Hoodwinked!

You think we all know the fairy tale about what happened? Well there is a shocking plot-twist. And this film has the whole story. This movie is more than just a fairy tale in a contemporary form, It is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood as a Crime/Police investigation (combining detective work with a legendary Fairy Tale). Now, this is what I call an innovative idea. The budget for the animation is eight million dollars. It is a low budget animated film distributed by "The Weinstein Company." What justifies it's existence is the fact that it is necessary to make an animated film from a completely different company than just Disney, Pixar, or Dreamworks. And if you think about it, you shouldn't always do a comparison to two or more different movies. And I must say this is an underrated gem in my opinion. The animation is created by Maya software in the Philippines, and the movement of the characters are a decent effort for a low-budget animated film. No, it's definitely not one of the best "looking" animated films I've seen, and yes, the animation does get a little creepy in a strange way at times. But don't let this fool you; Most of the time, the animation has liveliness to it to sell the well-executed entertainment; it has a solid sense of humor, and most of the funny humor is supported by the craftsmanship by the two brothers who made this film, Cory and Todd Edwards (director/writers). The screenplay is slick with the instantaneous timing caused by the quick camera cuts and the explosive tone. The editing by Tony Leech (editor/writer) also adds a magic touch by using the well-utilized slow-motion. Did I mention that some of the characters look cute quite a bit? I'm talking about the face designs on Red, the woodpecker, and Boingo (well...sometimes). Also, they say that you should never judge a book by it's cover. Well, don't judge a cartoon by it's animation. What the execution delivers is a sweet surprise, and it is enjoyable. As a crime movie, it is structured with ingenious plotting to the narrative thanks to the effective direction, and the story is engaging. As for a children's movie, the pacing of the movie is brisk enough to thoroughly hold the kids attention. The dialogue and script-writing is really snappy. There are also a few musical numbers that has something to do with the characters and the story. The music score by John Mark Painter has so much variety to enhance the movie; using different instrumentations to capture some of the elements to add colorful, sprightly flavor and reflecting the characters, and there are some lively orchestral music tracks that used for the drama, the action, and the crime elements. The all-star cast did a fantastic job with their roles that strongly contributes to the entertainment value, and as for the characters that they play, they are quite captivating in an unusual kind of way. Ann Hathaway is fantastic as Red with persuasive precision. Red Puckett is more than just an amiable delivery girl, she knows karate and can swiftly and strongly kick some tail. Patrick Warburton is amusing as the wolf with his dry humor but he sounds unusually appropriate for a big wolf with his resonant voice. Jim Belushi did a good job voicing Kirk the inexperienced Woodsman. Glenn Close is superb as Granny Puckett. Granny may be a sweet old woman who is a fantastic baker, but she is up for action too. The chemistry between Red and Granny is emotionally sincere. David Stiers voices Nicky Flippers, he sounds knowledgeable and collected. Nicky is one smart frog. Anthony Anderson is funny as Bill. Cory Edwards himself is amusing as Twitchy the squirrel, Xzibit is phenomenal as the growly Chief Grizzly. Tye Edwards sounds like a sinister Arnold Schwarzenegger as the villainous Dolph. And Andy Dick is amazing as Boingo; Boingo is one brilliant bunny and a memorable one at that. To Conclude: "Hoodwinked" is a witty and delightfully whimsical fairy tale for the modern era, albeit this certainly no Shrek. Recommended.

The only thing I liked about this movie was the squirrel. Everything else was stupid. I think its a waste of money unless your a kid. If your a kid you might like it but no promises.

While this is an older release, this is another animated spin of the classic tale. The story line varies quite a bit from the traditional, but the writers to an outstanding job at making it work. It is a very entertaining movie.