Traveling raccoon con artist, RJ, 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... Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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Spring has arrived and an array of creatures sleeping in a large tree trunk has awakened from their winter hibernation. This group of unusual creatures, porcupines, possums, a squirrel, a skunk, has formed a family with Verne, a tortoise (voice of Garry Shandling), as the head. They discover that a tall hedge has cut their forest in half and their nut and berry trees are gone. Where are they going to get their food for next winter? Then RJ, an opportunistic raccoon (voice of Bruce Willis), enters the picture. RJ explains to the group that there is a new world called suburbia on the other side of the hedge where humans live. RJ says, "that humans live to eat, rather than eat to live". Humans throw away more food then they would ever need and put the food in garbage cans. RJ convinces them to go over the hedge to gather food for the winter. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

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0rganism from Portland, Oregon
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Let me say up front, I had low expectations going into the film. Although I like animation a lot, I wasn't too impressed with previous Dreamworks attempts. I tend to regard cutesy previews with suspicion, and was mostly just going along to have a potentially positive movie-going experience with my family. Things got a little worse when we arrived at the theatre, and both the ticket-tearing guy (if cinemas have a technical name for that role, I don't know what it is) and some poor sap from the commissary tried to pressure-sell the "fresh" soda and popcorn. We had to go out of our way to avoid an extra ad-hoc kiosk the food vendors established smack in the middle of the lobby. I hope that doesn't become standard practice. The twenty-odd minutes of previews were similarly underwhelming, and I was starting to get a little nervous -- is it going to be one of those days I'll want to forget? Then, at long last, Over the Hedge starts. Now I'm not an avid follower of the comic, partly because I don't get to read newspapers very often. The Over the Hedge strip is kind of a latecoming competitor to affections reserved for the beloved Bloom County of my childhood, so I'm not exactly salivating at the potential content. However, I gotta say, I was blown away from the start.

Over the Hedge is a neat movie. Granted, there are points where plot development is pure formula, and some of the dialog seems forced or weakly delivered, but these are minor snits. I was laughing out loud, along with most of the audience, which was well distributed agewise. I won't offer any spoilers, but I have to hand it to the screenwriters for seamlessly integrating action-based slapstick with some very cunning dialog, dialog that flies fast and furious enough that you'd better keep both ears wide open.

Messagewise, there are a few worth noting. I have not seen such a cutting indictment of suburbia since Edward Scissorhands. Some audiences may find the humor cuts a bit too close to home -- literally. Human eating habits are intensely scrutinized, for obvious reasons. Vanity and self-serving hubris are duly repudiated. Plenty of clever asides will appeal to a wholesome sort of cultural nostalgia, without ever seeming derivative or repetitive. There are both heartwarming and chilling references to the importance of family, especially a family under external pressures from a society that they do not understand, a culture that considers them vermin. But the messages aren't overplayed, and mesh well with the rest of this utterly hilarious movie.

There's more, of course, but the bottom line is entertainment, and this movie did not disappoint. Even the extended slapstick, which I seldom enjoy in movies, was so outrageous and excessive that it punched through to my funny bone and had me slapping my knee along with my family. Oh yeah, my family -- they liked the movie too, they liked it a lot. Over the Hedge is one of those solid films to which parents can bring children and everyone has an unreserved good time. That puts it in some pretty esteemed company -- right up there with Toy Story, Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life, et al. Highly enjoyable, highly recommended, 8/10.

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showgirl626 from USA
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Wow! Wow! Wow! I was transfixed! The animation? Gorgeous! The subtle humor? Uproarious! The not-so-subtle humor? Even better! This was a great movie that will surely be nominated for an Oscar if for no other reason than the beauty of the animation. While I could have honestly thought of a couple of better casting choices, I will mention that Wanda Sykes, Thomas Haden Church and Steve Carrell were brilliant in their roles. And who better to make fun of William Shatner than William Shatner? Worthy of special mention (and a second look - go see this movie again!): the Rottweiler interludes, the ripples in the water, the porcupine quills, the oh-so-amazing foliage throughout the movie, and Vincent's cartoonish-yet-strangely-scary expression.

Really REALLY a great movie that should appeal to all.

Enjoy.

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Movieguy_blogs_com from United States
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In 'Over the Hedge' Bruce Willis plays RJ, a raccoon who is in trouble. He tried to take Vincent the bear's (Nick Nolte) food and has two weeks to replace it or else. RJ's plan, to con a group of foragers into collecting the food for him. Lead by Verne the turtle (Garry Shandling), who does not trust RJ, the group is impressed with RJ's knowledge of suburbia which has recently invaded their forest and has built a hedge around of what is left of their environment. The group decides to follow RJ, but will it be their undoing?

This is an awesome film with an all-star cast. With the likes of Steve Carell, William Shatner, and Thomas Haden Church; this movie is a true hit. Kids will love it, adults will love, and I loved it. Everyone is perfect in their roles; I have not seen a better animated film since 'Finding Nemo'.

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spatton from Pittsburgh
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I was able to see an advance showing of this movie with a mostly college-age audience and everyone was laughing throughout the movie. It was excellent. As my friend to the left said, sometimes the movie was over the top as well as over the hedge, but those times were some of the most hilarious. Action sequences early in the movie that had people roaring with laughter were topped by ones later on and small tidbits of comedy were spread throughout. Add to that the typical messages about family, friends, and doing-right and you have the formula for a great family comedy. The voice acting was solid; a really fine ensemble cast. I don't buy many animated movies, but I may have to pick this one up. Wheee!

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nbruno22
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This movie was better than I expected. I thought that it would be predictable and one of the dime a dozen animation films coming out now. I am an animation fan, and the animation was great, in addition to the story. The characters were somewhat predictable, but very well done and not boring. The voices are very well done as well. This is a movie that children can also enjoy (sounds kind of odd being that animation films are usually supposed to be for kids), in addition to adults. It has some really funny parts that are not cliche humor. Probably the best part about it is the message it sends about humans encroaching on animal habitats and how it affects the balance of nature.

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mmoran56 from United States
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I saw this film in a preview.It's release date is next month. Clever writing and wonderful animation make this movie a "must see" for both children and adults. The characters are well defined and the voices are perfect for each character. Some of the humor in the movie may be missed if one doesn't pay full attention to the dialog.There are several messages in the movie. One is a look at consumerism in the United States, another shows that using others for personal gain is a bad idea and lastly the importance of family in our society. The messages are there without this charming movie being preachy. I recommend that families attend the movie together and discuss it afterward.I am looking forward to the sequel!

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DonFishies from Canada
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Unbeknowist to me, Over the Hedge is based on a comic strip. I've never seen it, but I can only imagine that it would be just as good as the film, if not better. And while it's not an astonishment, I can say that Hedge is genuinely enjoyable, and great fun for everyone.

R.J. (Bruce Willis) is a hungry raccoon, who just happens to make the mistake of his life when he tries to steal the huge supply of food that Vincent (Nick Nolte), a bear, has stored during his winter hibernation. Vincent is obviously upset, but he gives R.J. a week to collect all the food and everything that went with it, or he'll eat him. So as R.J. sets out, he comes across a new suburban area, filled with food and all of the things he needs. In the neighbouring forest, he finds a "family" of animals, lead by Verne the turtle (Garry Shandling). They are all searching for food as well, so R.J. helps teach them things about the human world that they are unaware of, and sets out to get the food he needs.

Of course, this is the main premise of the film, but it takes a few turns as all animated films do. And like many animated films before it, it has a great message, and is great for kids and adults. The film is packed with light laughs for children, and then the even bigger laughs for the adults. At the heart of the film, it's all basically about the effects of living/creating suburbia, and abusing consumerism. While it only touches on being satirical in this sense, it does offer the usual pop culture references, and many others too. And luckily, it was saved from the obligatory song and dance number that plagues other animated films.

The story is well written, but feels very brisk. It starts, it continues for a bit, and then it ends. It is not as short as some films, but you can't help but wonder what more could have been done if they had a little more running time. It is a much stronger film than other Dreamworks titles like Madagascar and Shark Tale, and really seems like it can stand next to the likes of Shrek 1 and 2.

The voice acting is all top-notch, from Willis' take no-nonsense raccoon, to the sadly missed Shandling as a neurotic turtle. Steve Carrell also stands out as the absolutely insane Hammy the squirrel, as does William Shatner as Ozzie the possum. As I had read before seeing the film, Shatner does an absolutely fabulous job playing possum. I couldn't stop laughing any time his character did something, it's just that great. The rest of the voice cast, from Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as parents of hedgehogs, to Wanda Sykes as a skunk, to Thomas Hayden Church as an exterminator, to Nick Nolte as Vincent the bear, all are great and well suited for their roles. They all have quite a bit of screen time, and none feel over-used at all (unlike Madagascar's blatant overuse of Ben Stiller and no one else). Of course, the random inclusion of Avril Lavinge as Shatner's daughter Heather was a little bizarre, you can see that she is at least making an attempt at voice acting here.

And as usual, the animation is excellent. While not being a total improvement from the likes of other Dreamworks films, the advancements are still very noticeable. The grass, the fur, the emotions and gestures, all of them are perfectly captured, and look gorgeous on film. All the colours are great too.

It's a funny movie, and a fabulous cast. It's one of the better animated films of the last few months.

8/10.

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punchinello23 from Los Angeles CA & Houston, TX
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My wife and I were able to attend an advance screening of Over the Hedge, and the two of us thought it was great. I had no idea what DreamWorks was planning to do with the comic strip, but I was pleasantly surprised. I am not a Madagascar or Shrek fan, but this film was actually pretty good and certainly worth my time. I am holding out hope that people who were otherwise on the fence, will decide to see it. Subtle messages about equal treatment, honesty, trust, and friendship are present without being heavy handed. The satire about America's consumer driven economy(particularly in the food industry) is relevant, refreshing, and intelligent. Adults will easily enjoy this film as much as kids, which is no easy task for a cartoon movie. I'm a big classic Disney fan and a lover of animation in general, and my advice to people who have a soft spot for great animation is to take the time to see what's "Over the Hedge", my daughter thinks that RJ and Hammy are the two cutest animals ever created. The trailer sells the slapstick humor that will draw its target audience into the theater, but please be aware that this film does in fact have heart and substance. I'm even wondering if the torch will pass from Disney to DreamWorks this year. In either case, Over the Hedge definitely gets my support!

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Kryzak from California, USA
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While this movie doesn't have the depth of Finding Nemo or Shrek, it was a very fun and well done animation by Dreamworks. The animation was first rate, and the animals were very fun to watch. The voice acting was superb and well cast. What I enjoyed the most about this movie (other than the super funny bits here and there) is the social commentary they presented. It's nothing serious, but it shows us how gluttonous many of us "humans" have become. While many of the human characters are exaggerations, there's quite a bit of truth behind each caricature. My favorite is the Home Owner Association President. She was so overdone (yet so realistic!) that I wasn't sure if I was laughing because it was so true to life, or if it was just so out there.

Anyway, good movie, good times, and go with good company. After some mediocre animation movies from Dreamworks, they hit a good one again with Over the Hedge.

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from New York
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There's nothing not to like about this fantastic, engaging film--other than the fact that Avril Lavigne is lackluster in her big-screen debut. But her role has little impact on the bigger picture, so it's easy to skip over. Kids and adults will get an equally big kick out of OTH--it provides astute commentary on Americans' gluttonous relationship to food and precarious understanding of the animals that live on the outskirts of our lives; kids will love the brilliant animation, lovable characters and simple yet clever plot. It's a film about good vs. evil, and yes, lessons are learned. But it's far more than just a good way to fill two hours with your kids. I think it'll rank up there as one of Dreamworks' best films to date.

Bruce Willis replaced Jim Carrey as the voice of RJ.
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The makers originally wanted Bill Murray and Harold Ramis to voice RJ and Verne, respectively.
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Ben Folds said on his blog about the title credits song "Family of Me": "The original lyric was 'Ooh, I'm an asshole' but obviously that didn't last for long. The directors and producers got a good laugh and then they stopped laughing when I tried to explain why it's okay to say 'asshole' in front of kids. I think it's the 'hole' part. Ass might be all right. I don't know..."
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Hammy suggests calling the hedge "Steve", saying that "Steve is a nice name". Hammy is voiced by Steve Carell.
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The art department went to a bowling alley to sketch the design of the 'perfect' vending machine. They went to various supermarkets to sketch chip bags and bottles. They eventually got kicked out of a Safeway because the manager felt uncomfortable with them being there for such an extended amount of time.
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Took a crew of 237 more than three years to finish the film.
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To prepare for his role as Vincent the Bear, Nick Nolte researched information about bears in order to give the right vocal tone and performance to his character.
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When Hammy gives RJ the Energy drink, saying, "I'm not supposed to have this", he sits down and starts to sip on a juice box. If you look closely, you can see enough letters to make out the name on the juice box as "Nearly Juice", possibly a joke on the FDA's "restriction" that you can only call something a "fruit juice" drink if it has at least 10% real juice.
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The 'forest side' of the hedge is based on the hedge in front of the building where the Dreamworks studio is run. The exterior of the hedge is based on the vines growing in their parking garage. The hedge is approximately 7 feet tall.
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Dave Morehead, an animator of Over the Hedge (2006), created reference footage by putting a camera on the back of his friend's dog and letting it run around his house. This gave the layout artists some great ideas about scale, animals' perspective, and how animals moved. In addition, the layout team compared a house to an apartment building and a kitchen to a cathedral.
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A Wal-Mart cross-promotion ad was once aired in advance of the film's release, but was quickly pulled after authors Michael Fry and T. Lewis objected to it, citing Wal-Mart's anti-environmental activities.
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The only Dream works animation film based on a comic strip and the only fully CGI animated film based on a comic strip.
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Tiger is introduced as Prince Tigeriess Mahmood Shabaz. This is a play on the middle name of another William Shatner character: James Tiberius Kirk.
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The stackable potato chips branded Spuddies in the film is a spoof of Pringles chips. In an early trailer, the chip brand was known as Jingles and featured the Pringles logo with a court jester's cap on.
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Ben Folds re-wrote the lyrics to the closing song "Rockin' the Suburbs", replacing the teenage angst and nu metal parodies with a more child-friendly attack on Suburbia. This version also features a spoken part by William Shatner, who plays Ozzie in the film.
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According to the film makers on the DVD commentary, the movie originally opened with RJ sneaking into Vincent the Bear's cave to steal his food. But then they quickly realized that they were beginning with something more suspenseful so they invented the "Vending Machine" sequence at almost the last minute.
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Whenever RJ is searching through his bag, he occasionally tosses out (among other things) an audio CD. Looking close in multiple shots, you can see it's a John Tesh CD which apparently sold for 10 cents.
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The child who plays one of the porcupine triplets, Bucky, is Sami Kirkpatrick, the son of Karey Kirkpatrick, one of the directors of the film.
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Pay close attention to the porcupine kids after Ozzie's melodramatic performance in the streets. As they declare "Props for the OzzMan!!", they're holding their hands in the "Horned Devil" gesture which is done by fans of heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne.
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Gene Wilder was offered a prominent role but declined.
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Gladys, played by Allison Janney, was originally a Real Estate Agent, but was changed to the president of the Homeowners Association to add to the story.
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The first Dreamworks film to be distributed by Paramount Pictures who purchased Dreamworks in 2005.
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Based on "Over the Hedge", a syndicated comic strip written and drawn by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon named RJ and a turtle named Verne who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over by suburbia, trying to survive the increasing flow of humanity and technology while becoming enticed by it at the same time. Four collections have been published: Over The Hedge, Over The Hedge 2, Over The Hedge 3: Knights of the Picnic Table and Over The Hedge: Stuffed Animals.
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Sean Yazbeck (BBQ Barry) and Lee Bienstock (Lunch Table Larry) appeared in the film as a reward for winning their assigned task on the NBC TV series The Apprentice (2004).
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During the rolling end credits, original comics can be seen, for example, Penny and Lou reading a comic to the porcupine triplets
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Live-action reference of fountains, willow trees, hedges, bottles shattering and umbrellas were used in designing the looks for the movie.
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The logo of Dwayne LaFontaine, the Verminator's pest and vermin control company, featuring a man resembling himself hitting a rabbit with a hammer, is a spoof of a pest control company in California, Nevada, and Arizona, Western Extermination Company, whose logo features a man named Kernel Kleenup with a top hat and suit about to squash a rat with his hammer.
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Tiger is a Persian cat and his voice was performed by Omid Djalili who has Iranian (Persian) descendant .
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In the film, Hammy says that "Steve" is a "pretty name." The voice of Hammy is Steve Carell
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Originally announced for a November 2005 release.
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food|raccoon|forest|suburb|hibernation|exterminator|family relationships|cartoon turtle|cartoon squirrel|cartoon skunk|cartoon porcupine|cartoon opossum|cartoon dog|cartoon cat|cartoon bear|cartoon possum|villain|friend|pretending to be dead|tree|nightmare|dreamworks animated film|cave|cgi film|conservation|consumerism|cell phone|bullet time|wagon|truck|trap|suv|squeeze toy|rabies|potato chip|persian cat|junk food|home owners association|girl scouts|forage|cooler|chain|barbecue|surprise after end credits|vending machine|father daughter relationship|explosion|dream sequence|cookie|animal driving car|wilhelm scream|urban sprawl|suburbia|computer animation|based on comic strip|title spoken by character|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Argentina:Atp / Australia:G / Brazil:Livre / Canada:G (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) / Canada:PG (Ontario) / Denmark:A / Finland:K-7 / France:U / Germany:o.Al. / Hong Kong:I / Iceland:L / Ireland:G / Malaysia:U / Norway:A / Peru:PT / Philippines:G / Portugal:M/4 / Singapore:G / South Korea:All / Sweden:7 / Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) / UK:U / USA:PG (certificate #42591)