They had me at pooping jellybeans.
Seriously. One look at a little bunny straining, and then ta-da’ing his load of… candy? And I was certain I had to see this movie, and as soon as possible. So when I scored a screening pass, I scooted down to the mega-multiplex and got my bunny on. And while this movie won’t be pulling in a lot of grownups who don’t “do” animated movies (shame, that), Hop is instant water-cooler fodder for kids and the grownups that got to tag along (or the grownups like me that dragged themselves because they just wouldn’t miss it.)
For folks that have missed the trailer that’s been playing approximately every 15 minutes on every channel on TV, Hop is the story of E.B., a bunny destined for the big leagues. The biggest league you can get, actually; he’s next in line to be the Easter Bunny when his father steps down from the job. But E.B. doesn’t want to be “the” bunny, he just wants to bang on the drum all day. Since dad’s last season delivering baskets was last year and The Kinks aren’t having a reunion tour in the near future, E.B. isn’t exactly getting a pat on the back for his career choice. So, in an effort to show everyone what he can do, E.B. runs off to Hollywood to try to make it big. Sadly, things take a bit of a detour when he crosses a street and gets run over by Fred O’Hare, a slacker who is thisclose to being the poster child for every parent’s nightmare (read: a grown kid who just won’t move out.) When E.B. and Fred get together…well, you guessed it, hilarity ensues. Meanwhile, back on Easter Island, things aren’t going so well. With E.B. missing, who’s gonna take over when E.B.’s dad hangs up his staff? Carlos, the Easter Bunny’s second-in-command, has an idea….
Russell Brand may not be everybody’s cup of tea. But screw you buzzkills, he nails this. His E.B. is not just a cute little fuzzykins. Brand breathes life into E.B., and gives a performance that makes E.B. a character you truly root for. Brand also got a killer group of actors working with him, with Hugh Laurie as the Easter Bunny, James Marsden as Fred (further cementing his “good looking dude who’s also a killer character actor” cred), not to mention Gary Cole and Elizabeth Perkins as Fred’s parents. As much as I wanted Hugh Laurie to go full-tilt Prince George (and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, Netflix Blackadder the Third or Blackadder Goes Forth immediately), Frank Azaria steals just about every scene he’s in as Carlos, our little Easter mischief-maker.
Okay, I’m gonna just say this now. I’m sure I won’t be the first, nor the last. But Carlos, the chick with the idea of busting through the candy-glass ceiling, kind of unsettled me a bit. A hispanic-sounding character as flunkie? What, did they just spin the minority-accent wheel? Yes, yes, I know; Hank Azaria kicks all kinds of ass whenever he turns the knob up to 11. (The Birdcage, anyone? His dance to “She Works Hard For The Money” is movie gold y’all.) And Carlos is the only chick that seems to have the accent. But it did make me a bit uncomfortable for a moment or two when Carlos first enters the scene. (Note: I still won’t watch Breakfast At Tiffany’s because I can’t stand the clips I’ve seen of Mickey Rooney’s hideously racist Mr. Yunioshi. For real; check out YouTube…or just Google tiffany, rooney and racist. Context, era, yada yada. It’s still jaw-droppingly awful. So yeah, consider me touchy.)
Otherwise? The movie was great. Will adults enjoy this movie? Heck yeah. There’s enough humor that adults will enjoy; kids who won’t leave the house, job interviews gone horribly wrong, and generation gap zings, to name a few. Would kids sit through this? You bet. Animated animals, loads of physical humor and potty jokes — have I mentioned the pooping? — will keep the kiddies highly entertained. And the soundtrack is full of adult-friendly songs like “I Want Candy”, “Higher Ground” and “We No Speak Americano”, all of which have heavy back-beats that make the kiddies just wanna bounce. In today’s world of making animated movies for adults and kiddies, Hop succeeds, though I’d have to push it a bit closer to the adult side of the scale. It’s more like Elf than Finding Nemo.
The CGI is breathtaking. Everything from E.B.’s wanna-touch-the-bunny fur, the candy and even the amazingly detailed chickie feet are so realistic, which make taking this joyride a whole lot easier. There’s barely a sense of suspended disbelief, except for the whole Easter Bunny/talking animals thing. I especially loved the look of the Easter Bunny’s workshop, with a touch of steampunk here, a bit of Wonka there, and a whole lot of glorious, vivid color that almost leaps off the screen, even though I was watching a non-3D screening.
Oh, and as with most animated features nowadays, make sure you stay ‘til after the credits have rolled. There’s a thanks-for-staying scene that isn’t exactly necessary, and doesn’t set up a sequel story, but is totally worth the extra time spent in your comfy multiplex seat while you digest the boatload of candy you just ate.
(Universal Pictures, 2011)
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