Title: Hop
Director: Tim Hill (‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’)
Starring: James Marsden, Russell Brand (voice), Kaley Cuoco (‘The Big Bang Theory’), Hugh Laurie (voice), Hank Azaria (voice)
While Santa Claus has widely been the king of holiday movies, the Easter Bunny is hoping to jump into people’s hearts in the new live-action/CGI movie ‘Hop.’ While not much about the movie’s plot-line was revealed by its studio Relativity Media during its promotional period and adults may come to think of it as purely a children’s film as a result, ‘Hop’ ultimately proves animated characters and movies can indeed provide important messages; everyone, including the Easter Bunny, strives to do what they love while making other people happy.
‘Hop’ follows teenage rabbit E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) as he prepares to take over the position of the Easter Bunny from his father, Mr. Bunny (voiced by Hugh Laurie). However, E.B. doesn’t like the pressure that is placed on him, as he fears that he will disappoint his father and the children around the world by not being able to deliver all of the Easter candy on time. So he leaves his home on Easter Island to go to Hollywood to instead pursue his dream of becoming a famous drummer.
During his first night in Hollywood, E.B. is hit by Fred O’Hare (played by James Marsden), who is driving to Beverly Hills to house-sit for the boss of his sister Samantha (portrayed by Kaley Cuoco). E.B. manipulates his way into staying with Fred, but ultimately just causes trouble for him. While Fred is on a job interview, for example, E.B. realizes that his father sent his bodyguards, the Pink Berets, to Hollywood to bring him home. Mr. Bunny wants E.B. to return to Easter Island to not only take over his destined job, but to also help suppress the revolt that’s being led by Easter Chick Carlos (voiced by Hank Azaria).
Relativity Media definitely made the right decision in hiring director Tim Hill to helm the movie. Having experience in the live-action/CGI family genre before, including directing ‘Muppets from Space’ and ‘Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties,’ Hill was able to incorporate striking, realistic animation with E.B., Mr. Bunny and the rest of Easter Island into ‘Hop.’ Children and even adults will likely wish they could visit Easter Island, as Hill created vibrant, colorful backgrounds that prove that not all movies need 3D technology for the action and sets to pop out at the audience. Even while watching the scenes unfold in Hollywood, audiences will also surely forget that the rabbits are CGI, as they truly look realistic.
The visual effects in ‘Hop’ aren’t the only things that Hill has improved on since working on ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks,’ the last movie he directed. While the two movies have the same message that people should embrace others for who they are, Hill was skillfully able to tone down the campy feeling that over-saturated ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks.’ Fred knows how to laugh at himself and the situations E.B. gets them into, while Dave (played by Jason Lee) in ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ just seems bothered by the chipmunks’ every move.
Besides making Fred funny, Marsden showed his versatility as an actor by making him likable and relatable to kids and adults alike. While screenwriters Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch focused on showing Fred’s comedic side instead of creating an in-depth character, kids will still find him appealing because he doesn’t give up on his dream of knowing the Easter bunny is real. Adults will find him charming because he isn’t afraid to go after what he wants.
While ‘Hop’ is essentially aimed at children, who will undoubtedly enjoy its CGI effects, adults will also appreciate it for its humor. Even though ‘Hop’ doesn’t have complex characters or a detailed plot-line, the movie does achieve its goal of presenting striking sets, some amusing jokes and a heart-felt message.
Technical: A-
Acting: B-
Story: B
Overall: B
By: Karen Benardello
