Over the Hedge (2006)

A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating...and learns a lesson about family himself.

Directors:

Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick

Writers:

Len Blum (screenplay), Lorne Cameron (screenplay),

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell

6 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	RJ (voice)
Garry Shandling	...	Verne (voice)
Steve Carell	...	Hammy (voice)
Wanda Sykes	...	Stella (voice)
William Shatner	...	Ozzie (voice)
Nick Nolte	...	Vincent (voice)
Thomas Haden Church	...	Dwayne (voice)
Allison Janney	...	Gladys (voice)
Eugene Levy	...	Lou (voice)
Catherine O'Hara	...	Penny (voice)
Avril Lavigne	...	Heather (voice)
Omid Djalili	...	Tiger (voice)
Sami Kirkpatrick	...	Bucky (voice)
Shane Baumel	...	Spike (voice)
Madison Davenport	...	Quillo (voice)

Storyline

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...

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Plot Keywords:

food | raccoon | forest | suburb | exterminator | 

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Taglines:

Get Over It.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some rude humor and mild comic action

Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks [United States] UIP [Germany]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vecinos invasores

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,600,578 (Argentina) (14 July 2006)

Gross:

$155,019,340 (USA) (1 September 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks Animation, Pacific Data Images (PDI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally announced for a November 2005 release

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Goofs

Stella and Tiger get into the house, even though they didn't have Tiger's collar to unlock the cat door. This is because the collar was left by the cat door to keep it unlocked while the animals sent the food out through it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[RJ is trying to get a snack from the snack machine and it breaks]
RJ: No! Come on!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear on objects in the background as R.J. walks away from Vincent's cave. These are omitted in international releases.

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Connections

Spoofs Citizen Kane (1941)

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Soundtracks

"Rockin' the Suburbs (Over the Hedge Version)"
Written & Performed by Ben Folds
Ben Folds recordings used courtesy of Epic Records

User Reviews

Witty, warm and absolutely enjoyable

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.