Skewering the beloved folk story "Little Red
Riding Hood," this animated family comedy
takes a fresh look at the circumstances
surrounding a woodsman attacking a wolf
disguised as an old woman. Beginning at the
end, Chief Grizzly (voiced by rapper Xzibit) and
the mysterious and rational frog Nicky Flippers
(David Ogden Stiers), suspecting a
connection to the Goody Bandit that has been
terrorizing the woods, interview each of the
players to discover, in "Rashomon"-like
flashbacks, that all is not as it seems. Goody
deliverer Red (a wry Anne Hathaway) has
aspirations beyond the forest; investigative
reporter Wolf (Patrick Warburton) is on the
prowl for the next big story; aspiring actor
Woodsman (Jim Belushi) is rehearsing for an
audition; and Granny (Glenn Close) -- well, it
turns out she spends her time not knitting but
snowboarding.
Putting to test the style vs. substance debate,
"Hoodwinked" employs even more
unexpectedly edgy wit than "Shrek," another
revisionist fairytale, minus the sophisticated
(read: expensive) animation. Appealingly
designed (see Red's wide-eyed homage to
Japanese anime) and richly voiced (see the
Wolf's easygoing intelligence), character
movement and background suggest
videogame- rather than feature film-quality
animation.
Voices by Anne
Hathaway, Glenn Close, Jim Belushi, Patrick
Warburton, Anthony Anderson, David Ogden
Stiers, Xzibit and Andy Dick. Directed and
written by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and
Tony Leech. Produced by Maurice Kanbar,
Sue Bea Montgomery, Preston Stutzman and
David K. Lovegren. Animated family comedy. A
Weinstein Co. release. Rated PG for some
mild action and thematic elements. Running
time: 89 min
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