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 [us] UIP [de]

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 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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Goofs

When Verne first left the group to cross the hedge, he came out in a backyard. However, when he returned to the forest, he entered the hedge from a road, but ended up in the same place he left from, in front of the group.

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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

Characters from the movie appear repeatedly during the closing credits, with the hedge as a background. Sometimes the characters perform actions that match the credits currently in display. For example, Stella sprays the screen when the effects credits appear; and during the lighting crew credits, some of the characters appear unlit (rendered in plain white), then a light flashes and they appear in full color. Halfway through the credits, there is an audio only scene in which R.J. introduces the others to television.

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Connections

References American Idol (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Heist"
Written & Performed by Ben Folds
Ben Folds recordings used courtesy of Epic Records

User Reviews

So much better than you can possibly imagine

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!