From the makers of Despicable Me comes a comedy about candy, chicks and rock ‘n’ roll! He was destined to be the Easter Bunny, but all he wanted to do was rock! When teenage E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) leaves for Hollywood in pursuit of his dream to become a rockstar drummer, he meets Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals. Together the two encounter a series of hilarious mishaps and misadventures and in the end help each other recognize the importance of family. “The laughs don’t stop in this movie treat for all ages!” – Pete Hammond, Boxoffice.Hop is all about achieving one’s dreams, regardless of how fantastical those dreams may seem. Hidden deep inside the mouth of a moai statue on Easter Island is a candy factory that produces the world’s Easter candy and looks like a cross between Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and Santa’s Workshop. The Easter Bunny and a very bossy chick foreman named Carlos take their responsibility to make Easter happen very seriously. But the Easter Bunny’s son E.B. dreams not of taking his rightful place as the next Easter Bunny, but of becoming a famous drummer–a situation that his father finds highly disappointing. In the human world, Fred O’Hare is also a disappointment to his father; he’s a young man who can’t seem to find a job that he’s passionate about–indeed, he’s a slacker who can’t seem to find any job at all. E.B. and Fred meet on the streets of Hollywood and become unlikely roommates in a borrowed mansion. As the two struggle to find and pursue their dreams, hilarity ensues and each character learns a surprising lesson from the other. Hop is full of comic moments that include a bunny that poops jellybeans, chicks that shout through “eggaphones,” and an elite bunny force known as the “pink berets.” The premise of the story is a lot like director Tim Hill’s earlier Alvin and the Chipmunks films–a man without direction finds his purpose through an unlikely relationship with a cute talking animal after enduring lots of big messes and plenty of silly slapstick humor. The main difference is that in this film, energetic drum solos replace the high-pitched, sped-up singing of little chipmunks. The combined animation and live action is deftly handled by Chris Meledandri’s Illumination (Despicable Me). Hop is a film full of silly antics and some good chuckles–it’s not deep, but kids ages 7 and older, as well as adults, should enjoy it. –Tami Horiuchi
Product Features
- Recommended Age: 6 years and up
FUN MOVIE… Fun movie. Certainly for kids. It’s not in the category of “Despicle me” or “Toy Story-3″ (or 1, or 2) but still lots of fun. In the beginning it has a bit of Willy Wonka feel to it, while more to the end, it leans more to Santa. But it’s all Easter-bunny power (sorry for the chicks). I liked it better at the beginning, and the middle. Quite some surprise-jokes there. But somewhere before the end, I get the feeling, the makers suddenly realize they need to bring to movie to an end. From that point on everything gets very rushed and quick-paced and to me the movie looses some of it’s magic at that point. But still we had lots of fun. Definitely a movie to watch with the (young) kids.
Finally, a good animation/live action movie With films like Yogi Bear, Alvin & The Chipmunks, Scooby Doo, Marmaduke and worst of all Garfield littering the cinescape with dreadful dreck involving live action people and computer animated cartoon animals, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy when I saw the trailers for Hop. In place of a nonsensical farce filled with more rubbish than a fleet of garbage trucks, in Hop we are treated to a whimsical tale with positive messages and loads of good old fashioned fantasy style fun. Anyone who grew up watching Rankin Bass holiday specials on TV will appreciate the classic themes beautifully updated for the modern day in Hop. Usually it works to advantage, occasionally it falls short.The visual landscape and the animation of the characters is startlingly realitic and very quickly has you feeling you’re just watching a regular movie where animals really do talk and there really is a secret lair of the easter bunny.Like some other reviewers noted, there is a definite Willy Wonka meets christmas with Santa theme going here, and that’s what really works. Visiting the people of the world only once a year and mastermminding the secrecy of the operation, many times the characters seem bogged down with non-information about the world inhabited by people, and thats just classic comedy perfection.There are some weak points scattered about, but somehow, overall in the scheme of the movie, they are momentary and forgotten immediately as EB, our main character, immediately after a shortcoming does something else heartwarming to endear you to him and his situation.When I emerged from the theater, I felt as though I saw a very substantial film, quite a task in an animated holiday kids movie, and one that involves Easter, a holiday not usually covered by cinema in terms of kids fare. What holiday can they take on next? I really don’t care as long as the result is of the high quality that Hop exhits throughout. If you want a live action animated movie with real substance, hop on over and see Hop.