The crazy, hyperactive fuzzy critter. It’s an animation cliché started by Ice Age, and Hoodwinked snatches it for its few laughs. The story concept, character design, and voice acting are superb in Hoodwinked. Everything else, namely the comedy outside of that spastic little squirrel, falls flat.
The majority of the film is a twisted version of Little Red Riding Hood. In this version, after the wolf appears to try and munch on Hood, it turns into a domestic disturbance crime scene (with one of the charges being “attempt to eat”). It’s a great concept, and each of the characters gets their chance to tell their version of the story.
The four views on the incident are told in parallel, each one affecting the other in some way. The mixing of the stories provides a few smirks and not much else. Some grating musical numbers don’t help. The final 15-minutes are the film’s brightest moments when it breaks away from the story telling and becomes a nice little kids adventure.
As an independent feature, the animation is likely to draw a few glances for its lower-than-usual quality. It’s hard to fault the film for it though, and it does have a charm and design it call its own. It rarely hinders the on-screen action.
Sadly, the script and jokes that go nowhere can’t be ignored. There’s a lot of potential in some of the characters, and you almost hope more time was spent with a few of them. With the credits, this one barely breaks the 80-minute mark, and there’s no time to become involved or entertained. 
As a completely computer generated film, this movie is a gorgeous piece of work on DVD. The only problems come with noticeable compression artifacts. The stunning clarity and wonderful color more than make up for any transferring issues. 
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Article comments
1 - duane
I would have to disagree with your slightly negative appraisal. I thought Hoodwinked was extremely clever and funny. I agrree with you that the story concept was a good one. But I think they pulled it off with aplomb. And I don't usually enjoy animated features. My kid loved it, too.