Over the Hedge

It's not Pixar quality, but this animated cartoon is amiable entertainment | Andrew Coffin

Here it comes again. That inevitable comparison. Another computer-animated cartoon arrives in theaters, and it is immediately judged against the very best of its type. The result is often not pretty. Ice Age: The Meltdown and The Wild are among those recent stabs at duplicating Pixar's success that do fine at the box office—there's clearly a thriving market for this sort of thing—but don't hold a candle creatively or thematically to the masters.

But while Over the Hedge (rated PG for some rude humor and mild comic action) doesn't begin to reach Pixar-level transcendence (in the age-defying use of the term), this DreamWorks effort holds up well as amiable entertainment. One might not be tempted to recommend Over the Hedge to adults without children, but the cartoon is fun, energetic, and, mostly, family-appropriate.