Over the Hedge (DVD, 2006, Full Frame Version)

This is a fantastic movie....some children's movies seem to address that demographic only and even then, not in an entertaining way! Over the Hedge however has something for the whole family and would be an asset to your home movie collection!
This Dreamworks production boasts a number of big stars: Wanda Sykes, Steve Carell, Bruce Willis, William Shatner to name but a few!
The premise of the story being the Raccoon...a petty food thief, picks the wrong target when he steals the winter supplies of a bear, and finds himself forced to replenish the food he takes! So, he pays the suburbs a visit and befriends the local wildlife population - who prior to hibernation lived in the wild - and wake up to find themselves fenced out of a new suburbia that emerged over the winter months!!
Our crafty raccoon "helps" them collect food from the human world, the whole time plotting to take it away in order to repay his debt, but as the movie evolves a lesson is learned!
The battle between animal and human life is simply hysterical...this movie takes a tongue in cheek look at suburbia, poking fun at adult behavior!! The comedy will appeal to the younger demographic, but superb writing also places a lot of humor in this movie that is directed at the adult audience - for example, we see a scene of a local driving around in a huge SUV....what one animal questions what it is...the other explains that humans have to have these tanks as they have lost the ability to walk, whilst also poking fun at the sheer size of the vehicle for "one person"!!! It points out many concepts that we see as normal but are actually quite absurd!!
The animated characters are loveable and funny - and the scene where they become accustomed to human food and possessions cannot be missed!!
A great DVD for the whole family!!

Over the Hedge (2006)

Starring: voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney, Avril Lavigne, Eugene Levy, William Shatner
Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
Rating: PG
Category: Comedy


I don't get to get out and see the movies much but I love to watch the little ones when they watch these kidda movies My Nephew (Nate) and I often go to watch these together and I have to say he loves themall even if I don;t so from the eyes of a 3 year old they are all great!! but in my eyes here are my comments on this one

The dialogue is flat. This cast is filled with comedy pros, from Shandling and Steve Carell (whose hyperactive squirrel Hammy steals the movie) to the dynamic duo of Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara (think Frances McDormand and her three-cent stamp husband from “Fargo”), and damned if they’re given anything to work with. If there’s anything good to be said about the dialogue, it’s that it’s not loaded with sexual innuendo or otherwise inappropriate material for children, like a certain ogre movie which shall remain nameless.

Okay, enough complaining, let’s get to the good stuff. Despite the grievances above, “Hedge” is funnier than every other DreamWorks movie combined. There are some crazy chase sequences that have no basis in physics, but they work, damn it. As for the stolen bits, Hammy is clearly modeled after Scrat from the “Ice Age” movies (smart move, since Scrat is the only character in those movies worth watching), and one secondary – but unforgettable – joke from “Finding Nemo” is hilariously adapted here. They were also wise to acknowledge that they’re living in the world of animation, gleefully taking liberties with reality and using some truly random, and dead perfect, long distance shots (the less you know, the better).
<img border="0" src="http;//i-love-catz.com/over_the_hedge_1.jpg" width="250" height="180">

I expected nothing from “Over the Hedge,” and came out grinning ear to ear. I noted the flaws and filed them away, but they in no way prevented me from thoroughly enjoying this movie. They’re still a ways away from capturing a Pixar-esque level of magic, but they’ve taken great leaps in stepping up the quality and intelligence of their work, and that is to be commended. As long as there are no more Lord Farquaads on the horizon, DreamWorks Animation’s future looks bright, indeed.

Over the Hedge is a cute tale of your everyday critters learning the lessons of domesticated life. RJ the racoon has a run in with a bear whos food he tries to steal, he is forced to trick a bunch of 'hibernators' into helping him collect enough food for the winter (the food is really for the bear). Along the way he teaches the hibernators the way of domesticated scrap eating animals and where to find the best human foods. Despite some trouble with exterminator and a crazy house wife the hibernators teach RJ what real friends do for each other and other lessons of friendship!

A great story, and very funny! Highly recommend!

Super funny movie! My wife even used this to show her high school students and they loved it. You could also use this movie for elementary students. All parents should consider getting them movie cause it's really hilarious and it has super graphics to say the least! - gene

GREAT MOVIE! Kids must have!

As a parent, this movie was great. It will keep 3-9 years old several hours next to the TV if thats what you want.

It has nice visuals.
Nice effects.
Great story (kids.
Good voices behind the movie.
Its hilarious for adults as well.
Go get it if you have kids!

This is a great movie for the whole family, even adults.
It is good clean fun, and the celebrities doing the voices for the characters really make them come to life.

This movie is one of the greatest that I have seen in a long while.
It is HILARIOUS!!!!!
SOOOO FUNNY and SOOO good for the kids and adults too!!!
You Must Buy this one...you will not regret it.

WHAT A RIOT!!!!!! This movie is a hit, no questions about it at all. The kids LOVED IT! My husband was doubled over laughing and for myself, it's okay that the kids play it over, and over, and over, and over again. The first time I watched it I felt like a kid again. This is one for the entire family! TWO THUMBS UP!!

This is the funniest animation movie I have seen yet. It is that halarious! Be warned, there is "body function" humor.

My favorite character was the squirrel! If you have not seen this yet, you must! It is great!

This movie is hilarious! I saw this when it was out in theaters. And it comes in handy because kids love it and I work at a day care. I bought this movie because it was worth adding to my collection.

Picture animals out of hibernation...then wham a housing development has grown up around them and there is no where to get food...enter the scoundrel who helps them on the quest for food. It is a cute movie with many good actors lending their voices to this movie take on urban spawl.

Over the Hedge is a wonderful movie for anone who likes to laugh. My fiance and I bought it for my 9 year old son for Christmas, borrowed it one night, and loved every second of it. Steve Carell, need I say more?!? The moral of the story is a good one for any age. Family is the most important thing. Word of caution: do not watch while you are hungry! And remember- "But I like the cookie."!

My Family truely enjoyed watching this movie .If anything it teaches children about true friendships.A good movie for the whole family .

It was a good movie... Wasn't the greatest... I thought it was kind of adult actually... and some of the "namecalling" was unexpected... But if Your kids are 7 and older, it's a good movie... Bruce Willis voice is A+!

Pros
+ Fun characters.
+ Excellent animation.
+ Fun for all ages.

Cons
- Might encourage your children to feed wild animals!!!
- Shrek 3 preview. Reveals absolutely nothing about the story.

Comments
This movie is over the top cuteness. Anyone in the family can enjoy what it has to offer. Excellent story of friendship.

Verdict
Must watch for the entire family.

although the movie was cute, it was like everything else that is out now. i personally think it was over rated, the funniest parts are the parts you see in the coming attractions. so basically, before you watch it you have already seen the funniest parts already, and the only thing youre missing is the plot of the whole movie, but i dont really think children especially younger children would understand the plot. my daughter is 3 and it was one of the first movies that she watched once and did not want to watch again!!

If you want a great animated comedy Movie that will give your kids a lot of good laughs well this is one that will do the job. My kids laughed so hard at times I had to ask them to quite down some so we could hear. They are very happy that I got them this movie and so am I, and I must say I enjoyed it myself. It will also be a movie that the kiddie's will want to watch more than once it will not be a waste of your money at least it wasn't of mine. I give this 5 S*T*A*R*S*.

I am not a big cartoon person but when I heard that a cartoon had Bruce Willis, Wanda Sykes, Nick Nolte, William Shatner, and Jims dad in American Pie were on it I had to see it. Definately the funniest cartoon out, it was better than Finding Nemo by far. Hammy the Squirrel is awesome! I bought it and my friends watched it and immediately purchased it. Its definately worth every cent spent. 5 Stars! Great for the Family!

I'm going to bring down the average a bit. When I think of excellent 5-rated animated films, "Beauty and the Beast," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," and "The Curse of The Were-Rabbit" set the bar. "Over The Hedge" is more of a 2.5 with the benefit of the doubt on the side of nice computer graphics.

Not long ago a writer speculated that the reason this film and the recently released "Open Season" have made less money than expected was because the audience has gotten too used to this style of computer graphics. I don't think that's the case; Disney thrived for years on the same style. I think it's more that the audience is getting tired of having the same prototype of character and story repeated on end.

"Over The Hedge" feels so recycled; the dialogue so stale. One suspects they churned this out to turn over a quick buck. All the creativity has gone into the animation as if character and story were just an afterthought. You can go back to the success of "The Lion King" that introduced the very popular characters of the warthog, Pumbaa and the meerkat, Timon. Ever since versions of these characters seem to pop up in way too many animated films.

They show up here with R.J. the racoon, Verne the turtle, and Hammy the squirrel. Then tack on as many celebrity voices as you can. I wasn't quite sure what to make of Wanda Sykes providing the voice for the black skunk who exists on fringe of social acceptability; and didn't want to read too much into it stereotype casting-wise.

The cute little scavengers too often speak in the overly precocious, faux hip vernacular of annoying sitcom children. It doesn't seem considered. The makers of "Finding Nemo" talked about how they agonized over and spent years working out the dialogue and kinks in the story. And it showed. It was not only witty, wise and wonderful but very original.

And that's what's missing here. "Over the Hedge" isn't very original at all. It's not that it's horrible, it's just more of the same. The animation is fun and there are some lively action scenes that kids will enjoy, but it adds up to the equivalent of a C paper.

A neighbor lent me the movie and I wouldn't want to spend the money on the DVD or see it again. There is much better out there. I give it a meh and a shrug.

Excellent fun for the entire family. The grandkids loved it. This animated film, with a playful plot, taught the value of friendships, honesty, home & family that is rare in today's world of film. A must see for the kids & adults will love it too! Be prepared for lots of laughter!

Only typing this to get the reminder screen off of myebay. I would not have purchased if it wasn't a fabulous movie. Duh.

i loved that now my kids can have their own copy of this great childrens movie,now i no longer have to travel to rent the movie

Lovable characters and a not-so-subtle message about poor food choices, theft, and loyalty. An excellent production with characters i'll forget in a week. well done though.