[Movie/DVD Review] It is yet to come to cinemas in Australia, but I picked up Hoodwinked at amazon.com. The preview attracted me: it was a new twist on Little Red Riding Hood as a crime scene investigation.
Now Little Red Riding Hood has evolved as a story from my day. Then 'Red' came to her Grandma's only to find a wolf in bed and Grandma in her tummy. Red is also eaten but a friendly woodsman cuts them both out before they are digested.
Today, it is a tad lighter. Grandma and Red end up tied up and thrown in a closest to be eaten later. The woodsman releases them and the fate of the wolf is left up to one's imagination.
Hoodwinked builds on the newer version but all is not as it seems. In the ensuing investigation, from Red's perspective, the traditional interpretation holds up but to a close observer there are wrinkles. Indeed, her perspective falls apart when other witnesses -- the wolf, Grandma and the woodsman -- are interrogated. A larger conspiracy is revealed involving an attempt to monopolise the 'goodies' market. You may recall that Little Red Riding Hood was delivering goodies to Grandma in the original tale; a colourful side-point there given considerable more weight in the movie.
This movie isn't the funniest although there are plenty of in-jokes for the adults. But it is about as clever a plotline as you are going to get in a kids animated feature these days and if you are looking for something to watch together as a family, it should rank high on your list.
Now Little Red Riding Hood has evolved as a story from my day. Then 'Red' came to her Grandma's only to find a wolf in bed and Grandma in her tummy. Red is also eaten but a friendly woodsman cuts them both out before they are digested.
Today, it is a tad lighter. Grandma and Red end up tied up and thrown in a closest to be eaten later. The woodsman releases them and the fate of the wolf is left up to one's imagination.
Hoodwinked builds on the newer version but all is not as it seems. In the ensuing investigation, from Red's perspective, the traditional interpretation holds up but to a close observer there are wrinkles. Indeed, her perspective falls apart when other witnesses -- the wolf, Grandma and the woodsman -- are interrogated. A larger conspiracy is revealed involving an attempt to monopolise the 'goodies' market. You may recall that Little Red Riding Hood was delivering goodies to Grandma in the original tale; a colourful side-point there given considerable more weight in the movie.
This movie isn't the funniest although there are plenty of in-jokes for the adults. But it is about as clever a plotline as you are going to get in a kids animated feature these days and if you are looking for something to watch together as a family, it should rank high on your list.
