A family comedy about the Easter Bunny (voiced by Russell Brand), from the director of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Blending animation with live action, Hop tells the story of Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny and must take him in as he recovers.
Easter is a holiday that has remained refreshingly unexploited by Hollywood kingpins. Not so now. Hop fills the market void with a surplus of chocolate, eggs and inevitable sappy feel-goodness. EB (voiced by English comedian Russell Brand) is a poor little rich rabbit with a dream. Having escaped his life as the son and heir (or hare) apparent to the Easter Bunny himself, EB travels to Hollywood to become a drummer.
The film is mildly entertaining. The kids in the audience loved the scene in which EB reveals his true talent: his ability to release jellybeans from his fluffy bottom. The animation is well done and the opening scenes of the Easter factory at work are great fun, if blatantly pinched from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
But whilst I hate to sound like an Easter scrooge, Hop lacks the wit and charm of some of its animated contemporaries. James Marsden, playing EB’s pal Fred O’Hare, valiantly tries to squeeze some life into the script but even the charismatic Brand fails to lend the film much sparkle. Kevin Hill, who directed Alvin and the Chipmunks, here adds another humdrum, poorly scripted film to his repertoire. The yellow chicks who serve as the Easter Bunny’s minions are pretty cute, though, even the evil one.
By Helen Lyttelton, Flicks.co.nz
What a lovely little film nothing offensive and a good old fashioned family film that every one can enjoy from the young to the old a new Twist on the story of the Easter bunny loved it
good old fashionable movie with a cute story
hop is a funny, annutmated movie featuring the voice of Rusell Brand and is a good movie to watch as familt
Was an OK movie. Not too predictable and there were a few good laughs.
It's probably the fact this movie is targeted at very young children that I found it to be completely boring - however I have a huge collection of 'kids' movies at home which I enjoy hugely, so do many other adults I know. The movie was pretty bad in my own opinion. Completely agree with what 'SKIPPERLEE' said in their title! HA I hope I never have to watch it again. Yawns.
The bunny-gets-injured, slacker-saves-Easter plotline doesn't pack too much predictability but Brand does his best with the material and it's cute enough for kids.
Hop delivers plenty of wit, verve and surreal mayhem to entice even the post-adolescent crowd into this jolly (and strangely Christmas-like) Easter egg hunt.
Hop is innocuous, though occasionally annoying and also, less expectedly, occasionally funny. Both types of occasions are mostly provided by Russell Brand, who specializes in collapsing the distinction between the exasperatingly silly and the charmingly naughty.
Witty scripting spices up a sugary scenario, giving this fluffy family comedy some adult-pleasing bite. It ain’t Shrek, but it ain’t dreck either.
Even with a cameo from the Hoff (which has more cheese on it than he likes on his burgers), it's one which the parents may find a little difficult to sit through. The kids however, will love it.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 7th Apr 2011.
Release date: April 7th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
