Over the Hedge (film)
Over the Hedge is a computer-animated film based on the United Media comic strip of the same name. Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick and produced by Bonnie Arnold, it was released in the U.S. on May 19, 2006.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount
Pictures, the film was rated PG by the MPAA for some rude humor and mild comic
action. The movie was made in Glendale, California.
Tagline : Master Blaster
Directed by Tim Johnson,
Karey Kirkpatrick
Produced by Bonnie Arnold
Written by Len Blum
and
Karey Kirkbatrick
Cast
Bruce Willis - RJ
Garry Shandling - Verne
Steve Carell - Hammy
Wanda Sykes - Stella
William Shatner - Ozzie
Nick Nolte - Vincent
Thomas Haden Church - Dwayne
Allison Janney - Gladys
Eugene Levy - Lou
Catherine O'Hara - Penny
Avril Lavigne - Heather
Omid Djalili - Tiger
Sami Kirkpatrick - Bucky
Shane Baumel - Spike
Madison Davenport - Quillo
After the big laser stops shooting the sound it makes is the sound of the
Millienium Falcon's hyperdrive malfuctaning.
Dwayne LaFontant as 'the Verminator'
is a spoof of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. The Verminator even says
"Buenos Dias, reptile" (Hasta La Vista, Baby) and wears glasses (the
Terminator's shades).
The Nacho Cheese crisps seen are based on Doritos and
the Spuddies are based on Pringles.
The film has certain similarities to the
Isao Takahata movie Pom Poko. Over the Hedge does not, however, develop the themes
of environmentalism or anti-urbanization, and focuses on the animals' harmless
preying on the bumbling humans, making the similarities between the two films
contextual rather than substantive. As the critic for Film Journal International
suggested (link under "References"), a closer comparison might be to
Meredith Willson's The Music Man, which also centers on a slick con artist redeemed
by his marks, and finding a surrogate family. The commentary track on the DVD
confirms that the movie version of RJ (right down to his habit of carrying a bag)
was partially inspired by Professor Harold Hill.
Among the TV series spoofed
in the scene of RJ. flipping TV channels in the forest are Dr. Phil and All My
Children. After the TV parody scene, RJ can be seen hyperventilating into a bag
of OH-NO's brand chips to quell his anxiety. "OH NOES!" is a sarcastic
expression of despair in internet slang.
During the scene where Ozzie plays
dead, he spies a rose bush and whispers, "Rosebud". That is a reference
to Citizen Kane in which Charles Foster Kane mutters a cryptic "Rosebud"
before he passes away.
As Stella runs away from Tiger during the chaotic escape
scene from Gladys's home, he cries "Stella, Stella!", a clear reference
to Marlon Brando/Alec Baldwin's famous line from A Streetcar Named Desire.
The
director's commentary also notes that Tiger references Casablanca by the way he
holds Stella's paw while revealing he has no sense of smell.
During the rolling
end credits, the Over the Hedge comic strip can be seen three times - once, the
porcupine kids are being taught to read with one; Hammy paints a portrait of RJ
and Verne as Grant Wood's famous American Gothic in the style of the strip, and
finally, RJ shows three panels of a strip, and Verne, reluctantly, displays the
final frame on his back. Also during the credits, Hammy references Khan Noonien
Singh's plot against Captain Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (which was
also distributed by Paramount Pictures and also stars William Shatner, as Kirk).
When Vincent is being loaded into the pest truck near the film's conclusion,
he is strapped to a hand truck and wearing a muzzle, much like Hannibal Lecter
in the film Silence of the Lambs. This is the second time the movie has been referenced
in a DreamWorks Animation film, the first time being Madagascar.
The mention
of the "De-Pelter Turbo" device (the most impressive of the inhumane
traps used) being legal only in Texas is a possible satire of Texas's attitude
regarding capital punishment.
When the pictures that RJ took are coming out
of the printer, one of them show them raising a sub. This is a portrayal of Raising
the Flag during WWII on Iwo Jima.
Lost in the Supermarket originally by The
Clash off of the album London Calling is featured in the credits.
An Indianapolis
Colts banner can be found on the houses, and in one scene a large ray of light
shines from the "De-Pelter Turbo," and the light can be seen from space
coming from the Western side of Indiana. This implies that the movie takes place
there.
During one scene where the animals are in a house, one of the characters
accidentally steps on a television remote control, turning the TV on to reveal
the THX logo with the "Deep Note" crescendo.
When the porcupines
did the hand signal for Ozzy the possum, calling him the "Oz-Man" after
playing dead, is a reference to Ozzy Osbourne and the metalhead corna, call, as
well as the Texas Longhorns hand symbol.
Plot
RJ the Raccoon (Bruce Willis), after unsuccessfully trying to get a snack item from a vending machine, ventures into the cave of a hibernating bear named Vincent. While attempting to steal Vincent's cache of goods, RJ accidentally wakes Vincent, who after realizing what RJ is doing, attempts to scare him into giving his stuff back. While RJ tries to talk his way out of trouble, Vincent's cache rolls out of the cave, down to a street, and is destroyed by a passing truck. The furious Vincent gives RJ an ultimatum; replace everything within a week or get eaten.
RJ finds the new suburban development El Rancho Camelot Estates in western Indiana where he can steal all the replacement items he needs. There, a community of foragers led by the practical turtle Verne (Gary Shandling), awakens from hibernation. Verne immediately directs his charges - Hammy (RJ during the film calls him "Hamilton"[2]) the hyperactive squirrel; Stella the skunk; Ozzie the opossum and his daughter Heather and porcupines Lou, his wife Penny, and their young off-spring Spike, Bucky, and Quillo - to start their yearly search for food to store.
They discover a hedge, which they had never seen before. Verne, while looking around the other side, is mauled and retreats explaining the dangers over the hedge. RJ, coming onto the scene, prompts them to scavenge for food and treasures he promises they'll find beyond the hedge, while Verne fears for what traps or predators also await. Yet a determined and desperate RJ convinces the woodland creatures to explore. Using a combination of con artistry and caper movie antics, they successfully snatch the goods RJ needs to appease Vincent, unaware of RJs debt.
All this prompts the ire of the homeowners' association president Gladys Sharp, who hires a pest-control specialist Dwayne LaFontant (who calls himself The Verminator). Seeing this, and realizing that they might be in danger, Verne tries to return everything they've stolen as a bargain to the humans to spare their lives. However, this fails as RJ tries to stop Verne and the hoard is destroyed in the resulting chaos.
Afterwards, the foragers present RJ with a makeshift place to sleep, and RJ can but resist having a growing affection for all of them. He slowly realizes that he should not be using them for his own needs and wonders if he should expose his secret and break their hearts. While speaking alone with Verne, RJ tries to show him a list of what he needs, so he can explain the true situation; but at the last moment he lies, and they devise a raid on a nearby party at Gladys's house using RJ's list.
While collecting food from the party, the foragers are caught when RJ argues with Verne about the importance of some chips (a can of Spuddies, Vincent's favorite snack), and RJ blurts out the truth. RJ retreats with the loot while the foragers are captured and caged. After giving Vincent the stolen food, RJ watches the Verminator's van drive past, and decides to save his friends. RJ shoves the wagon over the hill into the path of the Verminator's van, preventing him from driving any further as the impact from the collision knocked him out cold. As they drive back to the development, Vincent grabs hold of the van and is trying to kill RJ until he floats away with a set of balloons. After they make a crash landing at Gladys's house, the foragers run back to their home through the hedge. Much to their disbelief, Vincent managed to float back down, and now they must try to avoid getting killed by their enemies.
Trapped in the hedge between Vincent pulling sections out the hedge, Dwayne trying to shock them, and Gladys Sharp breaking the hedge with a weed hacker; RJ gives Hammy a caffeinated energy drink, causing him to move at light speed. He uses his increased speed to set the Verminator's traps against their assailants. Vincent, The Verminator and Gladys are trapped, being arrested for the use of inhumane traps, with Vincent being shipped to a preserve, and RJ and Tiger (a cat they had to fool to steal the food from the party) are welcomed to the foragers as part of the family.
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