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their own foraging. He's just going to rip them off just so he can keep his own hide. Actually, it seems like a perfectly plausible plan considering the circumstances at least in strict business terms. Hell, it's perhaps a perfect business model that describes nearly every successful company in the world. The slave workers do all the work and a tiny minority gain most of the benefits and all the credit. So, this film can be seen as a critique of this way of doing business in support of a more egalitarian approach where the workers actually own part of the company and have a direct stake in how things function. Verne is merely a chaperone and in no means an absolute authority on who does what and when.

A human woman named Gladys Sharp (Janney), the President of the Homeowners Association, notices the animals as they attempt to hustle food and raises the alarm. She sets up an intricate security system and summons the help of a specialist to come in and remove her problem using some terrible device called the Verminator. Humans in general are depicted as wasteful and slothful although R.J. wistfully remembers when he had a perfect setup that included a Universal remote.

R.J. is in essence searching for a home and he finds it with the woodland animals. Unfortunately everything he tells them up to a certain point is a lie and he struggles with himself over his trickery. They trust him and their discovery of his deceit causes a terrific stir.

Stella (Sykes) is a skunk with a low self-esteem. She laments that every time she gets close to a possible mate they run when they discover what she is and what she can do. During the final last ditched effort to raid the Sharp's house, she is made up to be a cat in order to seduce the large Persian named Tiger. She must become what she is not in order to make herself more presentable to a male.

The raid is a meticulously drawn up affair and features great teamwork and improvisation. It nearly works but they are discovered and everyone except R.J. is captured and hauled away. This forces R.J. into a difficult decision but this being a kiddy film with a necessary moral and ending he does manage to save the day and be the hero he was not setting out to be when he undertook his initial quest to score as much food as possible. In essence his confrontation with Vincent which could easily have ended in death put him on a pathway toward enlightenment. He begins the film as an outcast without a family and he finds himself part of a large family that respects and understands him by the end.

Overall, this is a vibrant, urgent film with a terrifically clean look and fine performances. The actors truly provide this film with the legs it needs to run about madly like a prancing princess on prom night. It successfully blends humor and action to create a film that is worth seeing numerous times due to the colorful nature of the production as well as the important morality tale, which the film latches in on straight away. This film is just simply entertaining from start to finish and the characters are all written vibrantly and with tremendous spirit. Ultimately, this film has everything it needs for a successful animated film. It keeps the kids firmly in mind with the eye popping animation, while it keeps the parents and older adults awake through its fantastic story about teamwork and friendship.

Learn more about this author, Everett Jensen.
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