HOP

US, 2011, 95 minutes, Colour.
Voices of James Marsden, Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Hank Azaria, Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins, Hugh Laurie, David Hasselhoff, Chelsea Handler.
Directed by. Tim Hill.


This one is for younger audiences whose horizons for Christmas and Easter are bound by Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

While one does not want to be too sanctimonious about it, it is still a great pity that we read surveys being done about children’s knowledge of biblical characters and stories and the findings that so many have no real awareness of them (a cultural lack even if religion is not involved). That being said, back to Hop.

While Santa has the north pole for his workshops, easter eggs are manufactured at, where else, Easter Island! Hop is the young son of the old Easter Bunny but would rather go to LA, where else, to play the drums. Off he goes and runs into, literally, slacker, Fred O’Hare? (no relation!), played with cheerful oomph by James Marsden.

This is one of those interactive films, animation and live action (like the director’s previous Alvin and the Chipmunks). Hop has his more than mischievous side (especially as voiced so well by Russell Brand) and causes Fred to miss appointments for jobs which his father (Gary Cole) is hounding him to get.

Wouldn’t you know it, but Fred’s ambition, since he was little and glimpsed the old Easter Bunny on his rounds, was to be, of course, an Easter Bunny.

Meanwhile, on Easter Island, a revolution is brewing. The chicks who fly the Bunny’s sleigh, led by the dominating Carlos, are being marshalled into protest and revolt. After some adventures, both Fred and Hop arrive on Easter Island, are tied up (fortunately, Fred is tied with licorice and makes a bite-through escape) but overcome Carlos and his engagingly dumb sidekick (sidechick), Phil, who is ground control for the sleigh but is easily distracted and the revolution comes to a literal crashing halt. Since both Carlos and Phil are voiced by Hank Azaria, they are both amusing characters and are a foil to Hugh Laurie who voices the Easter Bunny.

Sounds a bit better than might have been thought – and it is, though strictly for the little child, it could be for adults and for the real children.