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Over the Hedge (film)

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Over the Hedge is a computer-animated film based on the United Media comic strip of the same name. Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick and produced by Bonnie Arnold, it was released in the U.S. on May 19, 2006.

Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures (due to Viacom's acquisition of its parent company DreamWorks SKG), the film was rated PG by the MPAA for some crude humor and mild comic action.

A soundtrack, featuring music by Ben Folds, was released by Epic Records and Sony Music Soundtrack.

Contents

Plot

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Raccoon RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis) , after unsuccessfully trying to get a snack item from a vending machine, ventures into the cave of the hibernating bear Vincent (Nick Nolte). While attempting to steal Vincent's cache of goods, as well as his red wagon and blue cooler, RJ accidentally destroys them, and the awakening bear gives RJ an ultimatum: replace everything within a week, or get eaten. RJ finds the new suburban development El Rancho Camelot Estates, where he can steal all the replacement items he needs. There, a community of foragers led by the practical turtle, Verne (Gary Shandling), awaken from hibernation. He immediately directs his charges — Hammy the cookie-addicted squirrel (Steve Carell); Stella the skunk with attitude (Wanda Sykes); Ozzie the shakesperian opossum (William Shatner) and his daughter Heather (Avril Lavigne); and Minnesota-accented porcupines Lou (Eugene Levy) and Penny (Catherine O'Hara), and their offsprings Spike, Bucky, and Quillo — to start their yearly search for food to store. To their surprise and trepidation, they discover a hedge: which they call 'Steve' until RJ directs them otherwise. RJ, coming onto the scene, prompts them to scavenge for the food treaures he promises they'll find beyond it, while Verne fears for what traps or predators also await. Yet a determined and desperate RJ gets the woodland creatures to explore. Using a combination of con artistry and caper movie antics, they successfully snatch a wagon full of Girl Scout-like cookies (which begins Hammy's addiction). Seeing this, the whole group except Verne joins in and begins to steal other foods from the neighborhood of overfed, SUV-driving humans, along with other items on the list RJ secretly keeps.

All this prompts the ire of home-owner association president Gladys Sharp (Allison Janney) , who hires a pest-control specialist Dwayne LaFontaine, who calls himself The Verminator (Thomas Haden Church). Seeing this, and disgraced at the other animals' behavior, Verne tries to return everything they've stolen — leading to an action set-piece involving himself and RJ, a chasing dog, a wagon piled high with goods and goodies, and a canister of barbecue propane, and a backyard slide that launches the wagon, Verne and RJ into the sky. The sequence ends with the two animals falling, unhurt, to earth, while the errant, ad hoc rocket crashes in a stylized, mushroom-cloud fireball. When RJ and Verne are rocketed back over the hedge, RJ and the other animals get mad at Verne. When RJ angrily makes another comment, Verne loses his temper, and claims that RJ is making his friends do whatever he likes because they're "too stupid and naive enough to know any better". Verne then tries to erase that claim, but they are even more mad at Verne for accidentally insulting them. Even Hammy is heartbroken, as Verne was pointing at him during his outburst. Hammy tearfully repeats "I'm not stupid", and takes the comment seriously with him being hyperactive and somewhat childlike.

Verne is then by himself, as he wonders what is truly best for his friends. RJ then cools down and cheers him up. Verne apologizes to his friends, and they welcome him back. Now, RJ stages the biggest heist yet, from the supplies of the big "welcome to the neighbourhood" party Gladys plans for the following day. With Stella the skunk disguised as a cat, in order to distract the haughty guard-cat Tiger, the others raid her kitchen. They're almost in the clear when R.J. spies a can of Spuddies — Vincent's favorite food, and the last item on the list — and in trying to retrieve it keeps the rest of the crew in the house long enough for Gladys to spot them. The Verminator's traps catch all of the animals — all except RJ, who escapes with the wagon of Vincent's replacement goods. As the caged others are driven away, RJ meets Vincent in the woods, where the bear congratulates RJ on successfully "conning the suckers" and getting what he needed. He paints himself and RJ as two of a kind; which finally pushes RJ to do the right thing and turn on Vincent, who clearly doesn't deserve all this food. Using the piled-high wagon to crash into the Verminator's van, RJ launches a rescue attempt. The enraged Vincent goes after RJ, determined to kill him.

This climactic chase scene swings back to the housing development, with Gladys, the Verminator, and a network of laser-tripwited traps on one side of the hedge, the fleeing animals and Vincent on the other, and RJ essentially in the middle. He uses a highly caffeinated cola to push the already adrenaline-rushing Hammy (notorious throughout the film for his ridiculously high levels of speed and uncontrolled energy) leading to a scene (a type used previously in U.S. TV's The Twilight Zone and with the DC Comics character The Flash) in which the world appears to stand still (the drink stopped time!), while Hammy, strolling along but at super-speed, adjusts the trap controls (and collects one of his beloved cookies on the way). As he slows down back to normal speed (seen as the rest of the world gradually speeding up to him), RJ and Verne execute the final part of a plan they'd devised together, leading to Vincent getting trapped and set to be shipped to the Rockies, Gladys fighting with the authorities and being arrested, and the Verminator tiptoeing away from the scene, only to be chased by the dog from before. RJ, having redeemed himself, finds a place with his new surrogate family.

After the credits, the characters return to the vending machine RJ visited during the opening scene, now fully stocked. The entire vending machine is emptied in one shot to the delight of all, but the PUSH bar cannot be moved and no food can be retrieved. Hammy deems the scene "anti-climactic."

Voice cast

Crew

Critics' response

Critical reaction was mostly positive. Critic Frank Lovece of Film Journal International found that, "DreamWorks' slapstick animated adaptation of the philosophically satiric comic strip ... is a lot of laughs and boasts a much tighter story than most animated features" [link]. Ken Fox of TVGuide.com called it "a sly satire of American 'enough is never enough' consumerism and blind progress at the expense of the environment. It's also very funny, and the little woodland critters that make up the cast are a kiddie-pleasing bunch." Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper of "Ebert & Roeper" gave the animated movie a "two thumbs up".[link].

Box office

The film's opening weekend grossed $38,457,003 in 4,093 theaters. As of June 21, 2006, the film had earned $158,358,946 worldwide.[link]

Trivia

References

External links

 

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