The Movie
Incredibly, the story of Little Red Riding Hood had yet to be adapted into a big-screen feature film back in 2005, an oversight handily resolved by the utterly entertaining Hoodwinked. But how to fill out an hour-plus with such a simple, well-worn tale? Expanding the backstory and context helps, but the real hook of Hoodwinked is its repetitious structure, made famous by Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, as the same events are recounted by different characters, a trick cleverly applied to this animated comedy.
Red, The Wolf, The Woodsman and Granny each give their own unique perspective on the now-familiar proceedings, involving a basketful of goodies, deceptive forest animals, and girls in red cloaks, but nothing is exactly the way remember it. A newspaper reporter, an aspiring actor and a dessert tycoon figure prominently in this version, as does a squad of European soldiers for hire, a mysterious dancing frog, and a ruthless, unexpected villain.
Brought to life by an impressive voice cast, and combining a unique sense of humor with some genuinely catchy songs, Hoodwinked was a better movie than I was expecting, fun for the entire family and definitely worth discovering if you've never had the pleasure.
The Picture
While not on a par with any of Pixar's efforts, Hoodwinked is enjoyably computer-animated, with still areas of the 1.85:1 frame in particular looking impressive: Blades of grass, animal fur, even the weave of Grandma's lace curtains can border on photo-realism. There is some fine nuance in the backgrounds too. The problem here is the "animation" per se, which can feel crude and hurried, almost akin to the animatics (motion storyboards) shown in the extras section of other animation discs. Character movement is awkward and unnatural, and only a portion of his/her face will movie when he/she is speaking. So this Blu-ray does a fine job in preserving everything that's good and bad about the movie.
The Sound
Be aware that this disc defaults to Dolby Digital, so we need to actively switch to the DTS-HD Master Audio option, which provides an even more generous 5.1-channel mix. Helicopters, voices, doors opening/closing and sundry sounds of the forest keep the rears active, with fun moments like an axe flying over our heads, too. The room really comes to life when we're being chased by a giant runaway log, and the explosions have a nice crack, if little boom.
The Extras
"The True Behind the Scenes Story" is a thorough, neatly packaged overview of the movie with lots of lighthearted talent interviews and some serious "making of" insight (30 minutes, in standard definition). This vintage program dates back to the initial release of Hoodwinked, but was not included on the original DVD.
That DVD appears to be included here as a bonus second disc, and it still packs its own complement of extras--namely creator commentary, deleted/extended scenes and more-- none of which are available over on the Blu-ray platter.
Final Thoughts
Timed for a possible release of the long-delayed sequel (finally! please?), this Hoodwinked Blu-ray retains absolutely everything from the standard-def release, while upping the audio/video ante and delivering that "lost" bonus feature. And the BD + DVD combo package makes it an ideal purchase for you and the kids.
Product Details
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