Inside Pulse Review – Hoodwinked

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(Credit: www.impawards.com)

Director:

Cory Edwards

Featuring the voices of:

Anne Hathaway……….Red
Glenn Close……….Granny
James Belushi……….The Woodsman
Patrick Warburton……….The Wolf
David Ogden Stiers……….Nicky Flippers
Anthony Anderson……….Det. Bill Stork
Xzibit……….Chief Grizzly
Chazz Palminteri……….Woolworth the Sheep
Andy Dick……….Boingo
Cory Edwards……….Twitchy

The Weinstein Co. presents Hoodwinked. Written by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, and Tony Leech. Running time: 83 minutes. Rated PG (for some mild action and thematic elements).

Long before J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter reinvigorated the stale genre of children’s literature, kids had to settle for Green Eggs and Ham and fairy tales. If they weren’t reading Dr. Seuss they were probably nestled in front of a television watching some Walt Disney movie or seeing Elmer Fudd trying to hunt a rascally rabbit.

In the realm of fairy tale literature there are a lot of stories that can be adapted to the silver screen. And some of them have. One of the very first animated films was taken from a Brothers Grimm tale. The story was about a woman living with seven guys. Sounds a bit risqué but when you hear her name is Snow White and the guys are dwarfs it makes sense. In 2001, Dreamworks released Shrek, a comedy that broke the mold of the Walt Disney-Pixar Studios computer animated classics that preceded it. Hailed by some as the greatest fairy tale never told, the movie was one big spoof about finding true love, with a giant green ogre, a princess and a loudmouthed jackass.

When Harvey and Bob Weinstein left the Disney-owned Miramax Films last year and started their own company – called The Weinstein Co. – they had a goal: find offbeat entertaining films as well as those that can make a splash come awards season.

Hoodwinked, the brother’s first foray into the world animation, is a fairy tale spoof in the tradition of Shrek. The movie does not star an ogre, but rather a little girl in a red hood. Simply known as Red, she spends her days riding her bike through the forest so she can deliver goodies baked by her Grandma (voiced by Glenn Close).

Then one day she encounters a wolf (Patrick Warburton) in the forest with an Afro, a headband, and a faded Lakers basketball jersey. Fearing she’s about to become the main course, she sprays him with some concoction and runs to her grandmother’s house. Inside, Red (Anne Hathaway) finds the wolf already there wearing a Grandma mask and lying in bed. She threatens violence, but the wolf just wants to talk. Before that can happen, though, Grandma pops out of the closet all tied up and a crazed woodman wielding an axe jumps through a large window yelling at the top of his lungs.

In what has to be considered the strangest change of pace for an animated movie, Hoodwinked doesn’t continue as a linear story, but instead turns into a criminal investigation. Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) is the frog, and lead inspector, trying to find out what exactly happened in Grandma’s house. At the same time, he is trying to solve the mystery of the Goodie Bandit.

Red, the Wolf, Grandma, and the Woodsman are individually questioned about what took place and each tells a different story. The Wolf is not really big and bad like he seems; he is an investigative reporter trying to find out who is the Goodie Bandit. So he acts like I. M. Fletcher (“Fletch”, for short) and wears different disguises to get the inside scoop. He, along with his photographer Twiggy, go digging and discover that Granny’s goodies are the only ones the Goodie Bandit has not stolen.

Red has aspirations to leave the forest and experience the world, but her Grandma convinces her it’s too dangerous. Grandma lives another life beyond the confines of a kitchen as she competes in extreme sports and daredevil antics. The Woodsman is a poor schlump who struggles being an actor, yet has aspirations to be a part of a world-renowned yodeling troupe.

The intended audience for this movie may have never heard of legendary director Akira Kurosawa, but his career-spanning work is important to the storytelling. By having the characters tell their side of the story we get the truth from four different points-of-view. Kurosawa practically invented that storytelling technique in a film called Rashomon. This approach keeps the story fresh as the four tell their amazing stories of what happened as Red makes her way to Grandma’s house.

In addition to that trivia fact, filmmakers Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech give us a bewitched goat singing about his horns, Grandma avoiding henchmen under the moniker “Triple G”, and a hyperactive squirrel that doesn’t drink coffee. The writers have a wicked sense of humor that’s very tongue-in-cheek, but all around gratifying.

While the film may not be as polished as those Pixar movies; Hoodwinked, with its small budget, is a fun, little spoof. Anne Hathaway, Patrick Warburton and the rest of the players well suited for their animated characters.

Whether it is “Little Red Riding Hood”, Saturday Night Fever, or the Vin Diesel action flick Triple X, nothing is off limits in this fairy tale parody.

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!