"I know. The song was catchty, but choreography was terrible."
Hoodwinked! (2005) 80 min
When I first heard about this film I was stoked: a revamped version of Little Red Riding Hood, wow!! But when I checked the newspaper to find the showing times, and glanced at the reviews I was disappointed. I continued checking out reviews (online and in various newspapers) and discovered that most critics (the ones I tend to trust) were not impressed with this film...the animation was poor, it was dumb, etc. Last night I watched the DVD with my roommate and found myself enjoying it...
We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and the notorious showdown in Granny's cottage... The film begins as Red enters Granny's cottage and speaks to the obviously fake granny (the wolf is wearing a Granny Halloween mask). Granny emerges from the closet tied up, and the Woodsman smashes through the window, swinging his ax. But this is not the fairytale you remember... The police soon arrive on the scene and slap handcuffs on all four: Granny (Close), Red (Hathaway), the Woodsman (Belushi), and the Wolf (Warburton). The police are searching for the Goody Bandit: steals the coveted recipes of all the local bakers, and believe the incident at the cottage is the last act of a desparate criminal, basically they believe the Goody Bandit is one of the four suspects. Chief Grizzly, yes he's a bear (Xzibit), is quick to place judgement and is about to leave with his criminal in hand, but is stopped by Inspector Nicky Flippers (Stiers), a long-legged frogg with a magnifying glass. The Inspector believes there is more going on than meets the eye and individually interviews each witness. Each of the suspects tells their story, with some interesting twists. To the public, Granny is the owner and maker of some of the best goodies in the forest, but in her private life she is an Xtreme Sports star (don't ask). Red is the delivery gal for Granny and is well-known in the forest (mostly b/c of her cape) and is ready & willing to kick some butt. The Wolf is a sarcastic undercover reporter and who is trying to find the Goody Bandit with his sidekick Twitchy (Edwards). And the Woodsman is actually a German actor who is a COMPLETE idiot.
At times the story drags (each character begins their story at the same place and a lot of it overlaps) and you wonder why you are watching, but then the minor characters are featured and you remember. The best scenes involve Japeth the Goat (Gaither) who sings everything (its a long story, but don't worry...he explains) and has horns for pretty much every occasion and purpose. Andy Dick is usually interesting to watch (not always funny...but watching him is an adventure) and he delivers as the cute bunny Boingo. Twitchy: the fast talking, camera wielding, hyper-active squirrel is also fascinating, but is very similar to the character of Hammy in Over the Hedge.
The film borrows from many other films (I can't name them all, but there are ALOT). That is probably one of my biggest problems with the film. It is entertaining BUT it isn't always original...and the animation isn't as good as other films (which does kinda work).
In conclusion this isn't a high-brow film (but you already knew that)...it is a dumb film, but thats why it's fun! Its an animated film with a great cast...and I think you might actually enjoy it! (And watch the music video for the song "Critters Have Feelings", it is classic)
Watch while doing homework: you might get distracted, but you weren't really doing work anyway...it is something you can tune out if you want, but there are enough zany antics to draw you back in
Rent it once: if you're bored, or feeling childish and you've seen all the other animated films available then check it out (but don't watch it alone...it's funnier when you can mock it with friends)
We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and the notorious showdown in Granny's cottage... The film begins as Red enters Granny's cottage and speaks to the obviously fake granny (the wolf is wearing a Granny Halloween mask). Granny emerges from the closet tied up, and the Woodsman smashes through the window, swinging his ax. But this is not the fairytale you remember... The police soon arrive on the scene and slap handcuffs on all four: Granny (Close), Red (Hathaway), the Woodsman (Belushi), and the Wolf (Warburton). The police are searching for the Goody Bandit: steals the coveted recipes of all the local bakers, and believe the incident at the cottage is the last act of a desparate criminal, basically they believe the Goody Bandit is one of the four suspects. Chief Grizzly, yes he's a bear (Xzibit), is quick to place judgement and is about to leave with his criminal in hand, but is stopped by Inspector Nicky Flippers (Stiers), a long-legged frogg with a magnifying glass. The Inspector believes there is more going on than meets the eye and individually interviews each witness. Each of the suspects tells their story, with some interesting twists. To the public, Granny is the owner and maker of some of the best goodies in the forest, but in her private life she is an Xtreme Sports star (don't ask). Red is the delivery gal for Granny and is well-known in the forest (mostly b/c of her cape) and is ready & willing to kick some butt. The Wolf is a sarcastic undercover reporter and who is trying to find the Goody Bandit with his sidekick Twitchy (Edwards). And the Woodsman is actually a German actor who is a COMPLETE idiot.
At times the story drags (each character begins their story at the same place and a lot of it overlaps) and you wonder why you are watching, but then the minor characters are featured and you remember. The best scenes involve Japeth the Goat (Gaither) who sings everything (its a long story, but don't worry...he explains) and has horns for pretty much every occasion and purpose. Andy Dick is usually interesting to watch (not always funny...but watching him is an adventure) and he delivers as the cute bunny Boingo. Twitchy: the fast talking, camera wielding, hyper-active squirrel is also fascinating, but is very similar to the character of Hammy in Over the Hedge.
The film borrows from many other films (I can't name them all, but there are ALOT). That is probably one of my biggest problems with the film. It is entertaining BUT it isn't always original...and the animation isn't as good as other films (which does kinda work).
In conclusion this isn't a high-brow film (but you already knew that)...it is a dumb film, but thats why it's fun! Its an animated film with a great cast...and I think you might actually enjoy it! (And watch the music video for the song "Critters Have Feelings", it is classic)
Watch while doing homework: you might get distracted, but you weren't really doing work anyway...it is something you can tune out if you want, but there are enough zany antics to draw you back in
Rent it once: if you're bored, or feeling childish and you've seen all the other animated films available then check it out (but don't watch it alone...it's funnier when you can mock it with friends)
Rating: PG for some mild action and thematic elements.
Director: Cory Edwards & Todd Edwards & Tony Leech
Starring:Anne Hathaway as Red
Glenn Close as Granny
Jim Belushi as The Woodsman
Patrick Warburton as The Wolf
David Ogden Stiers as Nicky Flippers
Xzibit as Chief Grizzly
Cory Edwards as Twitchy
Anthony Anderson as Detective Stork
Andy Dick as Boingo
Benji Gaither as Japeth the Goat
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