Over the Hedge is a 2006 computer-animated family war comedy adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by Paramount Pictures, Based on the same name of the comic book.
Plot[]
When Verne and fellow woodland friends awake from winter's hibernation, they find they have some new neighbors: humans, and RJ, an opportunistic raccoon who shows the others how to exploit the suburban bounty laid out before them.
Synopsis[]
One night, in Indiana, RJ the cool, layback raccoon tries to get snack food from a vending machine but when all his attempts fail and he is starving he decides to steal some from Vincent, a bear, stockpiled for his hibernation. Vincent wakes up and catches RJ stealing, and the food is accidentally sent down the hill and destroyed by a moving truck in the ensuing confrontation. Vincent almost eats RJ but he tells Vincent he can get it back as Vincent would have to replace the food himself. He gives RJ a series of items he needs, including a red wagon, blue cooler and a can of Spuddies. Before he lets RJ go Vincent says he will hunt down and eat RJ if the food is not replaced by the time his hibernation ends after the full moon next week. Worried but determined for his well being, RJ sets off to a local town to find everything he needs to get.
The next morning, a family of woodland animals consisting of ornate box turtle and leader Verne, hyperactive American red squirrel Hammy, striped skunk Stella, North American porcupine parents Lou and Penny and children Spike, Bucky and Quillo, and Virginia opossum father and daughter Ozzie and Heather, awaken from their hibernation as the first day of spring has come. They are now out of food and have to start foraging for more food. After eating the last of their food (some grapes) they find that much of the forest they lived in has been turned into a housing development, which is separated from the little forest remaining by a giant hedge. The animals wonder how they will forage enough food for the next winter. RJ meets them and encourages them to traverse the hedge and steal food from the humans. Despite Verne's concerns, the animals join RJ in stealing and stockpiling human food, not knowing he intends to give it to Vincent. Gladys Sharp, the neighborhood Home Owners Association president, takes notice of the animal problem and hires exterminator Dwayne LaFontant to get rid of them.
Spurred on by the exterminator's arrival, Verne tries to return the food to the humans. Meanwhile the other animals gave RJ his own placed which he is amazed by. However while stepping away, he sees Verne returning the food, RJ tries to stop him, but they come across the excitable dog Nugent who, wanting to play, ends up pulling the wagon of food through the neighborhood until it lands on Gladys' SUV, causing an explosion. RJ blames Verne for the loss of the food, even though the latter defends his actions, and the family abandons Verne in favor of RJ, (they think his so called tail tingling means he's just jealous of RJ) because they worked hard to get all that food but mainly after Verne inadvertently insults them during a heated argument. He tries to apologize and tell them where the food is but everyone walks away. That night, Verne feels guilty for what he said but has been feeling left out since RJ came along. RJ on the other hand begins to feel conflicted about his deception towards the family and what he was supposed to do, especially since that night there is a full moon. However when he sees Gladys has Dwayne cover her yard in animal traps including an illegal contraband device called the De-Pelter Turbo that turns the entire yard into a death trap when activated. RJ feels bad about the trouble he's caused and feels helpless as the animals are now in great danger.
Verne apologizes to RJ for his actions and reconciles with the other animals. That night before Vincent's hibernation ends, RJ sees that Gladys has bought a massive stockpile of food for an upcoming party and enlists the help of the animals to invade her home and steal it. Hammy successfully disables the De-Pelter Turbo while Stella poses as a cat to seduce Gladys' Persian cat Tiger in order to steal his collar, which enables entry into the house's pet door. The animals are amazed at the inside of the house and almost wake up Gladys when one of the triplets accidentally turns on the tv. Thankfully the rest of the triplets use the tv plug they made to fix it and the animals get back to work on stockpiling another wagon full of food, but right as they are about to leave at sunrise, RJ sees a can of chips called Spuddies and becomes determined to get them as Vincent specifically requested them. While trying to justify his effort to get the chips, RJ lets slip his true intention for the food. Gladys comes downstairs and finds the animals, and RJ manages to escape with the food. The others are caught by Dwayne, who takes them away in his truck to euthanize them.
The animals are all afraid and Verne watches RJ gives the food to Vincent as promised. As RJ sees the exterminator truck driving off, he realizes that the family he found in the woodland animals is the most valuable thing in his life. RJ sends the food wagon careening into the truck, knocking out Dwayne and freeing the animals, but enraging Vincent. Spike, Bucky and Quillo take control of the truck and drive it back home, and RJ rejoins the family as they try to shake off the pursuing Vincent (they were hesitent since RJ abandoned them but Verne assures them RJ's intentions are good as his tail isn't tingling). They crash the truck into Gladys' home and return to the hedge, but are attacked from both sides of it, first in the forest by Vincent, and the suburbs by Gladys and Dwayne. Not wanting anyone to get hurt RJ decides to give himself up but Verne refuses to let that happen, then they have an idea. RJ gives Hammy an energy drink, making the squirrel hyperactive enough to move at warp speed which he uses to go and reactivate the De-Pelter Turbo. RJ lures Vincent into leaping over the hedge to get him, but puts on Verne's shell which protects him from Vincent's jaws and allows Verne to pull him out with a fishing line. Vincent, Gladys and Dwayne are caught in the De-Pelter Turbo, resulting in them being blasted with radiation and trapped in a cage left in the ensuing crater.
Vincent is captured by animal control and shipped off to the Rocky Mountains, while Gladys is arrested for possessing the De-Pelter Turbo and Dwayne is chased by Nugent. RJ joins the woodland creatures' family as well as Tiger, who remains in love with Stella even after learning she is a skunk, as he cannot smell. Verne tells RJ that if he needed their help to get all that food to feed Vincent, they would have been happy to help him. After a heart to heart talk RJ is immediately accepted into the family. The animals' food storage is quickly replenished by Hammy, who finally found the nuts he stored before the previous winter.
Cast[]
- Bruce Willis - RJ
- Garry Shandling - Verne
- Steve Carell - Hammy
- Wanda Sykes - Stella
- William Shatner - Ozzie
- Nick Nolte - Vincent
- Eugene Levy - Lou
- Catherine O'Hara - Penny
- Avril Lavigne - Heather
- Omid Djalili Tiger
- Sami Kirkpatrick - Bucky
- Shane Baumel - Spike
- Madison Davenport - Quillo
- Brian Stepanek - Nugent
- Thomas Haden Church - Dwayne
- Allison Janney - Gladys
- Zoe Randol - Mackenzie
- Jessica DiCicco - Shelby
- Debra Wilson - Debbie
- Sean Bishop - Police Officer
- Jeannie Elias - Janis
- Kejon Kesse - Timmy
- Paul Butcher - Skeeter
- Sean Yazbeck - BBQ Barry
- Geoffrey Pomeroy - Ranger
- Joel McCrary - Dr. Dennis
- Lee Bienstock - Lunch Table Larry
Songs[]
- Ben Folds - Family of Me
- Ben Folds - Heist
- Ben Folds - Still
- Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs
- Ben Folds - Lost in the Supermarket
- Megatrax - Shopper's Paradise [heard from Verm-Tech Infomercial]
Chapters[]
- Just Take What You Need
- It's Spring!
- Let's Call It Steve
- Gateway to the Good Life
- Welcome to Suburbia
- RJ You Can Stay
- Rabid Squirrel
- Sugar Rush
- Ozzie's Performance
- The Food's Gone
- Here's the Plan
- Animals Are in the House
- RJ to the Rescue
- Go Hammy
- Welcome to the Family
- End Credits
Trivia[]
- Wanda Sykes, the voice of Stella, is also the voice of Innoko from Brother Bear 2 and Granny from Ice Age: Continental Drift and Ice Age: Collision Course.
- Eugene Levy, the voice of Lou, is also the voice of Clovis from Curious George.
- It is paired with Flushed Away, Nacho Libre, and Barnyard for the release date.
- This is one of the few Dreamworks film to not have a sequel of any kind.
- This is one of the few films to show the THX deep note logo in film.