Based on the comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis, this is a loud & lively animated comedy brimming with endearing characters, and some laugh out loud gags. Bruce Willis, back in the days when he still seemed to give a damn, is nicely cast as the voice of R.J., a conniving, self serving raccoon who foolishly tries to steal the food supply of a bear named Vincent (voice of Nick Nolte). When the stash is demolished, R.J. ropes a troupe of foraging forest critters into helping him find a replacement stash. And he believes there will be easy pickings when they go "over the hedge" and into the suburban sprawl that is encroaching upon their wilderness.It is thanks to the success of "Toy Story" from a decade previous that a formula got perfected in this sort of entertainment, with some bright and cutting humor for adults to enjoy. It's not subtle about its criticisms of suburban life, but some people might not mind. And, although it may be rather too intense for the youngest of your family members, kids are more than likely to really take to the critter characters. Some of the humor may be obvious, but it does still work. There is even a sort of nod to Pepe Le Pew cartoons as our heroes give Stella the skunk (voice of Wanda Sykes) a makeover in order to pull the wool over a pet cats' (voice of Omid Djalili) eyes.The animation is slick and first rate, and there's plenty of peppy music in the form of a score by Rupert Gregson-Williams and songs by Ben Folds.The all star main voice cast also includes William Shatner as a possum who's appropriately hammy when he fakes death, a hilarious Garry Shandling as Verne the turtle, Steve Carell as a crazed squirrel named Hammy, Thomas Haden Church as a lunkhead exterminator, Allison Janney as a neighborhood busybody, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as porcupine parents, and pop star Avril Lavigne as the possum daughter.Quite entertaining overall, especially the way that it continues with gags through the closing credits.One of the brightest bits for this viewer was the way that R.J. educated his newfound friends on the way that humans worship food and give it such predominance in their lives.Eight out of 10.

I did not know what to expect from 'Over The Hedge'. I had not read any reviews or ratings. Just decided to pass some time with animation film.But after the 80 minutes of unexpected fun I must admit this film is worth at least one-time watch. The plot is simple. A bunch of animals living in a small wilderness come to know about human civilization beyond the hedge boundary. RJ, the raccoon helps them to know about human world and tells them how they can get easy and delicious food from the humans. Soon RJ becomes hero of the pack and is loved by all, also RJ finally gets to have a family. But they are unaware that RJ is collecting food for own personal purpose and will be betraying them.The pacing is brisk, the characters are interesting and the screenplay is funny and entertaining. The dog-chase sequence was hilarious and the Verminator thing towards the end was really bad-ass! I really liked the description about Human Food given by RJ, it really had satirical touch to it. Also it addresses the themes of family and betrayal very well. While overall, Over The Hedge may follow a predictable path but its simple and intriguing fun like no other. Don't miss it!RATING: [3/5]

I quite enjoyed the prequels. Not so the actual movie.It reminds me of the "good ole days" of violent cartoons and limit animation.This movie was so full of violence, I could hardly watch. And tho the animation wasn't as bad as the old days, it still left a lot to be desired.Some other reviewers found good life lessons to be learned here. Frankly, I couldn't involve myself in the story line enough to see them.Basically, hibernating animals awake one spring to find their environment has been altered. Some cute lines and interactions. They are whipped into teamwork by a raccoon with ulterior motives. They do battle for the garbage leavings of a householder who is terrified of wild animals. She hires an exterminator. There ensures violence and property damage. Great for anyone who enjoys seeing things blown up. I don't.

This reviewer has seen more animated features -- we used to call them full length cartoons but, by the same token, we used to use phones the size of toasters with rotating dials on them -- than he cares to count. Some good. Some awful. Some great. But of that number there is only one that beckoned, enticed, and entreated me to watch it over and over. This is the film. I have seen it 6 times at least and have yet to get bored with it. It also makes me laugh out loud, and, from memory the only other time I can recall doing that was 1974. I love the way the story builds. I love the way the characters are developed. I love the fact that Gary Shandling lent his voice to the "tentative" reptile (turtle) because, since his own show disappeared eons ago, we don't see or hear enough of him. I love the way they created a character that allows Shatner to virtually drown in self-mockery, over and over and over, yet it is so subtle that, unless you have indeed seen the entire original Star Trek series like, 13 times each episode, you would never ever get the joke. I love the way the whole notion of gated communities is taken to task. I love that this film gives Hayden-Church a chance to score points based on voice alone. But what I keep seeing in this film on each successive viewing is how Carell took the character of Hamilton the Squirrel (who to be fair does not get a lot of lines) and made him the star. Carell, BTW, is not only a comic, he is the real deal, an actor, and he has played dark parts. So, as the film reaches its apex, and, to save the day, a can of triple-caffeine soda is passed to Hammy, and Hammy says with a giant stutter, "OHHH I am not supposed to drink THAT", I invariably fall off my chair in a spasm of laughter, and then bang my head on the coffee table. Time after time. What gets my goat is that they gave ELLEN an Oscar for basically playing a fish that was playing ELLEN, but ignored Carell for elevating this wonderful squirrel into one of the most memorable characters in film.