DVD Review: HOODWINKED TOO! is a little hood and evil

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil has arrived on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay. I had the chance to watch the sequel for the first time today and here is my review. This movie has some redeeming elements, but it is also a little bad too.

Here is the story overview:

The sequel finds our heroine, Red (Hayden Panettiere), training with a mysterious covert group called the Sisters of the Hood. But Red is forced to cut her training short when she gets an urgent call from Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers), the head of the super secret Happily Ever After Agency, aka the HEA. A wicked witch (Joan Cusack) has abducted two innocent children, Hansel (Bill Hader) and Gretel (Amy Poehler), and Nicky needs the whole Hoodwinked gang -- Red, Granny (Glenn Close), the ever-clueless Wolf (Patrick Warburton) and his over-caffeinated little partner, Twitchy (Cory Edwards) -- for the search and rescue mission.

The first film was released in 2005 and frankly wonder why a  sequel was even made. As a huge fan of Anne Hathaway I would have loved to see her reprise her voice role as Red, but I suspect her asking price has gone up a bit since 2005. I was worried that I would not enjoy this movie because I had not seen the original film. The sequel wastes no time jumping in and kids will be fine not knowing the characters. It was difficult for me to understand what was going on, but did not detract too much from my viewing.

I love Disney/Pixar films animation, which Hoodwinked Too is nowhere near the level of those. The animation reminds me of outdoor porcelain figurines because of the dull shine.  I do like the tones and the colors used in this film, but it seems as though this would be something you see on a Saturday morning instead of a feature length film. 

This film has a nice mix of classic fairy tale elements and is set in a modern day environment. There are tons of pop culture references to pick up throughout the film. My biggest complaint with the story is that there are too many characters and plot elements smashed into the film. It's a shame too because this large number of characters makes a majority of the voice acting seem overshadowed. There is a decent twist near the end that I did not fully see coming, so be on the lookout.

The majority of the humor is aimed directly at adult audiences. Not to worry, kids will find this film funny as well. Then again, anytime there are characters making funny sounds or getting smashed around they are bound to fly into uncontrollable fits of giggles. There is a running gag in this film that is really pretty funny. 
The dialogue and the voice acting are what really make this film enjoyable for adult audiences. There is a nice amount of action and adventure to keep everyone happy. Aside from Panettierre, I was very happy with each of the voice cast. Warburton, Ogden Stiers and Close are great. I love Hader and Poehler's Hansel and Gretel. They have put the most effort into creating unique voices for their characters.

Hoodwinked Too! does have a nice moral to tell about never underestimating yourself and working together as a team. Thankfully, I never felt as though I was being beaten over the head with the message. 
In I am so happy that I did not see this film in theaters or in 3D. 

In Conclusion: 

If you are looking for a decent way to entertain your kids and having a bit of a chuckle yourself, then this is is a good DVD/ Blu-ray to pick up. If you are a huge fan of Disney/Pixar films then you will be let down. The voice casting is decent, but the story is too convoluted to find a comfortable pace.