Hollywood regularly exploits Christmas with numerous holiday season-themed films, but there haven’t been too many entries related to Easter mythology. My regular readers know that I am skeptical of any animated feature missing the Disney-Pixar seal of approval, but Hop gained some legitimacy with the fact that it was a product of Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind last summer’s Despicable Me. Given the immense range of licensed merchandised attached to Hop, it was clear that Universal was aiming to establish a huge franchise that would guarantee almost every child dragging their parents to the theater opening weekend. While I may not be a core member of the targeted audience for Hop who would be thrilled to discover the Easter Bunny’s deepest secrets, the fact that Russell Brand was voicing the main character was still a huge selling point. Trailers showcased an appealing lead character, an energetic soundtrack, and some clever jokes, so at the very least it looked like Hop would be good for a laugh or two.
Forgetting the fact that Russell Brand is known for a more adult brand of comedy, given the overall premise of the film and the sarcastic nature of the character he portrayed, the end result should have been far funnier. Hop has some impressive animation and downright adorable character models, but beyond that achievement, the film falls short because it simply panders too strongly to a child audience. Granted, this was a children’s film, but studios have been able to impressively blend clever humor into animation for years in order to make the experience not only bearable but also enjoyable for an older demographic (Toy Story 3 was nominated for Best Picture just two months ago); the tragedy is that, on this dimension, Hop doesn’t even try to appeal to those who actually brought the kids to the theater. Kids will delight in watching bunnies and chicks manufacture chocolate eggs, but parents should just be prepared to roll their eyes…frequently. Offering some brief levity and minimal cheap laughs, Hop is bearable, but if you are expecting the next Despicable Me, I hate to say that you are out of luck.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Low
