Over The Hedge DVD Review

"Over The Hedge" reviews

DVD

Over The Hedge

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-12-01 16:00:45

Provider

DVD Review

At a time when it seems there's a glut of mediocre family films from which the most memorable scenes and lines can easily be forgotten before the end credits stop rolling, Over The Hedge comes as something of a relief. It is based on a comic strip in which a group of woodland creatures have their existence threatened by suburbia, which is encroaching on their territory and their ultimate foe, the pest control man.

The animals' self-appointed leaders are a racoon, RJ (Bruce Willis), and Verne the turtle (Gary Shandling), who teach the porcupines, possums and other animals how to forage among the houses. As with many of the animated films, the secondary characters steal the show - particularly Wanda Sykes as the skunk ("I'm going to gas you so hard your grandchildren will stink") and Steve Carell as Hammy the squirrel. The latter suffers from severe attention deficit disorder even before he downs his first can of energy drink which plays a vital and highly entertaining role in the film's finale.

The jokes are quite sharp - "That is an SUV," RJ informs his friends. "Humans are riding around in them because they're losing their ability to walk," with a script that neither insults children nor adults. Even a very amusing Grand Theft Auto joke is shoehorned in.

Full marks for eschewing the production line in favour of a top notch piece of family entertainment.

This special edition DVD release includes Hammy's Boomerang Adventure, a short film in which the heroic, hyper Squirrel tries to outsmart a boomerang (with optional audio commentary). Director and producer commentary, A spoof infomercial inviting viewers into the world of suburban pest extermination, Behind The Hedge featurette, interviews with the entire voice cast, making of featurette plus Animal Fun Facts, Learn To Draw, games, creative activities and printables.