Over The Hedge Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Shell Shocked
Nuts!
Ring Leader
Master Blaster
Over the Hedge 2
get over it.
Taking back the neighborhood... One snack at a time.
Traveling raccoon con artist, RJ (Willis), arrives in a woods outside a human city in the Midwest, excited about the wonders that living near humans can bring hungry animals. What he finds, however, is an Amish-like community that is deathly afraid of humans, after their leader, Vern the tortoise (Shandling), has an encounter with human boys that terrifies him. Encouraged by RJ, however, the animals slowly venture over the hedge that separates them from the brand new suburban development that appeared over the winter while they were sleeping, and what RJ shows them is a whole new world where humans leave tin cans full of fish and other food in big canisters, ripe for the taking. As they get closer and closer to humans, however, their comfortable lives in the woods appears to be threatened...
| Bruce Willis | RJ |
| Garry Shandling | Verne |
| Steve Carell | Hammy |
| Wanda Sykes | Stella |
| William Shatner | Ozzie |
| Nick Nolte | Vincent |
| Thomas Haden Church | Dwayne |
| Allison Janney | Gladys |
| Eugene Levy | Lou |
| Catherine O'Hara | Penny |
| Avril Lavigne | Heather |
| Omid Djalili | Tiger |
| Sami Kirkpatrick | Bucky |
| Shane Baumel | Spike |
| Madison Davenport | Quillo |
| Tim Johnson |
7.20 out of 10 (14781 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good for kids and adults
posted on 30 Aug 2009When the scavenging raccoon, RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis) needs to collect an enormous amount of food to pay back a bear, he needs to get some help. He cons a forest family pf two possums, a turtle, a skunk, a squirrel, and five porcupines to help him. After their long hibernation, the family wakes up to discover human deforestation has taken away most of their home. They also find . . . the hedge. Bruce Willis is almost perfect for RJ after his role as Jimmy in "The Whole Ten Yards". Not only must these animals fight to find food, but they soon must escape from a deranged pest-control man.Jokes for an older audience are also there. Many inside jokes include references to "Citizen Cane" and "A Streetcar Named Desire".
Another good movie from Dreamworks
posted on 30 Aug 2009to tell you the truth, i was expecting something more bad, but i got a big smile after watching it, its a family movie, but you can enjoy it even if you have 99 years and even if you are alone, with friends or with the family, i really recommended this film, its really nice, fun, it has a really good script, and, everyone will enjoy it!! another good point is that, at least that i remember, every point is cleared, and the ending was interesting, i wasn't actually expecting that kind of ending, each character is unique, and i know every people will like one of them, mine is Heather, but i like as well R.J. and Stella, anyway, if you haven't seen it, i recommend that you stand up, go now, and watch it, because its a "must see" movie!
Surpassing all the expectations...
posted on 30 Aug 2009Like most people, I was convinced that Pixar's "Cars" was going to be the animated movie of the year and that "Over the Hedge" was just another cheap attempt with the proved formula of cute talking animals. I was very surprised by the end result as it ended up not only being an enjoyable fable about friendship and the typical stuff, it is also a very witty commentary about our modern way of life.Based on the syndicated comic strip written and drawn by Michael Fry and T. Lewis, "Over the Hedge" is the story of R.J. (Bruce Willis), a witty and knowledgeable raccoon with a problem: he must restore the food he stole from a bear in two weeks or he will have to be eaten in its place. To do it, he decides to raid the houses of the new suburban landscape, and to do it he recruits a group of naive animals who never had seen a human before. almost without knowing it he'll become a member of the family and will begin to have serious doubts about his plan of deceiving the gang.Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, "Over the Hedge" is a huge step forward from Dreamworks' previous animated feature, "Madagascar". Technically the movie looks beautiful and the animation is for the most part superb. Great care was taken with the characters' design and while they look quite different from their original versions, the change was definitely for the better.The plot at its core is once again the typical story of an outcast who finds a family, but it's spiced up by the satire and wit of the original comic strip and that's what makes the movie different from others. This balance between the comic strip's sharp social commentary and the funny and simpler slapstick comedy makes that the film can be enjoyed by both children and adults without being overtly filled with pop-culture references. The characters are very well written although due to the large number of them some may feel a bit underdeveloped.The voice cast is appropriate, although like in most Dreamworks movies, movie stars are preferred over professional voice actors creating a bit of a mixed bag. Bruce Willis is good, although nothing spectacular, and Garry Shandling as Verne, the gang leader, was also not as surprising. On the other hand, Steve Carell makes a brilliant job, as well as Wanda Sykes and a surprising Avril Lavigne. Wanda Sykes, William Shatner and Thomas Hayden Church are also brilliant.Frankly, the movie's biggest flaw was the large amount of characters it has. While everyone has their moment to shine (and in most cases is very well used), at the end one has the feeling that either the movie was too short or that there was one or two characters too many. The movie's plot also may be predictable to most people, however, the way the director handles the movie truly makes up for the unoriginal storyline. Tim Johnson proves his talent once again and demonstrates why he is a very underrated director.To summarize, I was very surprised by the way "Over the Hedge" developed and I truly enjoyed it. It's great assemble of characters and the witty script makes up for its defects and the final product is a very good one. While it probably be overshadowed by the more popular "Cars", this sleeper hit definitely deserves a watch. 7.5/10
Another clever, cute and extremely funny animation movie
posted on 30 Aug 2009Do you remember a time when kids movies used to be unbearably kitschy affairs with awful music and story lines that always evolved around a sad princess or animals that were supposed to be cute but were really so annoying you wanted to punch them in their little furry faces? Well, rejoice because those times seem to have gone for good ever since animation movies à la Pixar came along. "Toy Story" and "Shrek" were just the beginning of what turned out to be a whole new genre with room for a thousand funny ideas. Maybe it's the fact that with animated characters and landscapes directors don't have to deal with eccentric actors or with unpredictable changes in weather. Animation movies are so packed with creativity they give us hope that Hollywood really isn't as unimaginative and heartless as it may seem sometimes."Over The Hedge" continues this glorious tradition. Whereas most other animation movies included a lot of homages to motion picture classics, "Over The Hedge" relies mostly on its humor (if you discount the fact that the story in itself is a homage to classic heist movies such as "Ocean's 11"). Again makers came up with a whole bunch of lovable little protagonists from RJ the raccoon to Hammy the squirrel (reminiscent of the squirrel from "Ice Age").The pacing is fast, the animation is perfect and the voice overs are good, too. If there's one thing to criticize it's that "Over The Hedge" is probably too much for kids. The ending gets quite turbulent and the story includes some plotpoints that may be hard to get for children under 12.Anyway, "Over The Hedge" is a great pleasure to watch and even though it's not quite as great as the big movies of the genre ("Ice Age", "The Incredibles", "Finding Nemo"), it's a more than worthy addition to the lot.
over the ledge!
posted on 30 Aug 2009Over the hedge?More like over the ledge! This films is good, the technique is good and i can see why people enjoy this film, especially the kids, but at the same time to follow up an animated film like Shrek or Magagascar is a pretty hard thing to do! I have seen this three times in the last week (don't ask) and the first time i sat down to watch it with my friends thinking it was going to be just as funny as Shrek was!I mean come on everybody loves Shrek, He's just a mean green love machine and literally everybody who's seen the film loves it and never complains when they have to watch it again! But over the hedge was a disappointment for me. I just felt that it hit to hard on the subject of the "American Dream" and the obesity levels getting higher across the world. For example when RJ voiced by Bruce Willis was proving to the rest of the animals that "human beings live to eat" and animals "eat to live" making it look like people only have food when they want it! It also symbolises the American dream by the woman who's back garden they kept going into. She had a cell phone, a traditional big American house and also a big car, for one person! Not everyone in America lives like that! And yes OK maybe the obesity levels in America are getting a little higher but I'm sure dietitians and doctors will help them if they get too over weight! But being a media student I'm going to be able to point these out as that is what I am being taught to do, so the targeted audience won't be able to pick it out as much as media related people can. Overall i gave this movie a 4 as i was disappointed with the outcome. I thought that the hidden meaning behind the film could of been a bit lighter hearted, but i can see why it is a family film, and my younger brother enjoyed it, aswel as there being a few jokes thrown in there to! The storyline i have to say followed structure very well it had a beginning,middle and an end and also had Villains, victims and a hero, and to make the storyline better some of the roles were reversed!for example RJ was the victim at first, then becomes the villain and at the end is the hero!An interesting storyline but my friend even fell asleep wile watching it!
Boring and too much cutesy-poo
posted on 30 Aug 2009How nice, another clone of "Toy Story" and "Ice Age". A merry band of cute *yawn* furry characters have to overcome various obstacles and live through hilarious *yawn* adventures in US Suburbia.Ever since I saw the first ads and trailers, I just knew they were going to play it safe. Everything is so politically correct and cute, it hurts. Again,there are stars and has-beens such as Bruce Willis and William Shatner who provide the voices for the CGI-Characters, but it does not help the movie in any way. Granted,on the technological side its all good and perfect,but why does every 3D-animated movie nowadays have to cater towards a pre -school audience with their (annoyed) parents?I know,I know...more mature stories don't sell that well,and have proved to be difficult to market to an audience that expects Disney-styled cuteness and morally conservative messages. But still, can't they even try (for chrissakes !!)to smuggle a bit more subversive stuff into their projects? No,no that would be too much to ask,I guess. My Prediction is, that if that trend of "playing it safe and copying proved and successful concepts" continues, this particular brand of animation will no longer be able to garner interest from the audience. Its just an expensive and overblown exercise in producing meaningless entertainment.Just my 2 Cents. : /
Over The Hedge
posted on 30 Aug 2009Animated films are being made ever more frequently, and, like any genre, the quality of the films have their ups and downs. Over The Hedge shows us not only how far CG animation has come, but also how potentially destructive the genre can be to itself. With expectations raised so high by quality films from Pixar, or films like Shrek, each time a new animated film comes along we once again expect that extra bit more. There has to come a point where the films can no longer match the hype we place upon them, and Over The Hedge feels like it could be the start of this.That's not to say that Over The Hedge is a bad film – its not. It is good, and the audience's enjoyment of the film could possibly be measured by how engrossed in the CG animation scene they are – the more films of this kind they have seen, perhaps the less they'll enjoy it; this is not down to the quality of the film itself, but more because it is such a run-of-the-mill, seen-it-all-before kind of film.I will reiterate though – it is not a bad film. It is mostly average though because, despite the charm of the characters and the attractive look of the film, the structure is so blatantly predictable; the mismatched group of animals, the climactic chase, all-star voice cast, even the character's themselves – the manic one, the cautious one, the cocky one – are all present and correct. And that is why, for me, the film didn't reach the peaks of other animated films. It seems to be playing the safe route, not taking any chances and just emulating (although, it must be said, sometimes improving) what has come before.The cast do have considerable charm. Bruce Willis seems to have cut himself lose and really gone to town on making his character, problem-causing raccoon RJ, an enjoyable one. Other highlights include Steve Carell as manic squirrel Hammy (a total scene stealer) and Omid Djalili as a Persian Cat and the guardian to the suburban household that the animals are trying to steal the food from. However, other members of the cast are not really used to their full potential, but the focus is never on them for too long.The animation is, as one would expect by this point, faultless – but there is really no excuse for it not to be – and the style is more riotous then other films, which at least gives the film a visual distinction from other CG films. The humour is good but the film really only starts picking up in the second half – the first half drags a bit and takes too long to get going, again making the film stall. However, there are some stand out scenes, such as the views from space (where we see the exaggerated effects the animals have on the suburb) and a hilarious scene featuring Hammy's caffeine-augmented speed, which is so fast time seems to stop for the rest of the world.In short, the film should be perfectly enjoyable to children, but adults will be harder to please. Over The Hedge is not a bad film, but I feel that the producers need to make something more original, something that goes against – or at least plays with – our expectations. Making the same films with a different cast each time is beginning to get old, and it is a shame but I suppose it had to happen eventually.Rated: 6.5/10 More reviews at: http://www.thelazylounge.net
Same old, same old
posted on 30 Aug 2009An average re-hash of a storyline which has used many many times before.A cute animal gets into trouble and is given what is effectively a task, goes and befriends another group of cute animals in order to con them into doing the task (in this case collecting food) for him.Task is completed for him, the rest of the group get caught. He sees them as he leaves with the food, feels guilty and then goes back to save them.This brought nothing new to this predictable storyline. The animation is good but a film should be judged on more than just the quality of the animation.
Hilarious, fun, a rip roaring good time
posted on 30 Aug 2009It seems like Dreamworks just simply can't make a bad picture. They have revolutionized animation and made them absolute gold in the pocket. Fortunately they truly do make great pictures!! Over The Hedge is a unique, fun, well voiced picture that has just right the morals for young kids, a hilarious script for adults and children and breathtaking animation. All this is told in basically ONE location. The film never leaves the backyard and over the hedge in one small neighborhood. That's pretty impressive to be able to tell a great story without ever changing locations. The script is literally laugh out loud, and they take plenty of liberties with the characters because it's animation and it doesn't have to be even remotely realistic. And that makes it even more fun!! They really know how to make a picture fun for everyone!! I went to see this with my girlfriend and no kids and we loved it!! This cast is just drop dead amazing. Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, and Avril Lavigne. What an incredible job bringing together such a variety of Hollywood stars and they all mesh together perfectly. They also fit their characters 100%. Bruce Willis is terrific (a throwback to his days voicing Mikey in Look Who's Talking) as R.J., a rather self serving raccoon with his own welfare in mind. Willis has a distinct style to his comedy and he brings that out with his voice. Garry Shandling is also terrific as determined leader of the family Verne. Wanda Sykes is hilarious and well voiced as the strong willed Skunk Stella. Thomas Haden Church is really well done as the mean spirited exterminator Dwayne, called in to rid the up scale human neighborhood of the sudden critter infestation.As I said before on the great things about this film is it's story, script and just it's complete set up in general. A group of different animals (Possums, Porcupines, a skunk, a turtle, a chipmunk) all wake up from hibernation to discover that their forest has been cut down in order to make way for a new up scale sub division and now right outside their log where they live separating them from the humans is a HEDGE!! One of the greatest moments in the film is when they're trying to discover what this "hedge" actually is. The film is so sweet, nicely made, funny, action packed!! There are some genuine edge of your seat moments and every character is adorable and done in beautifully rendered CGI animation. The last animated film I saw was Chicken Little which I also really enjoyed and I'm scored Over The Hedge the same as Chicken Little but Over The Hedge was even better. You've got to see this one!! 9/10
Better than many recent animated efforts
posted on 30 Aug 2009What a refreshing change. Most of the animated movies to which I have been dragged by my kids recently have gone on far too long. 'The Wild' was forgettable, sprawling and dull (and my wife says it's just the same as 'Madagascar'); 'Shark Tale' heartless and exploitative; 'Ice Age 2' charmless; 'The Magic Roundabout'? Unspeakable. 'Over The Hedge' succeeds because it has all the dramatic virtues -- a well-knit and shapely plot, great acting from an ensemble cast, and plenty for adults to enjoy as well as children. It's not in the same league as the Shreks or the Toy Stories (still less the Incredibles) but it is worthwhile and entertaining. Biggest surprise -- who knew that William Shatner was such a deft comedian? HERE COMES THE SPOILER... Opposums play dead, right? But never in such a hammy and melodramatic way as Ozzie the possum (Shatner) who with his last simulated breath, sees a rosebush, mutters 'Rosebud', and expires.
Finally, the Suburban witch is animated.
posted on 30 Aug 2009This movie is really, really cute. It stands apart from most children's movies that pander to the absolutely most banal aspects of child-appropriate humor. In other words, adults will enjoy this film, too. Personally, my favorite character is the cell-phone-loving, SUV-driving, suburbanite, cold-blooded homeowner's association president. This character is a perfect combination of all the aspects of "that" neighbor that we've all had. The message of this movie is clear without be contrived and it gives kids that intellectual credit that they are often denied. The only thing that bothers me about this movie is that the bear is a "bad guy" when he's just acting like, um, a bear. You can't make all the hippies happy all of the time, though, I guess.
better than some
posted on 30 Aug 2009Hammy the hyperactive squirrel is the funniest thing in it But its ending is weak a syrupy ending about friendship solving everything It lacks characters and the art is to very good Its consists of cinema and post modern jokes but no staying power that comes with narrative this is a diatribe against American consumerism and nachos and junk food beginning with an explosion of nachos as epic as an atom bomb such is its effect on the animals. this inspires them to seek out more which means abandoning their natural habitat and entering the world f humans. Thanklfully hue humans have thoughtfully destroyed their habitat while they were hibernating as an invitation to come and infest their homes. This may not be as funny as some of the CGI works and again is tying to balance irony jokes for the adults with scatological the kids, Bruce Willis's voice-over for the raccoon raises the film
Rockin' the Suburbs
posted on 30 Aug 2009Over the Hedge is a cute movie that takes no prisoners in mocking suburbia and all that comes with it. The storyline is adequate and the voices are well done. Steve Carell's Hammy the hyperactive squirrel can be a little irritating at times but in the end is a very lovable character. He also stars in a great scene after he chugs an energy drink. Wandy Sykes is stellar as Stella the skunk.The movie is a fun, heartwarming tale of family and togetherness. When RJ the Racoon (portrayed by Bruce Willis) steals a bear's supply of food he has a limited amount of time to re-gather all of that food or face the angry bear's wrath. When he stumbles across an unsuspecting mishmash of a family of animals he sees a golden opportunity to gain some assistance in his task.Ripe with riffs of suburban American life, Over the Hedge delivers a good family film that is as much fun for adults as it is for kids.7 out of 10.
Atrocious
posted on 30 Aug 2009I don't think I've ever paid to see a worse movie than this. If I had been on my own I would have left the movie 1/3 of the way in. Unfortunately I was with my kids who also thought it was atrocious, but for some reason wanted to see what happened.The characters are all horribly schmaltzy. It feels like a feel-good TV series from the 1970s, only without what little humour those shows had.Do yourself a favour and stay away from this one. 1 1/2 hours of my life gone, and too much money to think about. I should have stayed home and played a game of monopoly instead - cheaper, more entertaining and probably a whole lot funnier.
"I myself am eighteen yet still laughed at this beauty of animation and a great cast"
posted on 30 Aug 2009When you think about over the hedge, you may think, whats the deal with something to do about a hedge some animals discover. The story starts plainly enough, about a raccoon called RJ, who cant get enough of humans food and leisure products. One night, he is starving and cant get any food and suddenly decides to steal from a bear named Vincent (how he knows him is unknown to me, maybe he lives with the bear or the bears like a mafia leader and RJ is one of hes cronies?). Anyway, RJ gets greedy going for some pringle like "spuddys" and wakes up Vincent, as well as losing all the bears supplies. Vincent makes a threat; to get all the stuff back in a week...or else.Meanwhile, the other animals awake from hibernation to find out a hedge has overtaken there once beautiful habitat. Scared to cross the hedge, RJ takes it as a chance to lie to the animals and get back all the stuff by showing them the delights of the humans world. However, along the way, RJ finds himself fitting in and becoming the father figure to something he never had, a family.This movies animation is top notch, the facial expressions are done extremely well and there are some funny bits, not too many though. It is a charming movie to watch, even just to see Eugene Levy's character (looks closely like him)
Over this Movie
posted on 30 Aug 2009I should of rated this 3 but the animation gave it an extra star. That being said, I thought this movie stunk. I'm 12 so this movie was thoroughly aimed at my age group. It was supposed to be funny my 9 year old sister, 13 year old cuz and my 5 year old cuz only laughed one time.Thats sad only being able to make a 5 year old laugh once. That part is when a truck went through a house, demolishing the 2nd story. OK but the story line a bunch of animals getting food for themselves by stealing from the humans. This moving though had superb animation and shaped the animals to look like the people who voiced them. it was over all a horrible picture which is surprising because it is from Dreamworks.
Best CGI Movie Yet
posted on 30 Aug 2009Honestly, I have not had so much fun at a movie in a while. This movie was cute, fast paced and funny. Dreamworks once again creates a movie that both adults and kids will enjoy. In fact the theater I was in was uproaring with laughter from patrons of all ages.I have seen most of the CGI movies and a lot of other animated movies as of late considering I have a young child. I think I summed it all up in the first paragraph, but I REALLY ENJOYED this one as much as my child....maybe even more. Each animal had their own quirky personalities. The raccoon is the ring leader. He convinces the other animals to go 'over the hedge' to humanland and get exciting food not bark or a few tiny berries which they have been dispersing in tiny portions. Afterall there are around 10 animals in all. The most comedic is the squirrel. The skunk has a few moments....really they all made me laugh. The turtle who is very cute is the one who is skeptical of the raccoon. The raccoon ulterior motive is to get replacement food for the bear who's food the raccoon happened to destroy.I highly recommend this movie if you are at all on the borderline or like me would like to see it but where do you get the time. Run out and see this one. Haven't seen Cars yet, it may very well be good but this one is as good as they get. Enjoy.
Right up there with Shrek
posted on 30 Aug 2009This movie is great. The stand out performances for me were Bruce Willis and Steve Carell. Most of the animals were cute and cuddly.The best jokes were the cheese bomb, Hammy being the only person in the world who was moving, and when R.J. was describing how humans live to eat. Clever!Other than the stand outs the cast was good. Nick Nolte was good as Vincent, William Shatner was funny as the possum. Avril Legvine was good as the daughter. Wanda Sykes was good, too. Gary Sandling was good, but I just preferred R.J. over his character.9 out of 10. Funny movie. Don't miss.
Great cartoon
posted on 30 Aug 2009OVER THE HEDGE will delight young-uns and adult-type folk alike, as it mixes Looney Tunes-type destructive humor with loads of Baby Boomer references. A wily raccoon (Bruce Willis) helps a bunch of naive furry critters headed up by a thoughtful turtle (Gary Shandling) find food after they find most of their forest has been replaced by hundreds of cluster housing units. Talk about a timely topic, by the way. HEDGE is based on a comic strip, and the characters in this theatrical release are fully realized and all quite hysterical, each in his or her own right. There is a sweet porcupine family headed by Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, a silly father (William Shatner) and daughter (Avril Lavigne) possum team, a sassy skunk (Wanda Sykes) and and a manic squirrel (Steve Carrell). They all play their parts to perfection. HEDGE is not as brilliant as CARS nor quite so smarmy as ICE AGE 2; it strikes a nice balance and moves the beat of to its own internal rhythm. Make sure you hang around for the closing credits.
Mediocre and too short
posted on 30 Aug 2009A number of animals wake up in their log at the start of spring: hibernation is over and the quest for food begins. Their first trip through the wood brings them to a hedge. A large hedge. A hedge that wasn't there before the hibernation period began.Somewhere nearby a raccoon attempts to steal the food of a bear that is sleeping. He fails and has to promise the bear to bring him new food because the bear will kill him otherwise.When the raccoon and the band of animals get together the film starts rolling - and suburbia turns into the playground of the raving beasts.Over the Hedge is an animation film made by Dreamworks Animation and the animation itself isn't half bad. It looks good enough really. The story isn't half bad either - it is too short, but not half bad. The characters are a little flat though, and don't really fill up the short time the film lasts, and there is the last problem: it is just too short.It does have some good bits: there's a bullet time sequence that had me in tears from laughing. There is a number of funny snipes at social life in suburbia, but all in all. Nah. It just doesn't work out.5 out of 10 good bits of food in the trash can. Mediocre stuff, could have been a lot better.