Over the Hedge - A Movie Review

What’s over that hedge is the answer to your food questions.

Over The Hedge jumped into theaters in 2006. A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched group of forest creatures into invading the refrigerators of a suburban neighborhood to pay food back to a bear.

Over the Hedge is one of those animated films that we don’t see anymore. I rewatched this film as an adult and it still makes me laugh. It has fun being what it is and the moral about friendship is heartwarming.

This film has one of the best ensembles in an animated feature. In total, there are eleven characters. Each has a story, different personalities, and is used in the story to their best potential. I know they’re only talking animals, but they feel real. Writers incorporated realistic portrayals of animals.

Several actors were considered for the voice roles. The voices are incredible. Everyone involved had a fun time. All the characters have a story and a dilemma. You feel like you know them. The character development should not go unnoticed in this film and I believe it’s a good example of how to balance screen time.

This film marks the only voice acting credit for Bruce Willis as RJ. The late Garry Shandling is splendid as Verne who just wants to keep everything in order. RJ and Verne have the best dynamic throughout. You can see the steam shooting out of Verne’s ear the more frustrated he becomes.

Steve Carell and Wanda Sykes are a riot as the energetic squirrel, Hammy, and the self-conscious skunk, Stella. Ozzie (William Shatner) and his daughter, Heather (April Lavigne) constantly battle about their nature as possums.

Before their Schitt’s Creek era, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara play a porcupine couple with their three children who discover a knack for video games. Nick Nolte researched bears to give the right vocal performance for his role as Vincent the bear. That says a lot about making a voice performance authentic.

Allison Janney is a riot as Gladys, a woman who cannot catch a break from all the animal's shenanigans. Her reactions are funny! I never knew until now that Thomas Haden Church voiced Dwayne, the overzealous exterminator.

Over The Hedge had an excellent writers team. Just like the movie, the comedy is so underrated. The dialogue is funny along with the visual gags. It’s a mix of slapstick, dialogue, and situational comedy.

A crew of 237 animators took three years to finish the CGI animation for Over the Hedge. For reference, animators attached a camera to a dog to get an idea of an animal's perspective. The crew searched around several spots until they found the right vending machine at a bowling alley to reference for one scene in the movie - which was a last-minute scene edit!

Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick did incredible work on this film. We don’t see animated films like this anymore. The film is original and there’s numerous action going on in each scene. Several ideas were scrapped or added to the film during production. You have to experiment with every idea even if it sounds corny.

Over the Hedge is a hilarious movie. It’s an enjoyable film with a great message about a chosen family. This is not your typical family, but for its time, Over the Hedge signifies the importance of friendship. Children also have the chance to watch their favorite animals.

Take a look at Over the Hedge. It’s an underrated animated gem with fantastic characters, clever comedy, and a captivating narrative.