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Over the Hedge

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 31 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 62 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Animation | Comedy | Family/Kids
Written by:
Len Blum, Lorne Cameron,
David Hoselton, Karey Kirkpatrick,
Michael Fry (characters) and
T. Lewis (characters)
Directed by:
Tim Johnson
Karey Kirkpatrick
Release Date:
Theatrical: May 19, 2006
DVD: October 17, 2006
Running Time: 84 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for some rude humor and mild comic action
Starring Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte, Thomas Haden Church, and Allison Janney
A mischievous raccoon (Willis) and his sensitive best-buddy turtle (Shandling) along with other forest creatures try to resist the evils and temptations of encroaching suburbia.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Imagine That
GAMES: Over the Hedge (Xbox)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
Over The Hedge stands out as genuinely witty and even a little barbed. Its chipper, sneering outsider's look at suburban sprawl and conformity isn't going to change the world, but it's still self-aware enough to be reasonably smart.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
The film stays true to its characters and keeps the laughs coming in what may be the closest thing in spirit to the old Warner Bros. Looney Tunes to hit the screen in years. And when it comes to animation designed primarily for laughs, praise doesn't come any higher than that.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
This isn't much of a plot, but as in the "Toy Story" films the combination of a varied cast of characters and a vision of the human world from an unlikely perspective make for consistent amusement.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
It's very funny, and the little woodland critters that make up the cast are a kiddie-pleasing bunch.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
If they were still making Looney Tunes, they'd look a lot like Over the Hedge.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
The visual and verbal jokes are as bouncy and multilevel (hip height for adults, knee-slap-size for kids) as we have come, no doubt selfishly, to expect from DreamWorks.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
This enjoyable Dreamworks animated comedy is well timed.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Michael Ferraro
Aside from having some great animation, the writing is funny and clever.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
This has to be the first children's film to weave a Grand Theft Auto joke into the script -- and like most things in the movie, it's pretty amusing.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
The computer-animation is terrific, most of the slapstick gags are fun, and Wanda Sykes' voice performance as feisty Stella the Skunk is one that will be remembered - and not because it stinks.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Not at the level of "Finding Nemo" or "Shrek," but is a lot of fun, awfully nice to look at, and filled with energy and smiles.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
When "Hedge" clicks on all cylinders, Chuck Jones smiles down from heaven.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Peter Debruge
Kids will eat it up, while solid voice work from William Shatner and Wanda Sykes should keep this borderline-feral toon from pushing adults over the edge.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
The vividly animated film -- based on a comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis -- has an appealing balance of comic bits and exhilarating action sequences.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
Solid family entertainment, and it's better than 2006's previous tepid animated releases.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
A backyard ecological comedy outfitted with some fine, silly slapstick and clever animal characters.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Ella Taylor
Deftly held together by bags of good humor and zany action sequences, tethered to a heartfelt conviction that green is good and family is better.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
The final showdown, in which the critters tangle with security-rigged lawn flamingos and garden gnomes, would have made Rube Goldberg proud.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Offers plenty of modest pleasures.
Washington Post Desson Thomson
Hedge is built for laughter rather than artistry; jokes are packed into every pixel. But despite the movie's entertaining qualities, there is something a little unsettling.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
The story is slim but the script is snappy and the film moves with a fluid rhythm that charges up to a rollercoaster pace.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
There is actually an occasional moment of inspiration, but as an experience, the movie doesn't hog much shelf space in the memory.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Though the animation is solid and the writing reasonably clever, Over the Hedge is clearly more about packaging than freshness or substance.
Read Full Review >Empire Nick De Semlyen
You'll soon be sick of digital furballs, but there’s plenty of fun here.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
Despite a sprinkling of laughs and eye-catching moments, this adaptation of a popular comicstrip reps a middling effort from the house that "Shrek" built, a rather narrowly conceived tale that makes only modest hay from the overworked conflict between wildlife and encroaching humans.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
Even with Levy and O'Hara and Shandling adding what they can, you can only enjoy the voices behind the critters so much when the images fall so short.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman
Like a lot of animated fare, it's overly busy, lacking the comic's gentle, contemplative air.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
The disappointingly pedestrian computer-animated Over the Hedge will be more entertaining for little tykes than their older siblings and parents, and would not seem out of place on Saturday morning television.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Over the Hedge isn't by any stretch bad. It's just banal.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Robert Wilonsky
"Lady and the Tramp" all by its lonesome is worth a dozen of these meat-grinders -- crude commodities, plush toys and product placements in search of a story from which to hang their price tags.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 62 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Alisa H. gave it a10:
This is probably one of the best animated films released recently, it wasn't sick humor that I'm used to seeing now and it left me with a good feeling after watching it. The animation was fluid and beautiful, gags were sharp and the overall story was entertaining. What else can I say except that this is a very good movie for any age!!
Geoff A. gave it a10:
This was just marvelous! So much better than I expected...and certainly better than the fare typical of this genre. Mercifullly short on loud, crass musical numbers, gracefully done, very funny without being overbearing...We all loved it!
Eli C. gave it an8:
A pleasant afternoon at the cinema.
james m. gave it a9:
The laughs just keep on coming with this one. and the nice thing was it wasn't stupid humor but instead required light thought, which makes a perfect movie for kids 5 -99.
JP P. gave it an8:
'Over the Hedge' is nowhere near other animated films like 'Shrek' and 'Toy Story' in terms of greatness. It lacks a certain quality that is inexplicable. But its still highly enjoyable. The animation itself is very good, there's lots of funny moments for both children and adults to enjoy, and the story is good. (Although there are a few flaws in it, but nothing major.) The good thing is 'Over the Hedge' isn't being made out to be what those other films were. From being based on a comic strip it sure turned out to be pretty good. If you haven't seen it already, I suggest you take some time and go see what's over the hedge. You might just see something you like.
Michael A gave it an8:
The best animated movie of the year so far! It was very funny and I liked the plot. I loved the characters and the choices of actors were superb! Just too short for my case (1hr 10 min) and there are some movies that can be better. Definitely a nominee in the next Academy Awards! (AA in 2007) Hammy= best character this year!
Patrick gave it a7:
The most enjoyable CGI film of the year.
