Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Over the Hedge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 4, 2019

I thought we'd be dead by step two so this is going great!

Over the Hedge doesn't exactly break new ground or introduce new ideas to the animated realm, but it sure is a lot of fun, anyway. Directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, the former of whom co-directed Antz, choose to run with the talking animals concept, playing up the silliness in the creatures' battles against humans, notably a strict and stuffy homeowners association president and a balding exterminator molded after John Goodman’s character in Arachnophobia. It's a ton of fun and one of DreamWorks' best animated features.

The thief, the hero.

RJ the Raccoon (voiced by Bruce Willis) attempts to steal Vincent the Bear’s (voiced by Nick Nolte) food stash. The bear is in deep hibernation, but when RJ gets greedy and tries to steal every last morsel in Vincent’s cave, he awakens the bear and loses the food in the chaos. Vincent is none too happy about the theft or about being awoken early. Rather than kill RJ outright, he makes a deal with him: bring back the food in full in one week or suffer the consequences. Meanwhile, several animals -- including a turtle named Verne (Garry Shandling), a squirrel named Hammy (voiced by Steve Carell), a skunk named Stella (voiced by Wanda Sykes), a porcupine named Lou (voiced by Eugene Levy), and an opossum named Ozzie (voiced by William Shatner) -- awaken from slumber to find a large hedge dividing their land that seems to spread on as far as the eye can see. It has cut them off from their food supply and their prospects appear grim. Verne decides that to understand it, they have to see beyond it. On the other side, he finds a nightmarish world filled with what he believes to be booby traps, dead animals, and other hazards. What it is is a brand new housing development. Humans have taken over and it would appear it’s the end for the animals. But when RJ stumbles onto the group, he sees an opportunity to use them as leveraged help to collect Vincent’s food. But along the way, and through a number of perils and pitfalls, he finds something more important than food: friendship.

Over the Hedge doesn't weigh itself down with heavy themes. While RJ's character arc sees him transform from a common thief and me-first individual, the film is largely focused on the zany adventure that gradually shifts his life perspective. And it's a joy. The film introduces a wonderful cross-section of creatures that are enthusiastically voiced and agreeably animated. Each of them brings a unique perspective to the story and the ever-changing world in which they live. The film's portrait of nature versus man finds and thrives on every opportunity for gags, centered around, on the human side, singleminded characters who are defined by inflated egos and self centeredness, much like RJ, who undergoes an inward metamorphosis while the humans do not. The film takes aim at modern life and culture and uses the hedge as a literal and figurative dividing line between the natural and the manmade, between peace and tranquility and danger. Crossing that line means trouble, but it also means a greater understanding of the world in which the animals live. RJ is their guide and he chooses at first to manipulate rather than fully instruct his new friends, but he quickly comes to realize that happiness isn't found in human scraps but rather than in the warm embrace of his new friends. It's not particularly revelatory or surprising to watch where the movie goes, but the journey is a whole lot of fun.

Over the Hedge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Over the Hedge makes its Blu-ray debut with a fairly strong and enjoyable 1080p transfer. On the negative side of the ledger is that the image produces some banding in nighttime skies, right out of the gate, in fact, when RJ ascends a mountain to raid Vincent's stash. Additionally, some of the interior walls in the subdivision show banding, too, as do other spots, all of which can rise to a level of significance. Aliasing is also not uncommon, along house siding, on some of the trees, and on other objects scattered throughout the film. Though many spots hold some issue with banding or aliasing, rarely do such concerns rise to a level of interference with the quality of the animation on display. On the flip side, the image is infinitely watchable. Clarity is quite good across the board and the Blu-ray appears capable of bringing out just about all of the fine detail textures the digital artists have created, including individual animal hairs and fur, grasses and shrubbery (including the title hedge), pavement in the neighborhoods, and so on and so forth. Colors are bold and robust, well saturated and finding a good and bold but not overly adjusted contrast. There's good tonal balance across the palette. Greens are of course one of the standouts on the animal side of the hedge, while a more diverse palette finds enjoyable accuracy in the neighborhood, from silver trash cans to colorful art and clothes, including an exterminator's orange jumpsuit. Despite some issues, including banding that can rise to borderline severity, the image looks quite nice. Most viewers should find this a very agreeably point of entry for the film into the physical media HD realm.

Over the Hedge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Over the Hedge leaps onto Blu-ray with a high intensity DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation more than satisfies requirements and is a very fun, if not also very loud, compliment to the movie. The track opens in style with RJ beating on a vending machine to great sonic effect, which includes a boomerang swishing around the stage in his attempt to retrieve a bag of chips that has become stuck on the coil. Vincent's growls are deep and deliver with high yield low end output. The track offers little natural atmosphere in its quieter wooded scenes but finds some sporadic ambience in the neighborhood. However, it is in the film's numerous comic/action scenes where the track shows full command. There are almost innumerable occurrences of healthy low end output, extensive surround engagement, and wide front end usage. The track frequently explodes into a delight of zany effects that fully compliment the movie's mayhem. It's all in symphonic harmony, too, rather than jut a free-for-all of audio insanity. Dialogue is clear and detailed with firm front-center placement. It is well prioritized even in action.

Over the Hedge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Over the Hedge contains a commentary track and a handful of legacy featurettes. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. No DVD copy is included. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Hammy's Boomerang Adventure (480i, 4:44): RJ hosts a nature program than follows Hammy the Squirrel's adventures with a boomerang. Available with optional director's commentary.
• Behind the Hedge (480i, 12:04): This piece focuses on the technical details behind making the digital animals and enviornments that appear in the film.
• Meet the Cast (480i, 15:47): This supplement focuses on the voice acting and the performers who vocally bring the characters to life through film clips, interviews, and peeks inside the recording booth. It also explores character traits and how they fit into the film.
• Verm-Tech Infomercial (480i, 2:59): An ad for education in the field of extermination.
• The Tech of Over the Hedge (480i, 6:07): More insight into the digital tools that helped make the movie.
• Audio Commentary: Directors Tim Johnson and Karen Kirkpatrick and Producer Bonnie Arnold explore the film's story, voice acting, characters, digital construction, and share some interesting anecdotes as well. It's a well-rounded track.

Over the Hedge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Over the Hedge is a hearty, humorous example of its genre. It's cute and colorful, endlessly funny, perfectly paced, and very well voiced. It doesn't get bogged down in needless side stories, remaining laser-focused on its purpose and its gags. With an enthusiastic cast and plenty of jokes that hit, it's one of the best of its kind of the 2000s. Universal's Blu-ray looks good, not great, struggling with aliasing and some moderate to severe banding. Audio blasts and is tons of fun. A good selection of extra content is included. Recommended.