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caution while Steve Carell is outstanding as the big-hearted, speedy squirrel, Hammy. Wanda Sykes' acerbic wit is spot-on for Stella the spunky skunk with low self-esteem. Her wry humor will be appreciated more by the adult audience but her animated persona is sure to be a favorite among the kids. William Shatner is the perfect opossum, Ozzie, who excels at playing dead and embarrassing his daughter Heather, sweetly voiced by musician Avril Lavigne.

Veteran actors Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy radiate warmth and obvious rapport as the porcupine couple despite the fact that they did not record their parts together. Two familiar voices from both television and film round out the cast, Allison Janney as Gladys and Thomas Haden Church as the Verminator.

Seeing humanity through the eyes of the forest creatures is not only amusing but gently thought-provoking. "Over the Hedge" manages to balance humor while making a strong point regarding our society's over-consumption of food and material goods.

Both adults and children will find jokes to laugh at and characters to relate to in "Over the Hedge." There are several sequences of slapstick humor drawing back to the days of the old Keystone Cop style of humor including Verne's first foray into suburbia, R.J. and Verne's chase scene with Nugent the dog, and the finale chase featuring the film's main characters.

"Over the Hedge" is a fast-paced film that will entertain the entire family. It is rated PG for some rude humor and mild comic action and runs 83 minutes. It is available on DVD with several special features including a "meet the cast" segment and Hammy the squirrel burping the song Jingle Bells.

Learn more about this author, Barb Hopkins.
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