Hoodwinked

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 19, 2006

Since the spring of 2001 one thing has been on the minds of children, parents and closet fairy tale loving twenty somethings alike: Will there ever be another animated film that will live up to the mastery of Shrek? Then in 2004, Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy returned to voice an equally as entertaining and superbly magical sequel. But even with these two powerhouse fairy tale’s charming our DVD collections, lovers of these animated cult classics still wonder whether we will have to wait until 2007’s release of Shrek the Third in order to once again enjoy timely and subtle pop culture references mixed in with those magical stories of old…

Insert Hoodwinked, the remixed story of Little Red Riding Hood and all those crazy creatures of the magic forest. Allow me to break it down for you; Little Red, voiced by Anne Hathaway (most recently seen in a different “fairy” movie), is traveling through the forest on her way to - you guessed it - Grandma’s house. And when she arrives she unexpectedly crosses paths with the Big Bad Wolf. Grandma (Glenn Close) pops out of the closet all tied up, and just as the wolf is ready to eat our poor heroine, the gigantic Woodsman, voiced by Jim Belushi, crashes through the window in an axe swinging craze. The next thing we know the cops, led by the aptly named Chief Grizzly (Xzibit) and the suave amphibious investigator Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers), are brought in to figure out just which of these four stories are true and which are just old wives tales.

And with a bang the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood becomes swiss cheese, the holes filled with humorous but slightly excessive modern pop culture references. I know, all of it sounds a little “dumb,” but with a few other key ingredients this film goes from blowing holes in an age old children’s favorite to redeeming itself with some quick wit and a solid cast of characters. The Big Bad Wolf turns out to be a sneaky, but harmless undercover reporter; Granny is an extreme sports fanatic; the Woodsman an aspiring actor searching for his “inner lumberjack”; and Little Red… she is just looking for a way to break free from her cloaked existence. And not to mention the appearance of Andy Dick as the devious little bunny, Boingo. In a whirlwind of comedy and calamity these characters collide almost gracefully in a magical world turned upside down with a little bit of controversy.

The story, while a little over the top, is funny and endearing; the voices of this star-studded cast fit their on-screen versions pretty well; and the animation is very easy on the eyes. Add in a kickin’ soundtrack and you have a DVD worth watching. The story is cute enough to entertain even the most A.D.D ridden child, the cultural references funny enough to make most adults laugh, and it has enough of Andy Dick to make it mildly offensive. To put it lightly, it is an entertaining way to spend 80 minutes with your little ones before they are whisked away to chat on AIM, play X-Box or talk on their cell phones.

The Upside:
A fun, well animated look at an old favorite.
The Downside:
As good as it may be, it is not Shrek.
On the Side:
The scene where Boingo tells his henchman Keith to change his name was not scripted. It was ad-libbed by Andy Dick while recording his lines.

Breaking Down the DVD:
The Story: B-
The Delivery: B+
The Extras: B
Final Grade: B

DVD Stats:
Release Date: May 2, 2006
Starring: Glenn Close, Anne Hathaway, James Belushi, Andy Dick
Directed by: Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, Tony Leech
Writing Credits: Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, Tony Leech
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated PG for some mild action and thematic elements.
Country: USA
Run Time: 80 min.
Studio: The Weinstein Company (official site)
Watch the Trailer Here

Technorati Tags: Family, Hoodwinked, Parenting, Children

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