Release Date: January 13, 2006

MPAA RATING: PG for mild action and some thematic elements
Voices of: Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, James Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Andy Dick, David Ogden Stiers
Genre: Animated family comedy/fairy tale

Recommended Age: 7+

Hoodwinked is a crazy and creative take on the classic tale of "Little Red Riding Hood." Red (Anne Hathaway), as she is known around the forest, wants to explore the world.  Instead, she is stuck delivering baked goods for her grandmother, the famous Granny Puckett (Glenn Close).  One day, everything changes.  A treacherous villain known only as the Goody Bandit is forcing all the local bakeries to close by stealing their most precious possessions—their recipes. 

Trying to stay one step ahead of the game, Red visits the family store to pick up the book of recipes before going on her way.  While there, she receives a threatening note when a rock is thrown through the window, stating that their bakery is next.  Without knowing what else to do, Red calls her grandmother who seems uneasy, but insists that everything is okay, and that she should just go on her way.  Not doing what she was told, Red is determined to get to Granny's' and takes the cable car run by Boingo (Andy Dick), the former delivery rabbit for the Muffin Man.  Suddenly, she falls out and lands in the middle of the forest unharmed.  There she meets the infamous wolf, a goat who is forced to sing instead of speak, and others before reaching her grandmother's house.  And, everyone knows what happened there.  Or do they?

As mentioned, Hoodwinked is not your average fairy tale.  Red is a kung fu master who can take care of herself.  Granny Puckett is not your typical sweet grandmother.  She has "GGG" tattooed on the back of her neck (her secret nickname) and leads a secret double life as an extreme sports competitor.  The wolf is not a bad guy; he is a reporter looking to break the latest story.  And, the Woodsman is really a struggling actor—in reality he sells schnitzel.  The movie starts out with the familiar story, but then is told in the perspective of each of these four characters.  It is up to the police, especially detective Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers), to crack the case and figure out who is stealing the recipes, and for what purpose.

Offensive content is kept to a minimum in Hoodwinked.  There is no foul language; however the expression "are you ready to get spanked" is used once in a comedic fashion with no sexual innuendo intended.  Also, several scenes include cartoon violence, and one character, the woodsman, carries an axe in every scene.  Fight scenes are more comical than violent, and no weapons are used.  Instead they are a mixture of kung fu and extreme sports, and no one is injured.  Overall, it is a hysterical film that families and their children seven and older will enjoy.