Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mike Disa
Produced by Maurice Kanbar
David Lovegren
Joan Collins Carey
Written by Cory Edwards
Todd Edwards
Tony Leech
Starring Glenn Close
Cheech Marin
Tommy Chong
Hayden Panettiere
Amy Poehler
Martin Short
Patrick Warburton
Music by Murray Gold
Edited by Tom Sanders
Production
company
Distributed by The Weinstein Company
Release dates
  • April 23, 2011 (2011-04-23) (Tribeca Film Festival)
  • April 29, 2011 (2011-04-29)
Running time
 87 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $30 million[1]
Box office $16,960,968[2]

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil is a 2011 American computer-animated 3D family action comedy film and the sequel to 2005's Hoodwinked!, directed by Mike Disa and released on April 29, 2011 by The Weinstein Company. The film was written by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech, who wrote and directed the previous Hoodwinked! film. Most of the cast reprised their roles, with the exceptions of Anne Hathaway and Jim Belushi, who were replaced by Hayden Panettiere and Martin Short, respectively.

In this film, Red (Hayden Panettiere) is in training with a mysterious group called the Sisters of the Hood and must team with Wolf (Patrick Warburton) to rescue Hansel and Gretel (Bill Hader and Amy Poehler) and Granny (Glenn Close) from the evil witch, Verushka (Joan Cusack). The film received negative reviews and was a box office bomb.

Plot

Wolf (Patrick Warburton), Granny (Glenn Close), and Twitchy (Cory Edwards) are on a rescue mission to save Hansel and Gretel (Bill Hader and Amy Poehler) from an evil witch named Verushka (Joan Cusack). The plan goes wrong however and Granny is kidnapped as well. Meanwhile, Red (Hayden Panettiere) is in training with a mysterious group called the Sisters of the Hood where she learns that a secret all powerful truffle recipe has been stolen. She teams up with Wolf and Twitchy to find the recipe and save her grandma, but she and Wolf can't get along and the team splits up. Meanwhile, Verushka, who stole the truffle recipe, tries to force Granny into making it for her.

Granny escapes and finds Hansel and Gretel, but learns that they are actually the masterminds behind the plot. Granny is recaptured and learns that Verushka was an old classmate of hers when they were both in training with the Sisters of the Hood; Verushka was always second behind Granny's accomplishments. Eventually Red, Wolf, and Twitchy team back together and infiltrate Hansel and Gretel's base. Red accidentally reveals the final ingredient for the truffle recipe and the truffles are made.

Hansel and Gretel eat the truffles transforming into giants and go on a rampage through the city. Hansel and Gretel betray Verushka, whereupon Granny convinces her to join forces with her, Red, Wolf, and Twitchy. They trick Hansel and Gretel into eating more truffles which make them so obese that they can no longer move their arms and legs, before the two are arrested.

Cast

Production

Development

Hoodwinked! was one of the first fully independently funded computer animated films,[3][4] and was produced on a budget of under $8 million,[5] considerably less than the budget of most studio produced animated films.[6] The film was directed and written by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, and Tony Leech, and distributed by The Weinstein Company, which did not sign on until near the end of production.[7] It was released in December 2005 to mixed reviews,[8] and financial success, earning over $110 million worldwide.[9] In February 2006, Cory Edwards announced that he, Todd Edwards, and Tony Leech were writing a sequel, though they would not return to direct.[10] Cory Edwards cited many reasons for not returning as a director for the sequel. In addition to wanting to focus on other, particularly live-action films, so as not to be confined to animation,[11][12] he explained that he had had a poor experience working on the first film, and felt that he had not been treated well.[12] He also questioned the integrity of the fractured fairytale genre of which Hoodwinked is a part, calling it, "a trend I groaned about even as I finished the film."[13] Initially, the film was going to be independently funded by Kanbar Entertainment, with the Weinstein Company distributing, as had been done with the previous film; however the two companies entered into a co-financing agreement, at the behest of The Weinstein Company.[14]

In March 2007 it was announced that Mike Disa, who had long worked in the animation industry, would make his directorial debut on the film.[15] While Disa had not seen the original film before being approached to direct the sequel,[16] Cory Edwards expressed enthusiasm over his involvement, saying that he “has a real passion for the film and a devotion to maintaining the “Hoodwinked” world. He wants to do the sequel justice and he really gets what we’re trying to do.”[15]

Casting

While most of the cast reprised their roles from the first film, Hayden Panettiere replaced Anne Hathaway in the role of Red, while Martin Short replaced Jim Belushi in the role of Kirk the Woodsman. Cory Edwards explained that the role of Red was recast due to the recent success of Hathaway's career, saying "It’s clear to me that her involvement in the first film was a nice favor for Harvey and the last of her “little girl roles.” ...You can see how a sequel to an animated film is not in her trajectory anymore." Regarding Belushi's departure from the series, Edwards explained, "he was never really comfortable with the accent for the Woodsman. He wanted to help us out and loved the film, but he kept saying, “I’m not an accent guy.” So he had a hard time connecting to that character."[12]

Whereas in the first film, the voice of the character Twitchy was created simply by speeding up the recording by 50%, various speeds were used in this film and occasionally the dialogue was only pitched higher without being sped up at all. The difference in Twitchy's voice was immediately noticed by fans after the release of the film's trailer, causing Twitchy's voice actor Cory Edwards to relate that while he had explained to the new filmmakers how the voice was created in the first film and would remark on how the character sounded different when invited to screenings, "from the many blank stares and the end result, nobody really cared."[17]

Animation

While the first film's animation was produced by a small group of independent animators in the Philippines,[18] this film's animation was produced by Canadian animation and visual effects studio Arc Productions instead.[19] However, like the first film, Maya software was used to create the film's animation. Rendering was done on Mental ray, compositing was done on Fusion, and matte paintings were created on Photoshop. The explosions featured in the film were created using Maya and Houdini.[20]

Director Mike Disa explained that in designing the locations for the film they considered "the idea of a modern fairy tale in modern times" asking themselves, "what would a fairy tale city look like having evolved for hundreds of years? What would their buildings look like, how would they get around" and saying, "We sat down and worked out the technology and mythology of the world of Hoodwinked that they hadn’t really established in the first film."[16]

Lawsuit

The film was originally going to be released January 15, 2010; however, in December 2009, it was announced that the release date would be pushed back to February at the earliest. A Weinstein Company executive stated that some of the reasons were so that the company could focus its resources on promoting Youth in Revolt which would be released January 8 of that year and so that they could perform some tweaks on the film's animation. He also stated that the Weinstein Company was in the final stages of a marketing deal with a fast food chain.[21]

Burger King released toys for the film in January 2010, shortly after the film's initial release date had passed, even though a new release date had not yet been set.[22][23]

In March 2010, it was revealed that Kanbar Entertainment was suing The Weinstein Company for delaying the film's release, for not making contributions to monthly production accounts after February 2009, and for not consulting them about a release strategy. Kanbar Entertainment also stated that The Weinstein Company did not respond to proposed changes to the film, even though Kanbar Entertainment had final authority on production decisions.[14]

In February 2011 the first trailer and poster for the film were released and a new release date of April 29, 2011 was finally announced.[24]

Soundtracks

Two soundtracks were released for Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil. The Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) featured songs from the film,[25] while the Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Original Motion Picture Score) featured the film's instrumental tracks composed by Murray Gold.[26]

"Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" Track Listing

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by various artists
Genre Soundtrack
Length 27:06
Label Lakeshore
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[27]
No. TitlePerformer(s) Length
1. "You Know It"  Lavay Cole and Andrea Remanda 2:23
2. "I Can Do It Alone"  Hayden Panettiere 3:25
3. "Big City"  Dan Myers 2:18
4. "Living In A Fairy Tale (With You)"  Wayne Newton 0:51
5. "Look Out Shorty!"  Wayne Newton 1:24
6. "Little Squirrel (Forage For Your Love)"  Dan Myers 3:55
7. "Inseparable"  Hayden Panettiere 4:02
8. "Kung Fu Fighting"  Theo Bleckmann 0:56
9. "Perfect Two"  Ceej 3:14
10. "Living In A Fairy Tale (With You)"  Dan Myers 2:02
11. "Look Out Shorty!"  Dan Myers 2:36
Total length:
 27:06

"Original Motion Picture Score" Track Listing

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Original Motion Picture Score)
Film score by Murray Gold
Genre Soundtrack
Length 46:11
Label Lakeshore
No. Title Length
1. "Happily Ever Before"   1:13
2. "Operation Free The Children"   4:08
3. "Out Of Reach"   0:47
4. "Red"   1:59
5. "Sister Hoods"   2:54
6. "HEA"   1:27
7. "Hoodwinked Hop"   0:40
8. "A Hasty Exit"   1:09
9. "A Long Standing Feud"   2:27
10. "The Amazing Granny Puckett"   0:38
11. "How It All Started"   2:15
12. "On The Trail Of Evil"   2:02
13. "An Unwelcome Disturbance"   0:39
14. "Three Pigs"   1:43
15. "A Pitiful Fight"   0:51
16. "The Song Of Kirk"   1:16
17. "The Unstoppable Hoods"   0:57
18. "A Dastardly Growth Spurt"   1:38
19. "Red Down"   4:21
20. "Legs"   1:50
21. "Go Red!"   0:30
22. "A Gigantic Problem"   1:29
23. "In Training"   2:14
24. "All In The Balance"   2:01
25. "Swaggering Through The City"   1:16
26. "Fight The Fight, Fighters"   0:59
27. "Until Next Time"   2:38
28. "Hoodwinked Logo"   0:10
Total length:
 46:11
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[28]

Release

Box office

Unlike its predecessor which was financially successful, Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil was a box office bomb. The film placed number six at the box office for its opening weekend, during which it grossed $4,108,630 across 2,505 theatres, averaging $1,640 per venue. The film fell to number ten in the box office for its second weekend, declining 50.3%, and dropped out of the top ten for its third weekend.[29] This paled in comparison to the first film which opened to $12,401,900, placing number three in the box office for its opening weekend, and ultimately placing in the top ten for a total of five weeks.[30] Over the course of its theatrical run Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil took in $10,143,779 at the domestic box office, and $16,960,968 worldwide,[2] earning back only about 50% of its budget,[31] and falling short of its predecessor which earned $51,386,611 domestically, and $110,013,167 worldwide.[32] Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil followed a pattern of animated sequels released in 2011 financially underperforming in comparison to their predecessors.[31]

Critical response

“ Once upon a time, fairy tales were told with beauty, wit, simplicity and charm, a tradition that seems increasingly a thing of the past in "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil." Less a movie than an ill-advised lab experiment in which classic children's stories are injected with Bond-movie stylings, inane wisecracks and martial-arts mayhem, this manic misfire takes storybook revisionism to ever more irritating ends. ”
— "Justin Chang"[33]

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil received very negative reviews. On the film-critics aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, as of November 2011, the film has garnered a rating of 11% across 61 reviews, with the consensus statement being: "It may add 3D to the original, but Hoodwinked Too! is missing the first installment's wit and refreshingly low-budget charm." On Metacritic, another critics' aggregate site, it holds a Metascore of 20 out of 100, making the indication of 'generally negative reviews.' [34]

Claudia Puig of USA Today said that "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil is memorable for being one of the most obnoxious animated movies of recent years. If ever there was a movie that should have gone straight to video — or better yet, never have been made — this is it."[35] Roger Moore writing for the Orlando Sentinel gave the film two stars out of four, criticizing the story as “nothing more than a series of martial-arts video-game 'levels' for small children”, though praising the voice work of Bill Hader and Amy Poehler whose casting as Hansel and Gretel he considered "inspired".[36] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter considered the film to be "one of the most obnoxious and least necessary animated films of the century thus far".[37] Kyle Smith from the New York Post only gave the film half of a star and wrote, "Few were those who demanded a sequel to 2005's "Hoodwinked," and those few should have been ignored. "Hoodwinked Too" doesn't unreel so much as dump on the screen busted fairy-tale characters, dumb would-be jokes, rusty pop-culture references and inert action scenes."[38]

Even many of the critics who enjoyed the first film were disappointed with the sequel. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film one star and said it "leeches the fun clean out of the first Hoodwinked[39] and Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post wrote that, "while the first film was lifted out of mediocrity by an utterly delightful storyline...the sequel is a flat, plodding and largely mirthless affair."[40]

In sharp contrast with other reviews, Nell Minow of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Hoodwinked Too! three stars, praising the film's strong heroines and the script, stating "once again what we think we know about fairy-tale heroines, villains, mean girls, old ladies, witches and happy endings are deliciously turned upside down and inside out."[41]

As with the first Hoodwinked film, many reviews were critical of the film's animation. In his review for The New York Times, Andy Webster criticized the film's animation, stating "the images don't remotely approach the nuance of, say, Ice Age, let alone anything from the mack daddy, Pixar. And while it seems there's no getting away from this marketing aesthetic, the resemblance at times to a video game is far, far too acute. The Shrek films — in visual terms — have done this kind of thing better."[42] Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post said that the film “suffer[s] from a stylistic stiffness" and called the characters “clunky and ungainly”.[40]

In December 2011, The National Post's Chris Knight listed Hoodwinked Too! on his "worst 10 films of 2011".[43]

Cory Edwards, who co-wrote the film, and directed and co-wrote the previous film, expressed disappointment with the final film, insinuating that it would not hold much appeal for anyone older than ten, and saying that it was “deflating to give this thing away and watch others run with it in ways I would not.” He also expressed disappointment with major edits that had been made to the original script.[44] Patrick Warburton has voiced similar sentiments. He has said that the film has less of a "soul" than its predecessor, attributing this problem to the diminished involvement of the Edwards brothers and Tony Leech. "I feel like the original guys got screwed", he said, although he qualified this answer with an acknowledgement that he knows little of the film's behind-the-scenes struggles. Working on the sequel left such a weak impression on him, that only two years after the film's release, he owned to barely even remembering the production process.[45]

Home media

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and a 3D Blu-ray combo pack on August 16, 2011.[46][47][48]

Video game

An adventure game called Red's Escape which includes some of the characters from the movie was made for the iPhone and iPad and is centered on the heroine of the movie, Red. She must avoid enemies and score points as she climbs the different stages of the witch's tower. Red ascends the tower using her belt, which is used like a grappling hook to grab objects and swing her to new heights. Along the way various enemies and obstacles attempt to derail Red, from gun-toting piggies and sharp spikes to a maniacal witch. Chasing Red all the while is Gretel, a lederhosen-clad, pastry-fueled behemoth who wants nothing more than to crush the life out of her.[49]

References

  1. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (April 28, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'Fast Five' looks to shift the box office into high gear". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  3. ↑ Jason Anders (January 26, 2009). "A Conversation with Cory Edwards". fullecirclestuff.blogspot.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  4. ↑ Cory Edwards (January 29, 2009). "Interview with Fulle Circle". coryedwards.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  5. ↑ Cory Edwards (December 30, 2010). "Stop the Madness". coryedwards.com. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  6. ↑ Martin Goodman (February 3, 2006). "Dr. Toon: A Peek Under the Hood page 2". awn.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ J. Paul Peszko (January 13, 2006). "Hoodwinked: Blue Yonder Set to Make Animation History page 1". awn.com. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  8. ↑ Hoodwinked at Rotten Tomatoes
  9. ↑ "Hoodwinked Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  10. ↑ Martin Goodman (February 3, 2006). "Dr. Toon: A Peek Under the Hood page 6". awn.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  11. ↑ Cory Edwards (June 5, 2006). "Hoodwinked FAQ's". coryedwards.com. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 Cory Edwards (January 26, 2009). "Frequently Asked Questions". coryedwards.com. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  13. ↑ Cory Edwards (May 19, 2007). "Living in a Satirical World". coryedwards.com. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  14. 1 2 Ted Johnson (March 31, 2010). "Kanbar Entertainment files suit against Weinstein". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  15. 1 2 Cory Edwards (March 25, 2007). "Hoodwinked 2: Director Hired". coryedwards.com. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Mercedes Milligan (April 25, 2011). "Animated People: Mike Disa, Director of 'Hoodwinked Too!'". animationmagazine. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  17. ↑ Cory Edwards (February 15, 2011). "Twitchy’s Voice: The Sequel". coryedwards.com. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  18. ↑ J. Paul Peszko (May 11, 2004). "Hoodwinked: Anatomy of an Independent Animated Feature". awn.com. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  19. ↑ Bill Desowitz (April 29, 2011). "A More Animated Hoodwinked Too! Page 1". awn.com. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  20. ↑ Bill Desowitz (April 29, 2011). "A More Animated Hoodwinked Too! Page 2". Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  21. ↑ Joe Flint (December 16, 2009). "Weinstein Co. delaying 'Hoodwinked' sequel". latimesblog.
  22. ↑ reelz (January 18, 2010). "Hoodwinked Too at Theaters Burger King". reelzchannel.
  23. ↑ Stephen Withers (December 28, 2011). "Too little, too late...". avforums.com. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  24. ↑ "The trailer for Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil". comingsoon. February 10, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Soundtrack]". amazon.com. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Original Motion Picture Score) [Soundtrack]". amazon.com. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  27. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil [Original Soundtrack] - Various Artists. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Accessed on August 1, 2013.
  28. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil [Original Score] - Murray Gold. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Accessed on August 1, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Box Office Mojo Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Hoodwinked! Box Office Mojo Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  31. 1 2 Hollis, Kim (December 27, 2011). "Top 10 Film Industry Stories of 2011: #8". Box Office Prophets. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Hoodwinked! Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  33. ↑ Chang, Justin (26 April 2011). "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil". Variety. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  34. ↑ Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil at Rotten Tomatoes
  35. ↑ Puig, Claudia (April 28, 2011). "'Hoodwinked Too!' exclaims its badness". USA Today. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  36. ↑ Moore, Roger (April 27, 2011). "Movie Review: Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  37. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (April 26, 2011). "Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil: Movie Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  38. ↑ Smith, Kyle (April 29, 2011). "Kid-friendly spoof of fairy tale is fairly stale". New York Post. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  39. ↑ Phillips, Michael (28 April 2011). "What a big disappointment you are". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  40. 1 2 O'Sullivan, Michael (April 28, 2011). "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil 3D". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  41. ↑ Minow, Nell (April 29, 2011). "Clever ‘Hoodwinked Too!’ offers two strong female heroines". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  42. ↑ Webster, Andy (April 28, 2011). "Red Riding Hood, the Spy Caper". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  43. ↑ Knight, Chris (December 30, 2011). "Chris Knight’s worst 10 films of 2011". National Post. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  44. ↑ Cory Edwards (April 18, 2011). ""Hoodwinked Too" Premieres". coryedwards.com. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  45. ↑ Adams, Eric (February 4, 2013). "Patrick Warburton on Rules Of Engagement, Seinfeld, and why Family Guy upsets his parents". A.V. Club. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil DVD". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  47. ↑ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  48. ↑ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil 3D Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  49. ↑ Red's Escape. redsescape.com.

External links

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