Hop - (April 1, 2011): PG
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $37,543,710
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $44,452,065
Gross Revenue: $51,188,076
Budget: $63 million
Director: Tim Hill
Unlike other animated films that begin their promotional activities several months ahead of release, Hop flew largely under the radar during the early stages of post-production, but once it did decide to announce its presence, it exploded onto the market with the most aggressive campaign I have ever seen outside of the Summer Movie Season. Universal teamed with ninety-two major companies to promote Hop, whether that involved Burger King toys, Kraft cookie-decorating kits, character clothing and costumes at Wal-Mart, or iPhone applications and video game adaptations. Though the studio itself is not known for animated features, Universal made sure that Hop had all the necessary credentials, partnering with Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me) and attaching Director Tim Hill (Alvin and the Chipmunks). Hop’s live-action stars James Marsden and Kaley Cuoco may not be household names quite yet, but with a voice cast that included Russell Brand, Hugh Laurie, and veteran voice-talent Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), the film itself had plenty of star-power. Admittedly, after all of this promotion I still wasn’t sold, but a few clever jokes in the trailer and a familiar soundtrack was enough to compel me to try Hop for some lighthearted entertainment.
Hop introduces audiences to E.B. (Russell Brand), a teenaged rabbit who is set to succeed his father (Hugh Laurie) as the Easter Bunny. Unfortunately, E.B. does not want to accept the responsibility of the position and instead decides to run away to Hollywood in order to pursue his dream of becoming a professional drummer. Soon enough, E.B. comes into contact with irresponsible human Fred O’Hare (James Marsden); though he is initially alarmed by the talking rabbit, Fred does decide to help E.B. pursue audition opportunities (one of which involves David Hasselhoff). Though E.B. revels in his new found freedom, all is not well back home, as his father’s number two, the Easter Chick Carlos (Hank Azaria) decides to lead a coup d’état against the rabbits and take control of Easter. Together, E.B. and Fred must work together to effectively save Easter and ensure that all the time-honored traditions (chocolate egg, marshmallow peep, and jelly bean-filled baskets) remain intact.
It should be obvious from the aforementioned plot that Hop delves deeply into the children’s mythology of the Easter Holiday, and it brings all these traditions to life with considerable imagination and impressive animation. The opening sequence introducing the viewer to the Easter factory where all the candy is produced is sure to evoke some nostalgia concerning everyone’s favorite holiday treats, but the true quality element of the film is E.B. himself. As the lead character, E.B. not only has a heartwarming personality, but he is also just downright adorable (yeah I said it); and his qualities are only enhanced by Russell Brand’s voice-work. It is one of those rare instances where character and voice artist match perfectly, as no one else could have brought E.B. to life in as genuine a manner; one of the best scenes in the film involves a cameo by Russell Brand himself as a stage-hand who runs into E.B., and the awkward glances exchanged between the two are hysterical. On a small side note, Hop also contains an energetic and familiar soundtrack, adding welcome levity to a number of scenes. However, other than a likable character and impressive animation, Hop does little to distinguish itself as a memorable animated film.
Whether it is his stand-up routines or his live-action roles, I find Russell Brand hysterical, so it is a tragedy when his overall performance as E.B. barely generates a chuckle…in short, given the premise and voice-talent, Hop should have been much funnier. Dull animated characters with lackluster dialogue are disappointing enough, but add to that equation the fact that the live-action characters add nothing to the script. James Marsden tries his best to add some life to the film, but more often than not, his actions are simply silly and embarrassing (hard to believe that this is the same guy who left the X-men franchise in order to make “serious” films). The children in the audience will be thrilled by every animated character and sight-gag that crosses the screen, but there is almost nothing present in Hop to justify anyone over the age of nine sitting through the entire running time. I can understand how a young child might be alarmed at the prospect of the Easter Bunny being overthrown by Easter chicks, but that is hardly enough around which to build an entire plot. Nearly every review of an animated film that I have written in the past few months has commented on the clever blending of adult and child humor within a heartfelt story, and the increasingly conventional nature of these elements makes their absence from Hop all the more conspicuous.
Studio projections for Hop were shattered its opening weekend as it brought in $37.5 million, more than enough to take the title for second highest opening of 2011 behind Rango. To be fair, critics have shared many of my complaints concerning Hop, but that doesn’t seem to be affecting the strong family draw of the film. Still, given how much was actually spent to promote Hop, I would have liked to have seen slightly higher box office receipts for what was positioned as Hollywood’s next big family franchise. In all likelihood, 20th Century Fox’s Rio will take a large portion of Hop’s audience when it hits theaters on the 15th, so there is not a large amount of time for Universal to turn an impressive profit. Though novel, there simply aren’t enough elements to justify classifying Hop as a memorable entry in the animated genre that anyone should rush to the theater to see.
Overall Recommendation: Low
