Hoodwinked
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Anthony Anderson, David Ogden Stiers, Xzibit, Chazz Palminteri, Andy Dick
Directed by: Cory Edwards, Tony Leech, Todd Edwards

Released in the US: January 13th, 2006
Released in the UK: Unknown 2006

Reviewed by: The Boneman, ZBoneman.com

Since our trip to Sundance had put us badly behind schedule on a handful of regular releases I decided to take the kids and hit the five-o-clock showing of Hoodwinked. I don’t think either of them had been overly exposed to the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, and naturally wouldn’t know Rashomon from Top Ramen, but they love to play Clue, so I at least had that much going for me.

Hoodwinked is the second effort from newcomers Cory and Todd Edwards, (Chillicothe) and the feature debut from the new animation house on the block (Kanbar Animation Studios) let’s just say that no one at Pixar or Disney is going to be shaking in their Puss n’ Boots. The look of Hoodwinked is, I dare say, closer to Rankin and Bass, than those incredibles over at Pixar and they churn out this inferior but more or less passable product from Manila in the Philippines. It does, however, clip along at a brisk pace even though you do miss the amazing detail that is the watermark of the digital heavyweights mentioned above.

The film begins very near the fairytale’s exciting finale - Red is just getting to her Grandmother’s cottage, the wolf is laying in wait, disguised as Granny, Granny is tied up in the closet and the Woodsman is poised to step in just as the day needs saving. At this point the story goes Agatha Christie. There’s some fun stuff happening here - the forest police turn out to be the Three Little Pigs (ha ha ha) who promptly cordon off the crime scene so that the intrepid detective Nicky Flippers (a dapper frog voiced by David Ogden Stiers) can begin his interrogation. He question each of the suspects individually and from that point the story begins to unravel in Rashomon style - as we see the events that lead up to the crime through the eyes of each of the four major players.

Hoodwinked has a daffy go lucky kind of pace that keeps the kids involved and of course there is the dual level script that keeps the pop-cultural winks coming for the adults, especially when certain inconsistencies in the main players stories start to raise eyebrows all around. Red (Anne Hathaway) appears perfectly innocent, but her story is just a little to pat? And why did the Woodsman just happen to be waiting at the window at such an opportune moment? Hmm . . .

The plot twist thrown in to give the story its legs revolves around some dastardly characters known as the “Goody Bandits.” It seems that the recipes for the tasty confections that have kept many of the Ma and Pa muffin-businesses thriving for years have suddenly turned up missing and as a result a lot of Goody establishments have been forced out of business. Granny (Glenn Close) runs a very successful Goody store and the way things are shaping up, she may very well be the next victim of the nefarious candy bandits.

Meanwhile Inspector Flippers' interrogations have turned up some unexpected and suspicious facts - is it possible that there's more to these beloved fairy tale favorites than meets the eye? The problem with Hoodwinked is that it just doesn’t know when to quit. After all four characters have testified we still have not ascertained the identity of the Goody Bandit and so on we drag into the somewhat dull details of an overly complicated subplot that might not bother the tweens, but for parents with toddlers be warned - you could here the fidget engines firing up all over the theater.

Hoodwinked does offer enough memorable characters to insure a healthy DVD afterlife (twitchy the squirrel, a big bear of a sheriff and a singing mountain goat) are definite standouts, plus Red gets a great musical number courtesy of the inimitable ivory tickler - Ben Folds. Still the film would have been much more effective had they been able to wrap it up during the Rashomon portion - instead of allowing the dread itchity, twitchitys to wiggle up the pantlegs of the young ‘uns. Is it possible that neither Edwards brother has children? Inspector Flippers needs to get right on that.

Grade: C+