially after homeowners association president, Gladys Sharp, (Allison Janney) discovers the animals in her yard, chases them out through the hedge, and hires VermTech exterminator (or "Verminator") Dwayne LaFontant (Thomas Haden Church) to keep them out.

## Cast

* Janice Kawaye as Ami Onuki, a peppy, optimistic, and cute schoolgirl.
	+ Ami Onuki voices herself in the Japanese version.
* Grey DeLisle as Yumi Yoshimura, a cynical, sarcastic, rough and tough, tomboyish punk rocker.
	+ Yumi Yoshimura voices herself in the Japanese version.
* Bruce Willis as RJ, a raccoon.
* Garry Shandling as Verne, a naturally cynical ornate box turtle.
* Ben Stiller as Alex, a lion.
* Chris Rock as Marty, a plains zebra.
* David Schwimmer as Melman, a hypochondriac reticulated giraffe who is afraid of germs.
* Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria, a strong, confident, but sweet hippopotamus.
* Ian McKellen as the Toad, a haughty amphibian wanting the entire rat population to be killed off so he can make room for his hundreds of offspring.
* Jean Reno as Le Frog, the Toad's French cousin. He masters martial arts and is the leader of a team of hench-frogs.
* Andy Serkis as Spike, one of the Toad's two top hench-rats. He is the quicker-witted and more aggressive of the two.
* Bill Nighy as Whitey, another of the Toad's two top hench-rats. Whitey is an albino rat, and Spike's partner. Unlike Spike, Whitey is sympathetic and less vicious, but is also ignorant and gullible.
* Steve Carell as Hammy, a hyperactive American red squirrel, whose mouth moves as fast as his feet. He is naïve and childish in nature, with an extremely short attention span.
* Wanda Sykes as Stella, a short-tempered, sassy striped skunk with an unhappy love-life and Tiger's love interest.
* Chris Diamantopoulos as Mickey Mouse, a mouse.
* Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck, a duck.
* Bill Farmer as Goofy,
* Keone Young as Kaz Harada, Puffy AmiYumi's manager who is well-intentioned but greedy.
* Ben Schwartz as Sonic, A anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with superhuman speed who is
* Eugene Levy as Lou, a North American porcupine father, Penny's husband, and family patriarch with an overly friendly and optimistic attitude.
* Catherine O'Hara as Penny, the porcupine family mother, Lou's wife, and matriarch; she serves as a ground between their family and the other animals.
* Shane Baumel, Sami Kirkpatrick, and Madison Davenport as Spike, Bucky and Quillo, Lou and Penny's three identical children. They're big on video games and are the most enthusiastic about exploring the world beyond the hedge.
* William Shatner and Avril Lavigne as Ozzie and Heather, a Virginia opossum father and daughter.
* Frank Welker as Tekirai
	+ Welker also voices Jang-Keng
* Tara Strong as Princess Twilight Sparkle, of Equestria. She serves as the temporary lead vocalist of the Rainbooms, a band formed by the counterparts.
* Ashleigh Ball as:
	+ Rainbow Dash, the lead guitarist and founder of the Rainbooms, and the lead vocalist.
	+ Applejack, the Rainbooms' bassist.
* Andrea Libman as:
	+ Pinkie Pie, the Rainbooms' drummer.
	+ Fluttershy, who plays the tambourine on the Rainbooms.
		- Shannon Chan-Kent performs Pinkie's singing voice.
* Tabitha St. Germain as:
	+ Rarity, the Rainbooms' keytarist.
	+ Vice Principal Luna, the vice-principal of Canterlot High and Principal Celestia's younger sister.
		- Kazumi Evans as performs Rarity's singing voice.
* Cathy Weseluck as Spike, a dog in the parallel world.
* Rebecca Shoichet as Sunset Shimmer, a unicorn from Equestria and reformed school bully at Canterlot High who befriends the Rainbooms.
	+ Shoichet also performs Twilight's singing voice.
* Omid Djalili as Tiger, a Persian cat; his full Persian name is "Prince Tigerius Mahmoud Shabazz." He falls in love with Stella when she is disguised as a cat, similar pattern to Pepé Le Pew cartoons.
* Nick Nolte as Vincent, an American black bear; RJ's former rival to whom RJ owes food, motivating the story.
* Allison Janney as Gladys Sharp, president of the Camelot Estates Home Owners Association. She is disgusted by animals and is strict on H.O.A. rules.
* Thomas Haden Church as Dwayne LaFontant, an over-zealous human pest exterminator styled as a "Verminator" hired by Gladys. He can detect the species of any animal that has recently been in the area by smell. He spoofs the Terminator.
* Brian Stepanek as Nugent, a playful Rottweiler whose only intelligible word is "Play!", other than barking.
* Vincent Tong as Flash Sentry, a student infatuated with Twilight who plays against her as guitarist of rival band, Flash Drive.
* Kathleen Barr as Trixie, a magician and guitarist of another rival band, Trixie and the Illusions.
* Nicole Oliver as Principal Celestia, the principal of Canterlot High and Vice Principal Luna's older sister.
* The counterpart of DJ Pon-3 appears prominently in the movie.
* Michelle Creber as Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister.
* Ingrid Nilson as Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie's older sister.
* Peter New as Big Mac, Applejack & Apple Bloom's older brother.

Two minor human characters, appearing during the dog chase scene, were voiced by Lee Bienstock and Sean Yazbeck, two participants on *The Apprentice 5* as part of a reward for winning a task.

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