Over The Hedge (2006)

3 out of 4

Starring: voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, Allison Janney, Thomas Haden Church, William Shatner, Nick Nolte, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Avril Lavigne

Directors: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick

Time: 83 mins

Viewed: Mega Movies at Brunswick Square, East Brunswick, New Jersey

Latest computer animated film from Dreamworks (Shrek, Madagascar), this time based on a comic strip, about a group of forest dwelling creatures, led by turtle Verne (Shandling), who find their livelihoods endangered by the enroachment of that all-too-human phenomena: suburbia. With the help of R.J. (Willis), a wily raccoon who has his own ulterior motives, the critters raid the suburbanites and their food, forcing Gladys (Janney), the head of the Homeowners Association, to bring in the dreaded Verminator (Haden Church). Breezy CGI cartoon featuring all-star cast is not in the same league as Shrek or the Pixar classics, but gorgeous animation, real-world setting (with associated digs at humankind) and some funny action bits keep this a rung above recent animated fare such as Ice Age: The Meltdown and Robots.

(c) Joe Wong (21 May 2006)