Over the Hedge
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: May 19, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
Over The Hedge stands out as genuinely witty and even a little barbed. Its chipper, sneering outsider's look at suburban sprawl and conformity isn't going to change the world, but it's still self-aware enough to be reasonably smart. Read full review
91
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
The film stays true to its characters and keeps the laughs coming in what may be the closest thing in spirit to the old Warner Bros. Looney Tunes to hit the screen in years. And when it comes to animation designed primarily for laughs, praise doesn't come any higher than that. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
This isn't much of a plot, but as in the "Toy Story" films the combination of a varied cast of characters and a vision of the human world from an unlikely perspective make for consistent amusement. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
It's very funny, and the little woodland critters that make up the cast are a kiddie-pleasing bunch. Read full review
88
New York PostKyle Smith
If they were still making Looney Tunes, they'd look a lot like Over the Hedge. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The visual and verbal jokes are as bouncy and multilevel (hip height for adults, knee-slap-size for kids) as we have come, no doubt selfishly, to expect from DreamWorks. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
This enjoyable Dreamworks animated comedy is well timed. Read full review
80
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
Aside from having some great animation, the writing is funny and clever. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Solid family entertainment, and it's better than 2006's previous tepid animated releases. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The vividly animated film -- based on a comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis -- has an appealing balance of comic bits and exhilarating action sequences. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Not at the level of "Finding Nemo" or "Shrek," but is a lot of fun, awfully nice to look at, and filled with energy and smiles. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
When "Hedge" clicks on all cylinders, Chuck Jones smiles down from heaven. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
Kids will eat it up, while solid voice work from William Shatner and Wanda Sykes should keep this borderline-feral toon from pushing adults over the edge. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The computer-animation is terrific, most of the slapstick gags are fun, and Wanda Sykes' voice performance as feisty Stella the Skunk is one that will be remembered - and not because it stinks. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
This has to be the first children's film to weave a Grand Theft Auto joke into the script -- and like most things in the movie, it's pretty amusing. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A backyard ecological comedy outfitted with some fine, silly slapstick and clever animal characters. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Deftly held together by bags of good humor and zany action sequences, tethered to a heartfelt conviction that green is good and family is better. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Hedge is built for laughter rather than artistry; jokes are packed into every pixel. But despite the movie's entertaining qualities, there is something a little unsettling. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Offers plenty of modest pleasures.
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
The final showdown, in which the critters tangle with security-rigged lawn flamingos and garden gnomes, would have made Rube Goldberg proud. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The story is slim but the script is snappy and the film moves with a fluid rhythm that charges up to a rollercoaster pace. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Though the animation is solid and the writing reasonably clever, Over the Hedge is clearly more about packaging than freshness or substance. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
There is actually an occasional moment of inspiration, but as an experience, the movie doesn't hog much shelf space in the memory. Read full review
60
EmpireNick De Semlyen
You'll soon be sick of digital furballs, but there’s plenty of fun here. Read full review
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Despite a sprinkling of laughs and eye-catching moments, this adaptation of a popular comicstrip reps a middling effort from the house that "Shrek" built, a rather narrowly conceived tale that makes only modest hay from the overworked conflict between wildlife and encroaching humans. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Even with Levy and O'Hara and Shandling adding what they can, you can only enjoy the voices behind the critters so much when the images fall so short. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
Like a lot of animated fare, it's overly busy, lacking the comic's gentle, contemplative air. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
The disappointingly pedestrian computer-animated Over the Hedge will be more entertaining for little tykes than their older siblings and parents, and would not seem out of place on Saturday morning television. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Over the Hedge isn't by any stretch bad. It's just banal. Read full review
40
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
"Lady and the Tramp" all by its lonesome is worth a dozen of these meat-grinders -- crude commodities, plush toys and product placements in search of a story from which to hang their price tags. Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
There is no poetry here and little thought. Read full review
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