Over the Hedge Review
“This one has me on the fence”
I’m a sucker for animated movies. Shrek, Finding Nemo and even non-Toy Story movies like Treasure Planet and Titan AE all find a spot in my heart. But to find a truely memorable animated movie nowadays is pretty slim. With stinkers like Madagascar and Chicken Little Barring the aforementioned Shrek,Toy Story and Finding Nemo opus’, the landscape seems to be more focused on what the studios can make money on in the action figure/toy market when designing latest releases. Over the Hedge has me on the fence in that way.
Over the Hedge is a charming little story about R.J. the Raccoon(voiced by Bruce Willis) who is trying to pay back a bear for the food he lost. In his way he meets just awakened Verne (voiced by Gary Shandling) and his “family” of ragtag misfits. William Shatner, Avril Lavigne, Wanda Sykes and Steve Carrel all lend their talents to the various other animals. While there are tender moments between the family, the star studded voice acting doesn’t always fit here. I found Bruce Willis with R.J. to not fit specifically and somewhat with Avril Lavigne, to be specific.
Herein lies the problem I have with Over the Hedge: I liked this movie. Enough to see it again. But it did not leave me with the same sense of warmth that Shrek,Finding Nemo and others have left me with. What viewers have here is a cute movie that succeeds in charming the audience for a good amount of the time. Yes it was funny…yes it had memorable characters…but did it give a message? Did I get something out of this flick other than mild entertainment? No.
See the movie…maybe agree with me. I loved the soundtrack, some of the characters, but still felt like something was missing here. Animated films are tough because they have to appeal to both crowds. This one does that…but missed somewhere with me.
I’m taking the high road on this one because I’ve given good ratings to movies that have just purely entertained me. This one left me wondering; do I give this a good rating because I was charmed and entertained? Or was this feeling of something missing making me second guess myself? I’ll go ahead and give this the benefit of the doubt because it did win me over, but I’m saying see it to be entertained, charmed and maybe where I went wrong in deciding. I’m giving this a 7 out of 10 Bones because I liked it like an 8 but felt missing like a 6.
RATING: 
No, it’s certainly no “Shrek,” but there was some smart fun with a message. I’m telling you, though, I’m tiring of the digital animation. Give me some real art, for cryin’ out loud. Miyazaki rules these days.
Comment by nat — June 23, 2006 @ 5:16 pm