Finally, the full story can be told. For too long, Little Red Riding Hood's version of the whole wolf-in-Grandma's-clothes thing has been taken as gospel. But the smarmy animated musical "Hoodwinked" is here to set the record straight.
Ever wonder why the wolf would have put himself into such a silly and embarrassing position, when if truly all he wanted to do was bite a little girl's head off he could have easily done so without enduring such insults as "What big ears you have?" If so, and if you want to hear Grandma's take on the whole ordeal, this one's for you.
A comedy that pokes fun at fairy tales in the spirit of the "Shrek" series, "Hoodwinked" starts with the scene of the fable. At the outset, Red Riding Hood, voiced by Anne Hathaway, skips into Granny's house only to find Wolf (Patrick Warburton) dressed up in a bad mask. Red proceeds to take Wolf on in a kung fu throwdown, when Granny (Glenn Close) hops out of the closet gagged and tied. As if that weren't enough mayhem, an ax-wielding Woodsman (James Belushi) bursts through the window.
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The animal police force descends on the scene to sort things out. The chief is a bear, and his officers are — you guessed it — pigs. The cops are ready to take Red at her word and send Wolf to serve five to 10 in a shoe with no windows, but in comes frog detective Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) to sort things out. He asks Red, Wolf, Granny and the Woodsman to all give their differing perspectives on the incident, giving the film the shape of "Rashomon."
Oddly, the cute, yet mildly irritating Boingo the rabbit (Andy Dick) figures into most of the stories, and there's also some suspicious crime going on. Your allegiances are tossed back and forth. One moment you're thinking that Red is as sweet as the storybooks say, and the next we're convinced she's running an illegal baked-goodies ring. Wolf swears he's just an undercover reporter, hence his disguise, and Granny has a fishy tattoo on the back of her neck that resembles that of Vin Diesel in "XXX."
Directed by newcomer Cory Edwards, "Hoodwinked" is a whole lot of fun, although it's a half-step behind the pointed wittiness of "Shrek." Snappy dialogue and amusingly sarcastic lyrics course through the script, although it's not immune to the occasional groaner. Much of the quick cutaway humor is reminiscent of television's "The Family Guy," for better or worse.
The film nails the fractured- fairy-tale vibe "Chicken Little" went for but missed, and while the visuals, which seem a little blocky and outdated, aren't at all cutting-edge, parents will take a good story over elaborate graphics any day of the week.
"Hoodwinked" marks the opening up of the computer animation field. Small-time production companies Blue Yonder Films and Kanbar Entertainment, which combined forces to make the movie, prove they can compete with the likes of Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks.
Fevered competition for the family dollar is good news all around. If "Hoodwinked" becomes a hit, the big kids on the block will have to work that much harder to hoodwink audiences with tepid material.
review
Hoodwinked
***
Rated: PG for some mild action and thematic elements
Voice cast: Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, Anthony Anderson, James Belushi
Director: Cory Edwards
Family call: Nothing objectionable — a fun film for both kids and parents.
Running time: 80 minutes
Opens Friday at: Park Place, El Con, Century Park, Foothills, Uptown
