Movies. The hidden political agenda reveled by suburban mother.

[cobychuck]

    Holy s***.  That's the only thing I can think of to say for the following review for Over the Hedge.  If this is an example of most liberals in this country, I shudder to think what could happen if more sane people sit by and do nothing.  I don't know how the heck she pulled some of the meaning out of these movies that she did but I'm looking for some other takes on this.  Please take the time to read this carefully.

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But what about that Wal-mart thing?, July 3, 2006
Reviewer: Corrina Wycoff (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
     
I'm the single mother of a twelve-year-old boy, so I've seen my share of kid movies. Traditional Disney movies, of course, have been politically deconstructed by every liberal with a VCR, but even the "new" animated movies I've taken my son to over the years have caused me, as a liberal mom, to wince. Pixar, Disney's once-subsidiary, promoted misogyny (complete with body parts standing in for female characters) in Toy Story (its sequel, while better politically, failed as a movie); in A Bug's Life, the message seemed to be the intrinsic value of capitalism over less hierarchical political structures; worst of all, in The Incredibles, the traditionally-defined, white nuclear family saved the world from mercenary characters with stereotypically Jewish characteristics. Only Dreamworks's animated comedy Shrek provided welcome relief to Pixar's colorfully hidden conservatism. Now, with Over the Hedge, Dreamworks once again has managed to entertain kids without alienating lefty parents. Over the Hedge comments on sprawl, junk food, greed, and privilege. It critiques a world in which some take more than they need and are willing to sacrifice those with less power in order to keep what they have.

The story's arc is reminiscent of A Bug's Life: A stranger (in this case, RJ the raccoon) joins a band of creatures to exploit their abilities, comes to love them, reveals his duplicity, expresses his feelings, and is forgiven. But this movie also contains several nods to the Greens: For example, upon discovering an SUV, RJ explains that humans need SUVs because "[we] are slowly losing [our] ability to walk." Another creature asks, "It's so big! How many humans does it carry?" And RJ answers, "Usually, one!" When the animals eat tortilla chips modeled after Doritos, RJ lists the chemical ingredients and there's an atomic-scale explosion. The film also nods to those who take issue with Bush's unilateral foreign policy. The greediest suburban property owner, upon learning of the illegality of the vermin extermination system she desires, exclaims, "I don't care if it's against the Geneva Convention! I want it!" And, unlike The Incredibles, which touted the biologically created nuclear family above all else, Over the Hedge suggests that "family" is what you make it.

This smart film isn't politically perfect, of course. The unmarried American female is demonized as a life-hating opportunist, and the only woman of color who acts as a main character in the film (Wanda Sykes) portrays a skunk with lines such as, "I look like a nest and smell like a swamp" and, "I can clear a room... that I can do." Still, compared to the character Legs in Toy Story and the "invisible" Violet in The Incredibles, the women in Over the Hedge give liberals much less about which to complain. Most troublingly, however, this movie also shared its promotional advertising with Wal-mart, the company that contributes most to sprawl and the collapse of our labor and ecosystems. I've struggled to make sense of this seeming hypocrisy, just as I've struggled to make sense of my own: I am liberal, single mother who, nonetheless, has spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on politically objectionable kid movies and the merchandise they've inspired.

[docbyers]

It's entertainment, for cryin' out loud!  I have a hard time believing some movie studio type is hiding political analogies in their movies, and if there are any, it's purely by accident and not intentional.  I could very well be wrong about this, and based on Hollywood movies like Good Night and Good Luck I tend to think that Hollywood will occasionally use their "art" to make social/political commentary.  Animators trying to get kids and their parents into the theater are just trying to make it funny, entertaining, and marketable.  After all, the movie is one thing, but a bunch of money is made in the toy stores after the movie comes out.  You gotta dig pretty deep to get this lady's take on an Incredibles plot...

[flew-da-coup]

I feel sorry for her kids. I hope they don't abandon her when she is institutionalized.

[docbyers]

Sometimes the liberals' kids turn out OK.  Casey Sheehan was a patriot and a hero, signing up to go back to Iraq after already serving a tour of duty there.  He volunteered to go in after his buddies who were ambushed, and paid for their safety with his life.

His mother's only skill is showing, by example, what not to wear in public...  Other than that, she doesn't have the brains to successfully find her a$$ with both hands, which is odd, considering the size of it, but I digress...