Lots of people bitch about the animation being pretty stone age in this film, and for a reason. Technically, "Hoodwinked" is far behind "Finding Nemo" or "Incredibles". However, if you look past the unpretty exterior, there is plenty of goodies to found inside. Hilarious punchlines and a clever script by far makes up for the lack of jaw-dropping animation. Actually, I found the outdated CGI to add another layer of quirkiness to this little flick! When comparing "Hoodwinked" to other recent releases in the genre, it comes out with flying colors. Where "Chicken Little" and "Valiant" fail, this one really excels! Dialogues are well written and full of treats that makes this one a movie to see more than once. And for once, I even enjoyed the musical numbers, catchy and well performed. It doesn't have any scenes that - like "Shark Tale" - fell plastic or numb, instead it's an 80 minute, twisting and turning roller-coaster that doesn't stop until the credits start rolling. All you have to to is buckle up, and enjoy the ride
291 Reviews
Cheesy animation; top-notch writing highlight new 'toon
eichelbergersports8 December 2005
Despite low-budget animation, the newest feature by the Weinstein Company, "Hoodwinked," is saved by some silly animal and human characters, as well as great writing and hilarious jokes.
Basically, it's the story of Little Red Riding Hood as told from the vantage point of Red (voice of Ann Hathaway), the Big Bad Wolf (Patrick Warburton), Granny (Glenn Close) and a dimwitted, axe-wielding woodsman (Jim Belushi).
The four are arrested, accused of stealing goodie recipes and interrogated by a long-legged frog, Inspector Flippers (David Ogden Stiers). Each suspect tells a different story that somehow cleverly ties the whole event together. In other words, it's like a version of Kurosawa's "Rashomon" as produced by computer animators who could not get work at Pixar, Disney or Dreamworks.
Seeing the studio's press release, I noticed the poor computer work and thought this would be another "Valiant," but the crisp dialogue and truly funny situations made me laugh almost all the way through this film, which is director Cory Edwards' feature debut.
It's also a much more entertaining picture than "Chicken Little" or "Shark Tale" could ever hope to be. And while the puns are pretty much aimed at adults, the kids will enjoy the many animal characters, such as pigs as policemen (get it?!), a singing, hillbilly goat (Benjy Gaither), a squirrel on speed (director Edwards), a Huggy bear-type stool pigeon sheep (Chazz Palimeri) and a tricky little bunny, Boingo (Andy Dick).
This film runs 85 minutes and opens for wide release on Friday, Jan. 13.
Basically, it's the story of Little Red Riding Hood as told from the vantage point of Red (voice of Ann Hathaway), the Big Bad Wolf (Patrick Warburton), Granny (Glenn Close) and a dimwitted, axe-wielding woodsman (Jim Belushi).
The four are arrested, accused of stealing goodie recipes and interrogated by a long-legged frog, Inspector Flippers (David Ogden Stiers). Each suspect tells a different story that somehow cleverly ties the whole event together. In other words, it's like a version of Kurosawa's "Rashomon" as produced by computer animators who could not get work at Pixar, Disney or Dreamworks.
Seeing the studio's press release, I noticed the poor computer work and thought this would be another "Valiant," but the crisp dialogue and truly funny situations made me laugh almost all the way through this film, which is director Cory Edwards' feature debut.
It's also a much more entertaining picture than "Chicken Little" or "Shark Tale" could ever hope to be. And while the puns are pretty much aimed at adults, the kids will enjoy the many animal characters, such as pigs as policemen (get it?!), a singing, hillbilly goat (Benjy Gaither), a squirrel on speed (director Edwards), a Huggy bear-type stool pigeon sheep (Chazz Palimeri) and a tricky little bunny, Boingo (Andy Dick).
This film runs 85 minutes and opens for wide release on Friday, Jan. 13.
A great movie that most people should enjoy
LoneWolfAndCub5 August 2006
I'm not going to give Hoodwinked a harsh review like so many others. This is primarily a kids movie, nothing more, nothing less. All the kids in the cinema that I was in were roaring with laughter and I must admit at times I was also laughing out loud. Some of the older people and parents will enjoy the references it makes to other movies and fairy tales, although they are dumbed down for the suited audience.
The plot is almost like an animated, kids version of Pulp Fiction. Many different stories (told by Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf, The Woodsman and Granny) intertwine.
The voice actors all do a great job with their characters and the animation, although nowhere near the best, was still pretty good. The characters were all hilarious, the funniest being a singing goat and a nutty squirrel (who I think was high).
3/5.
The plot is almost like an animated, kids version of Pulp Fiction. Many different stories (told by Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf, The Woodsman and Granny) intertwine.
The voice actors all do a great job with their characters and the animation, although nowhere near the best, was still pretty good. The characters were all hilarious, the funniest being a singing goat and a nutty squirrel (who I think was high).
3/5.
Rashomon Meets Little Red Riding Hood
nycritic20 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Deconstructed fairy-tales and animation go hand in hand and have produced fantastic films such as THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE Christmas, SHREK, and SHREK 2.
HOODWINKED literally rips the entire fable of Red Riding Hood apart, borrowing from RED RIDING HOODWINKED, RASHOMON, PULP FICTION and even TOUCH OF EVIL. The events that led to Red Riding Hood's eventual confrontation with the Big Bad Wolf are told not from one but from several points of view as the main players -- Red, the Wolf, the Woodsman, and Granny -- are interrogated by the police who are investigating a crime from one "Goody Bandit". Every confessions reveals a lot more about each character and the more that is disclosed, the closer they are to catching up with the thief.
A sharp reconfiguation of a classic fairytale has the unfortunate aspect that it looks flat and clumsy. It's as if the entire production team felt the rush of having to turn out their product and in the process forgot to complete it. The laughs that come from its setting, while frequent and spot-on at the beginning, become clichéd after a while and makes the film look much longer than its brief 80 minutes. The animation, frankly, was bad. Here is where it fails the most. There are many moments when Red Riding Hood's lips don't match her voice and in two sequences she looks like a pre-production image. Ditto for Granny and the entire landscape-as-book sequence. A musical number feels placed for the hell of it, and I found myself guessing whodunit well before the revelation. And that's bad.
Oh well... maybe next time or when it reaches DVD and will look considerably improved. Kids will love it, though.... Aren't they the ultimate critics for a film like this?
HOODWINKED literally rips the entire fable of Red Riding Hood apart, borrowing from RED RIDING HOODWINKED, RASHOMON, PULP FICTION and even TOUCH OF EVIL. The events that led to Red Riding Hood's eventual confrontation with the Big Bad Wolf are told not from one but from several points of view as the main players -- Red, the Wolf, the Woodsman, and Granny -- are interrogated by the police who are investigating a crime from one "Goody Bandit". Every confessions reveals a lot more about each character and the more that is disclosed, the closer they are to catching up with the thief.
A sharp reconfiguation of a classic fairytale has the unfortunate aspect that it looks flat and clumsy. It's as if the entire production team felt the rush of having to turn out their product and in the process forgot to complete it. The laughs that come from its setting, while frequent and spot-on at the beginning, become clichéd after a while and makes the film look much longer than its brief 80 minutes. The animation, frankly, was bad. Here is where it fails the most. There are many moments when Red Riding Hood's lips don't match her voice and in two sequences she looks like a pre-production image. Ditto for Granny and the entire landscape-as-book sequence. A musical number feels placed for the hell of it, and I found myself guessing whodunit well before the revelation. And that's bad.
Oh well... maybe next time or when it reaches DVD and will look considerably improved. Kids will love it, though.... Aren't they the ultimate critics for a film like this?
Better than I had expected
Igenlode Wordsmith29 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I wouldn't actually have gone to watch this film of my own accord, but I was roped in to act as juvenile escort for the occasion, and after two goes on consecutive days (the screening times had changed) we finally got to see it. I didn't really like it. But... actually, I can see that it's quite good.
There are a lot of references in there (from Arnold Schwarzenegger via Humphrey Bogart to Amelia Earhart) that the target age group simply aren't going to get, so it's clearly setting out to be a cross-generational movie. And for a would-be smartmouthed satire on the fairytale genre, it proves in the end to have a surprisingly warm heart: this is essentially a 'nicer' film than "Shrek". The structure is clever, and yet not (usually) so revisionist as to be annoying: Red Riding Hood is not the villain of the piece, even if the Wolf assumes she is. And I admit that I was rather proud of myself for spotting that there was something suspicious about the bunny at an early stage, right at the moment when the cable-car door mysteriously opened and then Red mysteriously fell out of it, with one person positioned strategically right behind her at the time... even if I did subsequently forget all about it!
For my money, it's a little too snide and self-conscious; but I'm afraid that what really alienated me, and prevented me from ever completely letting go and throwing myself heart and soul into the story, was the cosmetic trappings of the thing. Other people have commented that the computer animation was apparently sub-standard; I wouldn't know anything about that. All I know was that I find this particular fashion for displaying computerised weightless 3D blobs moving around unconvincing and irritating, whether it's "Robots" or "Hoodwinked", in a way that doesn't bother me when it's basic 2D line art -- whether computer-generated or hand-traced cel by cel -- or stop-motion animation, or even Supermarionation (otherwise known as puppetry pure and simple...) So the style put me off. But "Toy Story", which was surely from a much more primitive era, didn't; the failure of the story to distract me from the medium must take some of the blame.
The other thing of which I found myself very conscious, and which wouldn't even have occurred to the makers, was the sheer Americanism of the whole affair, from its 'goodies' and 'cookies' to 'schnitzel-vans' (what on earth are they?), wisecracking rebellious teens, and beehive hair-dos as a marker of old age: this is European myth and legend being given a heavy make-up job to make it palatable to the USA, and it jars as badly as the medieval village maize-field in "Shrek". Like "Nightmare at Christmas", this film simply was not aimed at us... and it has the same basis in the popular customs of a basically alien culture. I don't think I watch enough American TV to be attuned to this sort of thing.
Neither of these problems is one that can be reasonably laid at the feet of the film-makers, so I'm left with the statement with which I started: of its kind, this is probably a pretty good film. But it's not quite my cup of tea.
There are a lot of references in there (from Arnold Schwarzenegger via Humphrey Bogart to Amelia Earhart) that the target age group simply aren't going to get, so it's clearly setting out to be a cross-generational movie. And for a would-be smartmouthed satire on the fairytale genre, it proves in the end to have a surprisingly warm heart: this is essentially a 'nicer' film than "Shrek". The structure is clever, and yet not (usually) so revisionist as to be annoying: Red Riding Hood is not the villain of the piece, even if the Wolf assumes she is. And I admit that I was rather proud of myself for spotting that there was something suspicious about the bunny at an early stage, right at the moment when the cable-car door mysteriously opened and then Red mysteriously fell out of it, with one person positioned strategically right behind her at the time... even if I did subsequently forget all about it!
For my money, it's a little too snide and self-conscious; but I'm afraid that what really alienated me, and prevented me from ever completely letting go and throwing myself heart and soul into the story, was the cosmetic trappings of the thing. Other people have commented that the computer animation was apparently sub-standard; I wouldn't know anything about that. All I know was that I find this particular fashion for displaying computerised weightless 3D blobs moving around unconvincing and irritating, whether it's "Robots" or "Hoodwinked", in a way that doesn't bother me when it's basic 2D line art -- whether computer-generated or hand-traced cel by cel -- or stop-motion animation, or even Supermarionation (otherwise known as puppetry pure and simple...) So the style put me off. But "Toy Story", which was surely from a much more primitive era, didn't; the failure of the story to distract me from the medium must take some of the blame.
The other thing of which I found myself very conscious, and which wouldn't even have occurred to the makers, was the sheer Americanism of the whole affair, from its 'goodies' and 'cookies' to 'schnitzel-vans' (what on earth are they?), wisecracking rebellious teens, and beehive hair-dos as a marker of old age: this is European myth and legend being given a heavy make-up job to make it palatable to the USA, and it jars as badly as the medieval village maize-field in "Shrek". Like "Nightmare at Christmas", this film simply was not aimed at us... and it has the same basis in the popular customs of a basically alien culture. I don't think I watch enough American TV to be attuned to this sort of thing.
Neither of these problems is one that can be reasonably laid at the feet of the film-makers, so I'm left with the statement with which I started: of its kind, this is probably a pretty good film. But it's not quite my cup of tea.
An Unevenly Demented Treat
PorridgeBird22 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
With the recent wave of wacky PG-rated CGI films and the never-ending fad of the fractured fairy tale, the low-budget B-List Hoodwinked still has a new trick or two for us.
It's a different take on the Red Riding Hood tale: the gruff Chief Grizzly is about to take in Red, Granny, the Wolf, and the Woodsman for breaking and entering, wielding an axe without a license, and possible connections to the current rash of goodie thefts, but the mild-mannered frog sleuth Nicky "Flippers" decides to take over investigations. From here, the four main characters each tell their sides of the story to clear up just what happened that fateful day.
This film is rather uneven, and one must expect that from what we are given. All the characters have something hidden in their characters: Red is a black-belt karate champion; Granny is doing extreme-sports (and she won't even tell her own granddaughter!); and the Wolf is a Fletch-inspired undercover journalist accompanied by a hyperactive squirrel photographer. These are the sort of jokes just bordering on the edge of cliché. So why is the Woodsman's tale so good? Kirk is not actually a Woodsman but a faintly Austrian actor. His Schnitzel song (which he sings as he sells Schnitzel-on-a-Stick to the children as a day job) and his first attempts at woodcutting (which he takes up to get in the mindset for a Paul Bunion Cream commercial) are comic highlights.
And these gags are surprisingly effective thanks to the rather jumpy animation. Most CGI animation is very fluid, true to life, but in Hoodwinked, the characters which are animated least fluidly make the best impression as they cut suddenly between poses. It's almost as if this movie could be a bit better hand-drawn rather than computer-animated. Watch the Woodsman and Twitchy the Squirrel; it's been a long time since somebody's facial expressions have made me laugh.
SPOILER: Nothing is remarkable about the voicework except for Andy Dick as Red's rabbit friend Boingo. Encountering each of the four main characters with a sort of David Spade snarkiness, Boingo's flair is all the more invigorating when we find that it is actually Boingo who is the evil genius behind the goodie robberies. His command to henchman Keith is memorable, and the simple demented glee with which he relishes his plot is darkly hilarious. (If I could just find a picture of Boingo, he'll become my new message-board avatar.)
This is truly something completely different. A lot of it is your standard (if interestingly twisted) take on the fractured fairy tale, but every now and then there is a minute of unmitigated hilarity. All-in-all, it's something I'd recommend you rent at Hollywood Video for one night with your Monty Python friends.
It's a different take on the Red Riding Hood tale: the gruff Chief Grizzly is about to take in Red, Granny, the Wolf, and the Woodsman for breaking and entering, wielding an axe without a license, and possible connections to the current rash of goodie thefts, but the mild-mannered frog sleuth Nicky "Flippers" decides to take over investigations. From here, the four main characters each tell their sides of the story to clear up just what happened that fateful day.
This film is rather uneven, and one must expect that from what we are given. All the characters have something hidden in their characters: Red is a black-belt karate champion; Granny is doing extreme-sports (and she won't even tell her own granddaughter!); and the Wolf is a Fletch-inspired undercover journalist accompanied by a hyperactive squirrel photographer. These are the sort of jokes just bordering on the edge of cliché. So why is the Woodsman's tale so good? Kirk is not actually a Woodsman but a faintly Austrian actor. His Schnitzel song (which he sings as he sells Schnitzel-on-a-Stick to the children as a day job) and his first attempts at woodcutting (which he takes up to get in the mindset for a Paul Bunion Cream commercial) are comic highlights.
And these gags are surprisingly effective thanks to the rather jumpy animation. Most CGI animation is very fluid, true to life, but in Hoodwinked, the characters which are animated least fluidly make the best impression as they cut suddenly between poses. It's almost as if this movie could be a bit better hand-drawn rather than computer-animated. Watch the Woodsman and Twitchy the Squirrel; it's been a long time since somebody's facial expressions have made me laugh.
SPOILER: Nothing is remarkable about the voicework except for Andy Dick as Red's rabbit friend Boingo. Encountering each of the four main characters with a sort of David Spade snarkiness, Boingo's flair is all the more invigorating when we find that it is actually Boingo who is the evil genius behind the goodie robberies. His command to henchman Keith is memorable, and the simple demented glee with which he relishes his plot is darkly hilarious. (If I could just find a picture of Boingo, he'll become my new message-board avatar.)
This is truly something completely different. A lot of it is your standard (if interestingly twisted) take on the fractured fairy tale, but every now and then there is a minute of unmitigated hilarity. All-in-all, it's something I'd recommend you rent at Hollywood Video for one night with your Monty Python friends.
Stop dogging the animation
MattSteele5 December 2005
I'm annoyed at all the "know-it-alls" on these boards who are judging this film solely based on what they think they see in the trailer.
One guy went so far as to say that it was shoddy script-writing.
Let me just say this... I spend most of my time helping to make feature animation look really good... it's my job.
I've been involved with some very slick looking films. However, no matter how good it looks, if it's not a good story, it's still a crappy film.
Like the old saying goes: "you can polish a turd, but in the end all you're gonna have is a shiny turd."
I've seen Hoodwinked. I can say from experience that the animation isn't the greatest, the deformations aren't the greatest and the general tech of the film isn't the greatest. There have been many "prettier" films to hit the silver screen. After all, this movie was made on a shoe-string budget by CG standards.
Having said that, I fell in love with this movie after five minutes. The characters are endearing, the humor was fantastic and there's a level of originality and sophistication in the scriptwriting and storytelling that have not been seen before in the area of animation, not to mention a level of "cleanness" that is rare nowadays.
And, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has this opinion... after all, Bob and Harvey Weinstein decided to distribute it.
Go see the film... you won't be disappointed.
-Matt Steele
(edited for misspelling)
One guy went so far as to say that it was shoddy script-writing.
Let me just say this... I spend most of my time helping to make feature animation look really good... it's my job.
I've been involved with some very slick looking films. However, no matter how good it looks, if it's not a good story, it's still a crappy film.
Like the old saying goes: "you can polish a turd, but in the end all you're gonna have is a shiny turd."
I've seen Hoodwinked. I can say from experience that the animation isn't the greatest, the deformations aren't the greatest and the general tech of the film isn't the greatest. There have been many "prettier" films to hit the silver screen. After all, this movie was made on a shoe-string budget by CG standards.
Having said that, I fell in love with this movie after five minutes. The characters are endearing, the humor was fantastic and there's a level of originality and sophistication in the scriptwriting and storytelling that have not been seen before in the area of animation, not to mention a level of "cleanness" that is rare nowadays.
And, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has this opinion... after all, Bob and Harvey Weinstein decided to distribute it.
Go see the film... you won't be disappointed.
-Matt Steele
(edited for misspelling)
Aiming at all ages
Chris_Docker14 November 2006
You know the murder mystery scenario: that fairytale look of everything in place when things are not really as they seem. Take Little Red Riding Hood, for example (Hoodwinked! does): a granny who 'kicks fanny', a wolf who is more than just a master of disguises . . . everyone has a secret story to tell and characters at the scene are far from being 'the usual suspects'. Detective Flippers has his work cut out restraining the pigs and interrogating everyone through complex flashbacks.
An initial attempt to charge Mr Wolf with 'intention to eat' falls flat. Bandits are the real problem - stealing goodies recipes and putting everyone out of business - but who is the ringleader? Re-telling Little Red Riding Hood to reinterpret motives and personalities but still delivering an animation to keep kids amused is the challenge that Hoodwinked! sets itself, and in a large part it succeeds. The film works on several different levels to address different age groups. In a purely visual way, gags work like any Bugs Bunny cartoon with a minimum of script. The essential storyline, and some careful puns, are spoken at normal speed and are easy to follow for the next age group up. Finally a level of satire is added, often in fast, funny voices or snappy backchat for adults paying enough attention.
The whole thing is punctuated by some enchanting songs, including a ukulele-playing goat, and a great turn by Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain, Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries) whose beautiful clear voice as Red Riding Hood is as delightful singing as it is when speaking. (More songs by Miss Hathaway would not have gone amiss.)
The faults of Hoodwinked! are that it maybe spreads itself a little too thinly in trying to entertain everyone. In this, it ends up a bit too clever for its own good. The tying up of ends is laborious for those who have followed the plot, whereas the main body of action perhaps takes itself too seriously for younger children. Nevertheless it is an interesting send-up on the well-worn fairytale and an accomplished CGI animation.
An initial attempt to charge Mr Wolf with 'intention to eat' falls flat. Bandits are the real problem - stealing goodies recipes and putting everyone out of business - but who is the ringleader? Re-telling Little Red Riding Hood to reinterpret motives and personalities but still delivering an animation to keep kids amused is the challenge that Hoodwinked! sets itself, and in a large part it succeeds. The film works on several different levels to address different age groups. In a purely visual way, gags work like any Bugs Bunny cartoon with a minimum of script. The essential storyline, and some careful puns, are spoken at normal speed and are easy to follow for the next age group up. Finally a level of satire is added, often in fast, funny voices or snappy backchat for adults paying enough attention.
The whole thing is punctuated by some enchanting songs, including a ukulele-playing goat, and a great turn by Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain, Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries) whose beautiful clear voice as Red Riding Hood is as delightful singing as it is when speaking. (More songs by Miss Hathaway would not have gone amiss.)
The faults of Hoodwinked! are that it maybe spreads itself a little too thinly in trying to entertain everyone. In this, it ends up a bit too clever for its own good. The tying up of ends is laborious for those who have followed the plot, whereas the main body of action perhaps takes itself too seriously for younger children. Nevertheless it is an interesting send-up on the well-worn fairytale and an accomplished CGI animation.
a new spin on the old tale
nobbytatoes2 August 2006
The old fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood is a staple of the fairy tale stories. Red Riding Hood goes to visit her Granny in the woods, ending up being attacked by The Wolf, with the Woodsman saving the day. Hoodwinked is where the fairy tale ends. After what unfolds in the traditional story, Red, Wolf, Granny and The Woodsman are arrested for conspiracy. Snack businesses throughout the forest have been closing down, with owners secret recipes being stolen; the latest victim The Muffin Man. With each one a suspect, each of their stories are unfolded to reveal the mystery.
Based upon the fairy tale, Hoodwinked spins the whole story of Little Red Riding Hood on it's head, running off in a completely new direction. While pieces of the original story are present, the four split stories rework it into new territory, as each story unfolds and interweaves, revealing different views and perceptions from each character.
The script for Hoodwinked is the real structure of the film. While many animated films can release weight onto the visuals, Hoodwinked doesn't have that option. With amazingly detailed animated films from Pixar, and walking in Pixar's shadow Dreamworks, Hoodwinked severely pales in comparison. The animation is flat with mat colours, it has the same level of animation quality of Toy Story, which started the 3D animation trend; you can basically call it archaic.
Though calling the film bad based on the film quality is a low cop-out. The screenplay by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech is the strongest element. Hoodwinked is very cleverly written with the four separate stories. Weaving in other fairy tales references, yet not blatantly obvious. Cultaural and film references are kept minimal, the comedy evolves from the characters. While the script has been cleverly writing, the puns and jokes really fall flat; it's not very funny. Yes there are laughs to be had, but its not constant with many jokes clunking along. Hoodwinked runs off little laughs and snickers; nothing to really grab your sides; though at least they didn't resort to toilet humor for cheap laughs. The mystery story isn't that much of a mystery, you can figure it out early on in the piece.
Not using celebrity status for the voice talent, Anne Hathaway, Patrick Warburton, Glenn Close and James Belushi all work well as the four leads. The supporting cast with David Ogden Stiers, Anthony Anderson and Andy Dick all add great support.
Hoodwinked has taken an interesting spin on the fairy tale, yet lacking a lot of decent laughs and a few to many Looney Tunes situations, Hoodwinked doesn't leave much of a memorable mark.
Based upon the fairy tale, Hoodwinked spins the whole story of Little Red Riding Hood on it's head, running off in a completely new direction. While pieces of the original story are present, the four split stories rework it into new territory, as each story unfolds and interweaves, revealing different views and perceptions from each character.
The script for Hoodwinked is the real structure of the film. While many animated films can release weight onto the visuals, Hoodwinked doesn't have that option. With amazingly detailed animated films from Pixar, and walking in Pixar's shadow Dreamworks, Hoodwinked severely pales in comparison. The animation is flat with mat colours, it has the same level of animation quality of Toy Story, which started the 3D animation trend; you can basically call it archaic.
Though calling the film bad based on the film quality is a low cop-out. The screenplay by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech is the strongest element. Hoodwinked is very cleverly written with the four separate stories. Weaving in other fairy tales references, yet not blatantly obvious. Cultaural and film references are kept minimal, the comedy evolves from the characters. While the script has been cleverly writing, the puns and jokes really fall flat; it's not very funny. Yes there are laughs to be had, but its not constant with many jokes clunking along. Hoodwinked runs off little laughs and snickers; nothing to really grab your sides; though at least they didn't resort to toilet humor for cheap laughs. The mystery story isn't that much of a mystery, you can figure it out early on in the piece.
Not using celebrity status for the voice talent, Anne Hathaway, Patrick Warburton, Glenn Close and James Belushi all work well as the four leads. The supporting cast with David Ogden Stiers, Anthony Anderson and Andy Dick all add great support.
Hoodwinked has taken an interesting spin on the fairy tale, yet lacking a lot of decent laughs and a few to many Looney Tunes situations, Hoodwinked doesn't leave much of a memorable mark.
Loved Hoodwinked! Hope there is more like it coming!
roccoand2 May 2006
A few months ago I was speaking with a friend who runs a drive-in movie theater. He asked me what movies I may want to see when he opens for the season. I remembered seeing ads for "hoodwinked" but never caught it in the theater so I told him I'd like to see it. He remembered the film and played it last weekend.
As it turned out, I could only bring my 9 year old daughter and 2 year old son because my wife had some sort of meeting. I really wasn't looking forward to seeing it with a 2 year old but surprisingly he watched the entire movie! That was a first for him. My 9 year old girl loved it laughing out loud every few minutes. Her favorite characters were the singing goat and the squirrel. I thoroughly enjoyed it too and will buy the DVD on my way home today so I can show the rest of the family (and see it a few more time myself).
Thanks for making such a wholesome and clean movie that is NOT lame in any way at all. It was genuinely clever, original, entertaining and funny, very very funny. I sincerely hope you make movies like this for years to come and that each one is more successful. Thanks!
As it turned out, I could only bring my 9 year old daughter and 2 year old son because my wife had some sort of meeting. I really wasn't looking forward to seeing it with a 2 year old but surprisingly he watched the entire movie! That was a first for him. My 9 year old girl loved it laughing out loud every few minutes. Her favorite characters were the singing goat and the squirrel. I thoroughly enjoyed it too and will buy the DVD on my way home today so I can show the rest of the family (and see it a few more time myself).
Thanks for making such a wholesome and clean movie that is NOT lame in any way at all. It was genuinely clever, original, entertaining and funny, very very funny. I sincerely hope you make movies like this for years to come and that each one is more successful. Thanks!
Nod bad...
queen_firenight9 December 2006
This movie was good but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it was great. Insanely well thought-up storyline however, so much more could've been done with it. I can't help but feel that the producers didn't put 100 percent into this movie. It seemed like it was rushed a little. Overall, it was a good movie, but more effort would've given it a lot more (perhaps even some awards) and perhaps a few problems along the way in the storyline would've made it longer than it was. It was quite short.
This would be an ideal movie for the family to watch together or for your kids and a group of their friends.
This would be an ideal movie for the family to watch together or for your kids and a group of their friends.
Far from "Incredible"
Ronald_Mexico16 February 2006
Ever since the success of "The Incredibles" (a children's film that takes the bold and innovative step of respecting kids enough to NOT rely solely on fart jokes and bathroom humor for cheap laughs), animated filmmakers have been scrambling to copy Brad Bird and Pixar's format. The basic idea is to have inside jokes that kids won't get but that adults can appreciate ("Shrek 2"), while at the same time appealing to the young folks with an easy to follow plot and stunning animation.
And the makers of "Hoodwinked" try, really they do. It's just that the writing, which is supposed to be clever and sharp, ultimately fails miserably at both. The idea (the "REAL" story behind Little Red Riding Hood, which is almost surely already a book somewhere) is a good one, but the plot comes across confusing and scatter-shot. None of the main characters' back stories are interesting enough to follow; kids may get a kick out of an overly caffeinated chipmunk named Twitchy, but almost all of the other grand attempts at humor (hmm...a German Woodsman selling Schnitzel...these folks really ARE in-step with today's typical elementary school banter, huh?) fall completely flat.
Which brings us to the characters, another major problem with the movie. It is unwritten Hollywood law that all animated films have at least one highly adorable character if for no other reason than to sell a few toys (heck, even a mediocrity like 'Chicken Little' has the oddly endearing "Fish out of Water"). Not only do the makers of "Hoodwinked" fail to come up with one such marketable character, they create a cast that is largely unlikeable. In "Hoodwinked" we have an overly wry "Big Bad Wolf", an overwhelmingly unfunny Woodsman, a stereotypical 'wild' Granny, and a salt-of-the earth Little Red Riding Hood who comes across as though she belts back a shot of scotch and chain smokes each morning before heading to her nine-to-fiver. Detective Bill Stork is almost painful to watch both because of the bad fake accent and yawn-a-minute Sherlock Holmes impersonation.
The film gets a 5 out of 10 because it isn't blatantly offensive, but it is most definitely unfunny for adults and for any kid possessing at least the worldly sophistication of a six-year-old. You may as well rent it if your cable has been shut off and a winter storm is approaching, but don't go out of your way to find it, either.
And the makers of "Hoodwinked" try, really they do. It's just that the writing, which is supposed to be clever and sharp, ultimately fails miserably at both. The idea (the "REAL" story behind Little Red Riding Hood, which is almost surely already a book somewhere) is a good one, but the plot comes across confusing and scatter-shot. None of the main characters' back stories are interesting enough to follow; kids may get a kick out of an overly caffeinated chipmunk named Twitchy, but almost all of the other grand attempts at humor (hmm...a German Woodsman selling Schnitzel...these folks really ARE in-step with today's typical elementary school banter, huh?) fall completely flat.
Which brings us to the characters, another major problem with the movie. It is unwritten Hollywood law that all animated films have at least one highly adorable character if for no other reason than to sell a few toys (heck, even a mediocrity like 'Chicken Little' has the oddly endearing "Fish out of Water"). Not only do the makers of "Hoodwinked" fail to come up with one such marketable character, they create a cast that is largely unlikeable. In "Hoodwinked" we have an overly wry "Big Bad Wolf", an overwhelmingly unfunny Woodsman, a stereotypical 'wild' Granny, and a salt-of-the earth Little Red Riding Hood who comes across as though she belts back a shot of scotch and chain smokes each morning before heading to her nine-to-fiver. Detective Bill Stork is almost painful to watch both because of the bad fake accent and yawn-a-minute Sherlock Holmes impersonation.
The film gets a 5 out of 10 because it isn't blatantly offensive, but it is most definitely unfunny for adults and for any kid possessing at least the worldly sophistication of a six-year-old. You may as well rent it if your cable has been shut off and a winter storm is approaching, but don't go out of your way to find it, either.
Charming Indie Spoof on the Red Riding Hood Story
elicopperman24 June 2021
Back in the mid 2000s when the fairy tale genre had been turned upside down by the mainstream blockbuster Shrek, there was another animated feature that happened to do so as well, only from an independent point of view. Hoodwinked, a low budget CG animated film from Cory & Todd Edwards, Tony Leech and Kanbar Entertainment, was released by the Weinstein Company to polarizing reviews and huge box office receipts, making it a surprise hit for such a small production. So now that it's been well over 15 years since its release, let's see how this low scaled feature managed to age.
The film retells the classic red riding hood fairy tale as a police investigation, using backstories to show the famous titular character, wolf, woodsman and grandma their own points of view. What's interesting about the feature is that the first half is more of a Rashomon styled structure to showcase altering perspectives on every single character that ended up in granny's house. Little does one know that red riding hood, or in this case Red Puckett, would be a forest delivery girl giving goodies to others for business and her grandmother would come from a long line of prestigious bakers. Meanwhile, the wolf is an investigative reporter in search of someone snatching up recipes to put the Pucketts out of business and the woodsman is not all that he appears to be and was only brought into the scene by accident. Later on, the second half devolves into taking down the culprit behind the recipe snatches. While the first half is more interesting from a structural perspective, the whole film still keeps the mystery growing from start to finish in regards to just what led all of these characters together.
However, in terms of the film's humor, that's where the real entertainment value comes in. While there are some nuanced pop culture references here and there, a lot of the film's comedy relies on subversion and snappy one liners, making it feel surprisingly sophisticated for the kind of satirization it's going for. In addition, given that this was made with very little resources, one can see the fingerprints of the filmmakers all throughout, especially with the musical numbers. They all feel incredibly inspired and actually serve the plot fairly well, given a wide variety of styles like pop, country, rock & roll and even low-fi Broadway. Speaking of little resources, it's been said that a lot of the voices were initially provided by close friends of the filmmakers, except for Tara Strong, Patrick Warburton, David Ogden Stiers and Andy Dick. By the time the Weinsteins got it distributed, most of them had actually been recast, although some managed to remain in the final cut. While that factor may be unfortunate, at no point do any of the actors come off as too distracting, especially when they all provide enough captivating performances to provide the laughs.
That being said, the one make or break deal with the movie would have to be the visuals. No surprise that the film's budget was so small that the filmmakers had to outsource the animation to the Philippines, and the technical shortcomings are all over the film. However, while the rendering, character motion and backgrounds leave much to be desired, the more cartoony and exaggerated design work all around actually give the film a charming style. Given that the filmmakers were inspired by stop motion films to create the look of the film, the janky character animation and weak rendering feel surprisingly authentic for the kind of movie made to only tell so little. In some ways, the technical limitations keep the feature restrained to go so far, and yet it never really needs to do so. By visually presenting the story the best they can, the filmmakers found just the right balance in utilizing their resources up to a certain degree. Like co-director Cory Edwards once said, "Look at what the story and the charming characters did; they were able to surpass the bad animation and the technical problem."
In the end, while Hoodwinked might not be the strongest feature all around, even for its time, the low budget filmmaking allows its creativity to shine through the best it can possibly go, and for that, its charm lies in its imperfections. If you're yet to see this film or you want to see a completely different lampoon on the fairy tale genre other than the famous green ogre, this one is definitely up your alley. It doesn't have a whole lot to offer, but what it does showcase should be just enough to warrant a curious watch at the very least. One can at least view it as the indie underdog below the fairy tale satires.
The film retells the classic red riding hood fairy tale as a police investigation, using backstories to show the famous titular character, wolf, woodsman and grandma their own points of view. What's interesting about the feature is that the first half is more of a Rashomon styled structure to showcase altering perspectives on every single character that ended up in granny's house. Little does one know that red riding hood, or in this case Red Puckett, would be a forest delivery girl giving goodies to others for business and her grandmother would come from a long line of prestigious bakers. Meanwhile, the wolf is an investigative reporter in search of someone snatching up recipes to put the Pucketts out of business and the woodsman is not all that he appears to be and was only brought into the scene by accident. Later on, the second half devolves into taking down the culprit behind the recipe snatches. While the first half is more interesting from a structural perspective, the whole film still keeps the mystery growing from start to finish in regards to just what led all of these characters together.
However, in terms of the film's humor, that's where the real entertainment value comes in. While there are some nuanced pop culture references here and there, a lot of the film's comedy relies on subversion and snappy one liners, making it feel surprisingly sophisticated for the kind of satirization it's going for. In addition, given that this was made with very little resources, one can see the fingerprints of the filmmakers all throughout, especially with the musical numbers. They all feel incredibly inspired and actually serve the plot fairly well, given a wide variety of styles like pop, country, rock & roll and even low-fi Broadway. Speaking of little resources, it's been said that a lot of the voices were initially provided by close friends of the filmmakers, except for Tara Strong, Patrick Warburton, David Ogden Stiers and Andy Dick. By the time the Weinsteins got it distributed, most of them had actually been recast, although some managed to remain in the final cut. While that factor may be unfortunate, at no point do any of the actors come off as too distracting, especially when they all provide enough captivating performances to provide the laughs.
That being said, the one make or break deal with the movie would have to be the visuals. No surprise that the film's budget was so small that the filmmakers had to outsource the animation to the Philippines, and the technical shortcomings are all over the film. However, while the rendering, character motion and backgrounds leave much to be desired, the more cartoony and exaggerated design work all around actually give the film a charming style. Given that the filmmakers were inspired by stop motion films to create the look of the film, the janky character animation and weak rendering feel surprisingly authentic for the kind of movie made to only tell so little. In some ways, the technical limitations keep the feature restrained to go so far, and yet it never really needs to do so. By visually presenting the story the best they can, the filmmakers found just the right balance in utilizing their resources up to a certain degree. Like co-director Cory Edwards once said, "Look at what the story and the charming characters did; they were able to surpass the bad animation and the technical problem."
In the end, while Hoodwinked might not be the strongest feature all around, even for its time, the low budget filmmaking allows its creativity to shine through the best it can possibly go, and for that, its charm lies in its imperfections. If you're yet to see this film or you want to see a completely different lampoon on the fairy tale genre other than the famous green ogre, this one is definitely up your alley. It doesn't have a whole lot to offer, but what it does showcase should be just enough to warrant a curious watch at the very least. One can at least view it as the indie underdog below the fairy tale satires.
A Nutshell Review: Hoodwinked
DICK STEEL1 July 2006
Anne Hathaway is currently disrobing on our local screens, and I suspect by the time Havoc finished its run, then she'll be heard but not seen, only lending her voice in the animated feature Hoodwinked, by Blue Yonder Films and Kanbar Entertainment. By not being a product churned out from the usual Disney-Pixar-Dreamworks-Fox studios, it's a delightful departure from the expected norms we already have formed by offerings from the mentioned studios.
It's a very adult animated movie, in having multiple probably plots told in a whodunnit fashion. Gone are the laugh-a-minute spoofs on pop culture, not that Hookwinked is relying on the few it has on offer, and in comes some old fashioned comedy done right. Songs are also limited, given that it's only an 80 minute movie, that doesn't have much time to incorporate a mini-musical.
The plot adopts the fairy tale classic of Little Red Riding Hood, where the crimson hooded girl delivers some cakes to her grandmother's house, but found a wolf in her granny's pyjamas, and with her life at stake, she is rescued by a nearby woodsman. Or so we were led to think. In this modern day retelling, we're given a twist to this aged old story, and it's more than meets the eye.
Each of the characters - the Wolf (Patrick Warburton), the Woodsman (James Belushi), the Granny (Glenn Close) and even Red herself, seem to be hiding an agenda, and each are more than who they claim to be. In detective noir tradition, Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) investigates and probes into each of their account of what brought them to that fateful location, and the events that transpired. And this is the highlight of the movie.
With each retelling, the audience gets involved through identifying the timelines where certain events cross one another, and how certain actions become misinterpreted to comedic effect. It's nothing very cerebral about it, as you would have probably guess who's guilty soon enough before the revelation, but what is admired, is how the scriptwriters come up with these zany plot ideas, and interlinking them together is no small feat.
Nonetheless, there are areas during the retelling which are simply quite plain, while some have become gems on their own. Given the many characters, most of which are relegated to few lines of dialogue, some of them just gave way to stereotypes, like most of the piggy cops playing it just for laughs. And there's also a hyperactive squirrel in this picture stealing the show, much like the one in Over the Hedge. Is a squirrel becoming the new animated in- thing?
In a plot involving stolen recipes, Hoodwinked's animation will take a while to get used to. Not that it's bad, but I felt that it wasn't as fluid, or meant to be photo-realistic, given its rather blocky 2D artwork. Then again, it's the story that matters, and this one doesn't pretend to be anything more than an average whodunnit. Fun stuff.
It's a very adult animated movie, in having multiple probably plots told in a whodunnit fashion. Gone are the laugh-a-minute spoofs on pop culture, not that Hookwinked is relying on the few it has on offer, and in comes some old fashioned comedy done right. Songs are also limited, given that it's only an 80 minute movie, that doesn't have much time to incorporate a mini-musical.
The plot adopts the fairy tale classic of Little Red Riding Hood, where the crimson hooded girl delivers some cakes to her grandmother's house, but found a wolf in her granny's pyjamas, and with her life at stake, she is rescued by a nearby woodsman. Or so we were led to think. In this modern day retelling, we're given a twist to this aged old story, and it's more than meets the eye.
Each of the characters - the Wolf (Patrick Warburton), the Woodsman (James Belushi), the Granny (Glenn Close) and even Red herself, seem to be hiding an agenda, and each are more than who they claim to be. In detective noir tradition, Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) investigates and probes into each of their account of what brought them to that fateful location, and the events that transpired. And this is the highlight of the movie.
With each retelling, the audience gets involved through identifying the timelines where certain events cross one another, and how certain actions become misinterpreted to comedic effect. It's nothing very cerebral about it, as you would have probably guess who's guilty soon enough before the revelation, but what is admired, is how the scriptwriters come up with these zany plot ideas, and interlinking them together is no small feat.
Nonetheless, there are areas during the retelling which are simply quite plain, while some have become gems on their own. Given the many characters, most of which are relegated to few lines of dialogue, some of them just gave way to stereotypes, like most of the piggy cops playing it just for laughs. And there's also a hyperactive squirrel in this picture stealing the show, much like the one in Over the Hedge. Is a squirrel becoming the new animated in- thing?
In a plot involving stolen recipes, Hoodwinked's animation will take a while to get used to. Not that it's bad, but I felt that it wasn't as fluid, or meant to be photo-realistic, given its rather blocky 2D artwork. Then again, it's the story that matters, and this one doesn't pretend to be anything more than an average whodunnit. Fun stuff.
One of the best of these that I've seen... look past the surface
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews5 November 2009
It's true that this, on account of budgetary constraints(it's independent... I'll let you process that fact) doesn't have the computer power behind it that the other new 3D flicks do, but they turn the potential weakness into a strength by instead looking completely different than its competition and, what a concept, *to actually focus on the material*, which is solid and hilarious. The characters are not simply there for us to laugh at, rather, they have genuine personality. Jokes and gags are marvelous, and there are ones for all age groups. This walks that balance better than most family films. Humor is a nifty mix between clever, silly, over the top, underplayed, parody, etc. The Rashômon take on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale allows for a ton of fun adventure in a way that children have not seen that often, and I can imagine them still following it fine. Design is great, and using animation that comes off like something done years ago(as well as referencing undeniable classics from 2D, along with a ton of pop culture, there's something for everyone) works really well. The acting is spot-on. Warburton is perfect for the Wolf. All parts are well-cast. I even liked Belushi's performance(I'd at this point like to retract any statements I've made about that to friends of the "if I ever say ... just shoot me" variety). You might want to avoid trailers and ads, lest punchlines and surprises be ruined. This is well-paced, and not boring. The plot is interesting and well-developed. This is genuinely exciting, and has pretty cool action. The editing is sharp, and the cinematography excellent. This has well-done audio all the way, the score and songs are surprisingly good, spanning several styles of music. There is hardly anything in this that can be called offensive, and I agree with the PG rating. The DVD comes with an informative and entertaining commentary track with both Edwards', the first-time directors, and Tony Leech, who wrote the script along with the brothers, and also a well-done 13-minute featurette. I recommend this to any fan of those who made it. 7/10
NOT WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT!!!
Tony-Kiss-Castillo26 February 2024
HOODWINKED easily could have been an excellent film. Who hasn't heard of Little Red Riding Hood? It unfolds as an ongoing investigation into the facts, where each character, one by one, recounts events from their own perspective. Sound interesting? Well, it seems HOODWINKED was truly well conceived, but experienced several setbacks during its execution.
What began in the mid-nineties with Toy Story, soon followed by SHREK and Finding Nemo, the C G I Category (Computer Generated Images) continues to establish itself as a more dominant genre with each passing year! But ALL CGI movies can't be a TOY STORY, a SHREK or a FINDING NEMO (Shame, that!)
First off, the animation in HOODWINKED, by Weinstein Studios(??) just didn't manage to convince me! In their intent to mimic the "CLAYMATION" of Wallace and Grommit, they placed a limitation on themselves which impeded them from realizing the full potential of the CGI process. In addition, they were incapable of making a film like SHREK, for example, which encountered great acceptance from both adults and from children alike! Nevertheless, since there are really so few good comedies nowadays, HOODWINKED Is quite acceptable! 6.75******* SEP/07.
What began in the mid-nineties with Toy Story, soon followed by SHREK and Finding Nemo, the C G I Category (Computer Generated Images) continues to establish itself as a more dominant genre with each passing year! But ALL CGI movies can't be a TOY STORY, a SHREK or a FINDING NEMO (Shame, that!)
First off, the animation in HOODWINKED, by Weinstein Studios(??) just didn't manage to convince me! In their intent to mimic the "CLAYMATION" of Wallace and Grommit, they placed a limitation on themselves which impeded them from realizing the full potential of the CGI process. In addition, they were incapable of making a film like SHREK, for example, which encountered great acceptance from both adults and from children alike! Nevertheless, since there are really so few good comedies nowadays, HOODWINKED Is quite acceptable! 6.75******* SEP/07.
Great on a Curve!
kidkosmic13 December 2005
Hoodwinked is an ultra low budget affair compared to the average 3D CGI-animated film (it was shot for a reported 15 million vs 70 to 90 million for films like Finding Nemo or Shrek 2). If you want a fairer comparison in terms of animation quality, you'd have to look at something like Jimmy Neutron (30 million budget).
What really made the animation work in terms of style is...the style. Hoodwinked almost looks like a revved up Rankin-Bass stop motion animated film in the vein of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Once you get absorbed in the world of Hoodwinked, you stop comparing it to Pixar and simply enjoy the magic little world the creators obviously put so much care into creating.
And the film is indeed absorbing! It starts a little slow, but once the story picks up steam, it is non-stop fun. It's clear that the writers weren't going to let a lower budget stop them from writing a clever and often laugh-out-loud funny script. My kids, aged 12, 8, and 3, giggled throughout the film. Your kids will LOVE the squirrel, the granny, and the singing goat, and adults will pick up more culture references in terms of homage scenes (not in adult content) to pictures like Fletch, Kill Bill, and the Matrix.
One thing comes across very clearly in Hoodwinked--love of the craft. So many seemingly throw away gags end up being very important to the story later on. Enjoy this little gem of an "indie" animated film, and imagine what these young guys could do with a bigger budget next time around!
What really made the animation work in terms of style is...the style. Hoodwinked almost looks like a revved up Rankin-Bass stop motion animated film in the vein of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Once you get absorbed in the world of Hoodwinked, you stop comparing it to Pixar and simply enjoy the magic little world the creators obviously put so much care into creating.
And the film is indeed absorbing! It starts a little slow, but once the story picks up steam, it is non-stop fun. It's clear that the writers weren't going to let a lower budget stop them from writing a clever and often laugh-out-loud funny script. My kids, aged 12, 8, and 3, giggled throughout the film. Your kids will LOVE the squirrel, the granny, and the singing goat, and adults will pick up more culture references in terms of homage scenes (not in adult content) to pictures like Fletch, Kill Bill, and the Matrix.
One thing comes across very clearly in Hoodwinked--love of the craft. So many seemingly throw away gags end up being very important to the story later on. Enjoy this little gem of an "indie" animated film, and imagine what these young guys could do with a bigger budget next time around!
Better of the CGI films
neogamer6 August 2006
A blend of the good ol' favorites with modern themes for a humorous mix.
The story: Not bad. Giving an adult-orientated crime theme to our usual bedtime stories. Much like Shrek, but this one plays more with current pop culture making it more easier to understand for the x-gen onwards. The crime-investigating scene was pretty interesting. It's kind of a treat to crime genre lovers because we haven't seen a who-dunnit movie in a while.
The CGI: Kinda crappy, but who cares. But then, the characters were cuter compared and more lively compared to the ones in Ice Age and so on...
Voice Acting: Not bad, even though it's mostly live-action cast and not voice actors. Stangely, Anne Hathaway was almost perfect for the role of Red.
Overall: If Pixar works are genius (Toy Story, Nemo and so on) and Dreamworks are crap (Shrek), this would be in the better-half section.
The story: Not bad. Giving an adult-orientated crime theme to our usual bedtime stories. Much like Shrek, but this one plays more with current pop culture making it more easier to understand for the x-gen onwards. The crime-investigating scene was pretty interesting. It's kind of a treat to crime genre lovers because we haven't seen a who-dunnit movie in a while.
The CGI: Kinda crappy, but who cares. But then, the characters were cuter compared and more lively compared to the ones in Ice Age and so on...
Voice Acting: Not bad, even though it's mostly live-action cast and not voice actors. Stangely, Anne Hathaway was almost perfect for the role of Red.
Overall: If Pixar works are genius (Toy Story, Nemo and so on) and Dreamworks are crap (Shrek), this would be in the better-half section.
If You're Thinking of Going to This Move....Think Again!
TiggerRay23 January 2006
We went to see Hoodwinked with the kids earlier today....Oh my God....this movie is not very good. The only thing that kept this movie from being awful is the character of the squirrel Twitchy.
The CG animation was average at best. The musical numbers are dropped in for no apparent reason. I think that I laughed...more like chuckled maybe twice during this movie.
My wife and I thought it wasn't the worst movie we'd ever seen but we couldn't name one other than maybe Dos Boot.
I just didn't find it funny. Some people were laughing during the movie...but not many.
Even the main premise of the movie...
"Furry and feathered cops from the animal world investigate a domestic disturbance at Granny's cottage, involving a girl, a wolf, and an Ax. The charges are many: breaking and entering, disturbing the peace, intent to eat, and wielding an Ax without a license." ...repeatedly seeing everyone's version of this from the beginning got old quickly. The puns were awkwardly done and not done that well at that. At one point, Granny appears to Red and tells her, "Use the cape...use the cape Red," obviously a parody of the Star Wars, "Use the force Luke"...it got a grown...it just wasn't funny.
The voice talent in this movie is fairly good Anne Hathaway, Jim Belushi, Andy Dick, Patrick Warburton, David Ogden Stiers among others....honestly, the only voice I recognized was Warburton until the credits ran.
Unless you really plan on killing 90 minutes....and you want to kill it good...avoid this movie.
The CG animation was average at best. The musical numbers are dropped in for no apparent reason. I think that I laughed...more like chuckled maybe twice during this movie.
My wife and I thought it wasn't the worst movie we'd ever seen but we couldn't name one other than maybe Dos Boot.
I just didn't find it funny. Some people were laughing during the movie...but not many.
Even the main premise of the movie...
"Furry and feathered cops from the animal world investigate a domestic disturbance at Granny's cottage, involving a girl, a wolf, and an Ax. The charges are many: breaking and entering, disturbing the peace, intent to eat, and wielding an Ax without a license." ...repeatedly seeing everyone's version of this from the beginning got old quickly. The puns were awkwardly done and not done that well at that. At one point, Granny appears to Red and tells her, "Use the cape...use the cape Red," obviously a parody of the Star Wars, "Use the force Luke"...it got a grown...it just wasn't funny.
The voice talent in this movie is fairly good Anne Hathaway, Jim Belushi, Andy Dick, Patrick Warburton, David Ogden Stiers among others....honestly, the only voice I recognized was Warburton until the credits ran.
Unless you really plan on killing 90 minutes....and you want to kill it good...avoid this movie.
A fun film--regardless of how it looks.
groon14 January 2006
I'll confess something up front which seems to be place me in the minority--I didn't go to see this movie hoping for great animation, a break-through in story-telling, or the chance to see self-proclaimed "artists" waxing philosophic about their personal world views. I went to have fun and enjoy myself.
On that score, Hoodwinked fully delivers. A brief glance at any trailer will tell you the animation is not the greatest, and I know some people have taken that to mean the movie itself is not worth seeing. However, that assessment is just wrong. I walked into the theater not really knowing what to expect, and spent the next hour and however long basically laughing the entire time--sometimes so hard I had to make myself stop to catch my breath. It's a really funny movie, and when it comes down to it, isn't that the point of a movie like this?
Hoodwinked basically tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but as seen through the eyes of several different characters. Not an original plot, by any means, but once you get into the story the quirkiness and eccentricities of the characters wrap you up so much you don't care.
Bottom line: If you want to have fun and see a good movie, check out Hoodwinked. If you want cutting edge technicality that may or may not reflect on the actual quality of the story and writing, go look elsewhere.
On that score, Hoodwinked fully delivers. A brief glance at any trailer will tell you the animation is not the greatest, and I know some people have taken that to mean the movie itself is not worth seeing. However, that assessment is just wrong. I walked into the theater not really knowing what to expect, and spent the next hour and however long basically laughing the entire time--sometimes so hard I had to make myself stop to catch my breath. It's a really funny movie, and when it comes down to it, isn't that the point of a movie like this?
Hoodwinked basically tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but as seen through the eyes of several different characters. Not an original plot, by any means, but once you get into the story the quirkiness and eccentricities of the characters wrap you up so much you don't care.
Bottom line: If you want to have fun and see a good movie, check out Hoodwinked. If you want cutting edge technicality that may or may not reflect on the actual quality of the story and writing, go look elsewhere.
Takes a snap at Fairy Tales and makes fun of them and makes them laughable.
ninjagaiden00731 August 2006
I thought this movie would be childish, but it wasn't. Well, it was in some parts. But I didn't mind it. It is well written. It isn't a Shrek movie, but it's close. The cast really suited each character. The script writing is pretty good. The pacing is okay at times, but it keeps you interested 80% of the time. I found the jokes to be very funny, mainly due to the fact that it makes fun of the Fairy Tale Little red Riding Hood and The Three Pigs and turns it into a movie reference film. it makes fun of the Fairy Tales too. Which I liked. There are many gags, and a lot of them are very funny. It's a very cute movie, with quite a few adult jokes. I noticed that the kids in the theater were getting a bit figidity and restless. The adults seemed to be interested more than the kids. I do not recommend this movie for kids under the age 8. For they'll be very bored and not understand the jokes and references. A very cute movie and recommendable to everyone. 7/10
Save your money
zdenamas9524 January 2006
I love fractured fairy tales--what Shrek I and II did with all the characters we know and love was funny. Subtle, but funny. So Hollywood finally got around to focusing an entire film solely on reinvented fairy tales? Well, the results are terrible. The animation is crap not to mention the script, which is God awful. THIS is what the Weinstein's debut with?? Are you serious?
If you like fractured fairy tales as much as I do, PLEASE save your $10.50 and go buy The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives instead. Granted it's a book (oh the horrors) but it's a hell of a lot more clever, hilarious and suspenseful than this piece of junk.
Please tell me that the Hoodwinked II rumors are just a joke.
If you like fractured fairy tales as much as I do, PLEASE save your $10.50 and go buy The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives instead. Granted it's a book (oh the horrors) but it's a hell of a lot more clever, hilarious and suspenseful than this piece of junk.
Please tell me that the Hoodwinked II rumors are just a joke.
I felt lukewarm about this one at first, but it grew on me...
lemon_magic13 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
***Spoilers immediately following**** Initially two things disappointed me about "Hoodwinked". First was the relatively primitive and underdesigned CGI - it was almost like watching a Claymation feature like "Wallace and Grommett". And 2nd, all the 'plot twists' were utterly predictable; every "ironic" character stereotype reversal in he movie has been done to death already - Granny actually does extreme sports, Red is a martial arts expert and wants to get out of the woods and into the big world, the bunny is actually a power hungry lunatic, the wolf is actually a good guy and a reporter, etc. Honestly, how long did it take the writers to come up with this? Three minutes?
However, parts of it were amusing. I noted some clever slapstick humor and some nice verbal byplay. So I didn't count "Hoodwinked" as a total loss.
But a week later I got the urge to watch it for a second time (I had bought the DVD used at Blockbuster for $5) for some reason, and I wanted to rewatch it more than any of the other DVDs I picked up at the time. And this time around I "got" Hoodwinked. My expectations and sensibilities adjusted to the aesthetics of the character designs and I could appreciate the graphics for their simple, straightforward merits. I also began to really appreciate how darned good the voice acting was. And I realized that while the plot may have been pretty derivative and 2nd rate, it was executed with impressive energy and panache: most of the interchanges between the Wolf and Twitch were extremely droll and snappy; the yodeling mountain goat with custom horns for every occasion was actually a stitch to watch; and Andy Dick's delivery of Boingo the bunny's lines were comedic gems. I actually laughed out loud several times on this second viewing and replayed several scenes several times to better appreciate some of the nice touches and subtleties to be seen and heard.
I decided that viewing a movie like "Hoodwinked" is a lot like watching a Tex Avery or Bob Clampett directed cartoon from the 50s and 60s. Sometimes it takes a while to school yourself in the sensibilities of the guiding intelligence behind what you see - and to see beyond the "Bigfoot" cartoon style. But if you give Avery and Clampett a chance, you will come to appreciate the genuine creativity (and lunacy) of their approach....and the same is true here.
So I ended up being glad I have my own copy of "Hoodwinked". I wouldn't rate it over modern classic "The Incredibles" or "Monsters Inc", but I like it a lot. And I want to sound just like Patrick Warburton (the Wolf) when I finally grow up.
However, parts of it were amusing. I noted some clever slapstick humor and some nice verbal byplay. So I didn't count "Hoodwinked" as a total loss.
But a week later I got the urge to watch it for a second time (I had bought the DVD used at Blockbuster for $5) for some reason, and I wanted to rewatch it more than any of the other DVDs I picked up at the time. And this time around I "got" Hoodwinked. My expectations and sensibilities adjusted to the aesthetics of the character designs and I could appreciate the graphics for their simple, straightforward merits. I also began to really appreciate how darned good the voice acting was. And I realized that while the plot may have been pretty derivative and 2nd rate, it was executed with impressive energy and panache: most of the interchanges between the Wolf and Twitch were extremely droll and snappy; the yodeling mountain goat with custom horns for every occasion was actually a stitch to watch; and Andy Dick's delivery of Boingo the bunny's lines were comedic gems. I actually laughed out loud several times on this second viewing and replayed several scenes several times to better appreciate some of the nice touches and subtleties to be seen and heard.
I decided that viewing a movie like "Hoodwinked" is a lot like watching a Tex Avery or Bob Clampett directed cartoon from the 50s and 60s. Sometimes it takes a while to school yourself in the sensibilities of the guiding intelligence behind what you see - and to see beyond the "Bigfoot" cartoon style. But if you give Avery and Clampett a chance, you will come to appreciate the genuine creativity (and lunacy) of their approach....and the same is true here.
So I ended up being glad I have my own copy of "Hoodwinked". I wouldn't rate it over modern classic "The Incredibles" or "Monsters Inc", but I like it a lot. And I want to sound just like Patrick Warburton (the Wolf) when I finally grow up.
If there's two things your granny doesn't do, it's lie and play extreme sports
ExpendableMan13 February 2007
Ice Age 2. Over The Hedge. Chicken Little. The Wild. Open Season. The Barnyard. Flushed Away. If 2006 is remembered for anything it'd hardly be surprising if the most common recollection is "all those animated talking animal movies." And while Over The Hedge was really good, the rest have hardly been ground breaking so it comes as something of a pleasant surprise that Hoodwinked isn't too bad either. Unlike the previously mentioned movies, it isn't a straightforward adventure story but a multi-stranded whodunnit which is mostly told through flashbacks and also possesses a wicked sense of almost-adult humour.
The closest comparison would be Shrek and while the Green Ogre's film was concerned with putting a fresh spin on fairy tales, Hoodwinked adopts a similar approach for the children's tale of Red Riding Hood. It begins at a crime scene investigation at Grandma's house at what seems like an open and shut case. Red (Anne Hathaway) has found a wolf (Patrick Warburton) in her Gran's bed and on the verge of being eaten, was rescued by a woodsman (Jim Belushi). However, Detective Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) suspects there is more to the tale and so decides to interrogate them all, each of the four principle characters then proceeding to spin out their own story.
Admittedly, not everything in this movie fits. The woodsman's back-story isn't especially funny and there are a couple of ill-advised musical numbers that jar horribly with the rest of the film, but when Hoodwinked gets it right, it does so with aplomb. Red could have been a highly annoying spunky teenager but Anne Hathaway gives her a sense of maturity and turns her into a charming and engaging young woman. Her initial story is one of the most enjoyable segments and contains an absolutely hilarious incident with an old goat who has to sing everything he says.
The highlight though is Patrick Warburton as the Wolf. He is blessed with some of the best lines of dialogue ("What do you do?" "I'm a shepherd") and his storyline is by far and away the movie's milestone. Warburton is perfectly cast as the sarcastic canine and effortlessly steals the entire film. After that, the woodsman's story only seems dull and while Granny's back-story regains some of the momentum, your thoughts will most likely still be with the wolf.
It's not without it's faults though. Plenty of comments on these pages deal with the animation so I will not dwell on that too much but it is undeniably low quality. The chief problem though is that Hoodwinked sadly isn't as subversive as it could have been. Taking on Shrek was certainly an ambitious aim and even with the frequently hilarious dialogue, it just doesn't quite match it. It is good, but it does feel more like a warm up rather than a main event.
In conclusion then, an entertaining and often very funny movie but one with shortcomings. The animation is admittedly more befitting a TV short than a full length feature, the woodsman is a let down and the songs don't fit, but its strengths overcome its weak points. And if anyone sees fit to complain about the pre-requisite hyperactive squirrel which seems to crop up in every talking animal movie, try not to forget the fact that hyperactive squirrels are really really funny. It may not be as good as Cars or Over The Hedge, but Hoodwinked comes in a worthy third place and is certainly better than a lot of the competition.
The closest comparison would be Shrek and while the Green Ogre's film was concerned with putting a fresh spin on fairy tales, Hoodwinked adopts a similar approach for the children's tale of Red Riding Hood. It begins at a crime scene investigation at Grandma's house at what seems like an open and shut case. Red (Anne Hathaway) has found a wolf (Patrick Warburton) in her Gran's bed and on the verge of being eaten, was rescued by a woodsman (Jim Belushi). However, Detective Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) suspects there is more to the tale and so decides to interrogate them all, each of the four principle characters then proceeding to spin out their own story.
Admittedly, not everything in this movie fits. The woodsman's back-story isn't especially funny and there are a couple of ill-advised musical numbers that jar horribly with the rest of the film, but when Hoodwinked gets it right, it does so with aplomb. Red could have been a highly annoying spunky teenager but Anne Hathaway gives her a sense of maturity and turns her into a charming and engaging young woman. Her initial story is one of the most enjoyable segments and contains an absolutely hilarious incident with an old goat who has to sing everything he says.
The highlight though is Patrick Warburton as the Wolf. He is blessed with some of the best lines of dialogue ("What do you do?" "I'm a shepherd") and his storyline is by far and away the movie's milestone. Warburton is perfectly cast as the sarcastic canine and effortlessly steals the entire film. After that, the woodsman's story only seems dull and while Granny's back-story regains some of the momentum, your thoughts will most likely still be with the wolf.
It's not without it's faults though. Plenty of comments on these pages deal with the animation so I will not dwell on that too much but it is undeniably low quality. The chief problem though is that Hoodwinked sadly isn't as subversive as it could have been. Taking on Shrek was certainly an ambitious aim and even with the frequently hilarious dialogue, it just doesn't quite match it. It is good, but it does feel more like a warm up rather than a main event.
In conclusion then, an entertaining and often very funny movie but one with shortcomings. The animation is admittedly more befitting a TV short than a full length feature, the woodsman is a let down and the songs don't fit, but its strengths overcome its weak points. And if anyone sees fit to complain about the pre-requisite hyperactive squirrel which seems to crop up in every talking animal movie, try not to forget the fact that hyperactive squirrels are really really funny. It may not be as good as Cars or Over The Hedge, but Hoodwinked comes in a worthy third place and is certainly better than a lot of the competition.
Four Different Versions of a Classic Fairytale
claudio_carvalho8 June 2007
The recipes of candies of the goody shops have been stolen by the Goody Bandit, and many animals are out of business. While the police are chasing the criminal, there is a mess at Granny's house evolving Little Red Hiding Hood, The Wolf, The Woodsman and Granny, disturbing the peace in the forest and they are all arrested by the inpatient Chief Grizzly. Detective Nicky Flipper is in charge of the investigation, and each accused gives the own version for the incident. The smart Flipper uses the information to disclose the identity of the evil Goody Bandit.
"Hoodwinked!" is a funny joke with the classic fairytale "Little Red Hiding Hood" and "Rashômon". The same event is showed through different perspectives in four different versions told by Little Red Hiding Hood, The Wolf, The Woodsman and Granny. The trailer of "Hoodwinked!" is actually an edition of the best moments and gags of this animation. I saw the trailer a couple of months ago, and I was expecting a movie better and better. The sarcastic Wolf has the best lines in this entertaining film. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Deu a Louca na Chapeuzinho" ("Little Hood Got Crazy")
"Hoodwinked!" is a funny joke with the classic fairytale "Little Red Hiding Hood" and "Rashômon". The same event is showed through different perspectives in four different versions told by Little Red Hiding Hood, The Wolf, The Woodsman and Granny. The trailer of "Hoodwinked!" is actually an edition of the best moments and gags of this animation. I saw the trailer a couple of months ago, and I was expecting a movie better and better. The sarcastic Wolf has the best lines in this entertaining film. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Deu a Louca na Chapeuzinho" ("Little Hood Got Crazy")
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