Over The Hedge

-Directed by: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick

Starring: (The Voices Of)
-Bruce Willis, Thomas Haden Church, Avril Lavigne, William Shatner

Animation. It's not just for kids anymore. Since Shrek and the first Ice Age movie, animation has gotten a bit more mature. Jokes are aimed at both kids and their parents and the result has been box office gold. Over The Hedge is another one that will fit into the same genre with a few small exceptions I'll get to in a moment. To start off with though, the animation is FANTASTIC. I've never been a huge fan of computer animation, but this is a whole new breed of work that makes you feel a bit more attached to the animals. Their expressions are interesting, and appropriately silly while their world is kept in perfect scale with their size. The colors are much like this spring's Curious George in that they're appropriately cheerful and engaging for even the littlest of viewers.

Casting wise, some of the most familiar voices around make an appearance here. First up is the always wry Bruce Willis as RJ the racoon. You can see his trademark smirk when RJ speaks and you laugh exactly where you're meant to. Also making an appearance are William Shatner and pop star Avril Lavigne, along with comedian Wanda Sykes and actor Nick Nolte. Each voice is perfectly cast for the animal they play and you believe the face of the critter is exactly like the face of the actor when delivering their lines. That's one of the really special parts of an animated movie really.

What I will mention is that there are a couple of crude comments that I didn't feel were especially necessary. There is also a good deal of action and violence that has a bug getting zapped. (Considering my intense dislike for bugs, I liked that part but that's just me.) Honestly though, it is a mild PG by current standards and if you've enjoyed the Shrek or Ice Age movies this one will make your day.

(Picture of Bruce Willis and RJ provided by the nice people at Yahoo! Entertainment.)


-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
indigojenn at earthlink dot net
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