Over the HedgeWhen con-artist raccoon RJ, sensitive turtle Verne and their woodland friends find a suburban housing development encroaching on their forest home, Verne's first instinct is to retreat into his shell and leave, but the ever-opportunistic RJ sees a treasure trove to be had from his unsuspecting new neighbours. Together, Verne and RJ form an unlikely friendship as they learn to co-exist with, and even exploit, this strange new world called suburbia.
Rated: [ G ] SOME SCENES MAY FRIGHTEN YOUNG CHILDREN
Cinema release: 22 Jun 2006
Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
Running time: 84 mins
Stars: Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Avril Lavigne, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Wanda Sykes, Nick Nolte
Rated: 4 out of 5
By Vicky Roach
THERE'S a world of difference between a cynical rehash and a fresh spin on a timeless yarn. For an example of the former, one needs to go no further than the box office - where X-Men 3 and The Fast And The Furious are trying to outgun remakes of The Poseidon Adventure and The Omen.
But if the special effects blockbuster is giving every sign of being creatively spent, animated adventures appear to be emerging as mainstream cinema's equivalent to a tonic.
Hot on the heels of Pixar's Cars comes Over The Hedge, a winter heart-starter from DreamWorks, the rival studio that brought us Shrek and Madagascar.
Directed by Tim Johnson (Antz) and Chicken Run screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick, it tells the story of a bunch of woodland animals who come out of hibernation to discover that their pristine native habitat has become a victim of suburban sprawl.
There are fewer references to pop culture and less jokes aimed directly at adult chaperones than Shrek, but there's a naive, fable-like quality to Over The Hedge that should ensure its universal appeal.
The underlying environmental message won't damage its parental suitability credentials any either.
The "prequel" to the comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis begins by introducing us to R. J. (Bruce Willis), a streetsmart raccoon who scavenges a comfortable living on the edge of a tourist car park. After a botched attempt to steal the winter stash belonging to Vincent (Nick Nolte), a large bear with a similar appetite for convenience food, R. J. is forced to venture further afield.
This is how the sweet-talking con artist winds up in the same neighbourhood as Verne (Garry Shandling), a warm and welcoming worrywart, Hammy (Steve Carell) the hyperactive squirrel and Stella (Wanda Sykes), the sassy skunk.
This tight-knit bunch of friends turn to the master manipulator for advice when they emerge from their annual winter slumber to find a giant hedge has grown between them and their traditional food supply. Under his self-interested guidance, they venture across to the other side - a strange and foreign world of manicured lawns, garden gnomes, fast cars and sociopathic pest exterminators.
By the time Verne and Co have discovered here's no such thing as a free lunch, R. J. has also managed to learn a life lesson or two.
Willis and Shandling are well cast as the animal kingdom's version of the odd couple, but it's Carell's Ritalin-deprived squirrel who steals this particular show. Cute and contemporary.
http://movieguide.news.com.au/movies/?title_id=19919 
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