Over the Hedge

Animation films have come a long way since I was a kid; from the Japanese anime to the modern computer generated these films have entertained and amazed us. In recent years some really good movies have been made for kids and adults, Over the Hedge ranks right up there with the best. The voice over work that is performed here is done some top-notch actors who have fun with their roles. From Bruce Willis' raccoon to Garry Shandling's tortoise to William Shatner's possum to Wanda Sykes' skunk, the acting is superb. After waking up from hibernation a small group of animals discover that their forest has been replaced by suburbia. Some of the observations that are made about the humans are quite funny and quite accurate, some of the statements that are made are harsh but the truth usually is. There are a few instances that harkens back to the days of the old Warner Bros. cartoons, case in point the skunk that is dressed up to look like a cat, and after all these years it's still funny. The underlying theme here is that family comes in all forms and that we shouldn't be to quick to judge an others viewpoint.
This film should go down, as one of the best-animated films; the kids as well as the adults will enjoy it. The reality here though is the stark situation of the animals habitat being encroached on by the humans, this is the honest truth of the movie since we see it in our everyday lives.