Over the Hedge (2006)

Over the Hedge Poster

A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating – and learns a lesson about family himself.

Summary
"Over the Hedge", a computer-animated comedy movie from 2006, is based on the United Artists comic strip of the exact same name. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, the movie's voice cast includes big names such as Bruce Willis, Gary Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, and Avril Lavigne to name a few.

Plot Overview
The movie follows the story of RJ, a shrewd raccoon voiced by Bruce Willis, who tricks a group of animals into helping him change a store of food that he erroneously ruined. This diverse cast of woodland creatures, led by a cautious, conservative turtle called Verne (voiced by Gary Shandling), include a squirrel called Hammy (Steve Carell), a possum daddy Ozzie and his child Heather (William Shatner and Avril Lavigne), a family of porcupines (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara), and a skunk called Stella (Wanda Sykes).

An Encounter with a Suburban Neighborhood
Unknown to the group, their forest home has been intruded upon by a suburban community development led by the aggressive Gladys Sharp (voiced by Allison Janney). When they cross the hedge, the animals encounter a world unfamiliar to them. With RJ's guidance, they navigate the rural landscape, scavenging from wastebasket, and outsmarting pest control expert Dwayne (voiced by Thomas Haden Church), employed by Gladys to get rid of them.

The Main Conflict
However, RJ is harboring a secret intention behind this mass scavenging. He needs to change a hibernating bear's (voiced by Nick Nolte) food cache he accidentally ruined. Faced with a death danger, RJ techniques the innocent group into assisting him forage for a huge amount of food, while they believe they are just gathering for the coming winter.

Resolution
As the story progresses, the animals find out about RJ's deceit however are still threatened by Gladys and her extermination intelligence, "The Verminator". In the climax, the animals reunite, flexible RJ, and come up with a strategy to obtain the renewed food items from the bear while eliminating Gladys and Dwayne. They change Hammy, the hyper squirrel, into a speed devil through an energy beverage to overcharge the extermination machine resulting in a thrilling chain of occasions, which results in Gladys and Dwayne's arrest, the bear's relocation, and RJ becoming a real member of the family.

Conclusion
Rife with humor, beauty, and satirical views on our consumerist way of life, "Over the Hedge" successfully provides a good visual reward for audiences of every age. Exploring themes of deceit, forgiveness, unity, and valuing one's environment, the film depicts the virtues of household and friendship. The fact that this story is informed through the innocent eyes of wild animals pondering human habits in its comic manner is an included learning and entertaining aspect while enjoying this motion picture.

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