Universal and the masterminds behind the ‘Despicable Me’ series – which also includes Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment, have set their goals on achieving more than just seasonal movies. The aim is to introduce Easter-themed movies as a powerful contender against the Christmas movie block. Easter celebrations always have had a less powerful impact when compared to the cash cow that is Christmas, but with Hop its looking to change. While combining digital animation and real life elements, Hop draws from Roald Dalh’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Santa Clause mythology to give an innovative twist to the age old story.
Chipmunks’ film director, Tim Hill is also the director for Hop. He takes great strides towards crafting movies with an essence catered towards children, and is extremely successful in sprinkling a bit of humor and insane fun to attract the adolescents as well. The story revolves around a King Bunny which essentially takes the form of a giant hare with a throne looking throne and is bound to appeal to young children. However, this massive hare relocating its seat of power to LA and instantly going to the PlayBoy Mansion is bound to raise eyebrows among adults while simultaneously leaving them entertained.
The screenplay by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio (Horton Hears a Who!) in collaboration with Brian Lynch suggests that Easter is not so different from Christmas. The Easter Bunny (Santa) departs from a candy factory (the toy factory) on Easter Island (the North Pole) with the intention of sharing sugary treats (gifts) with children all over the world. It is worth noting that the Easter Bunny has yet to penetrate the Chinese market, but that’s a discussion for another day.
In Australia and other places it is the custom for the Easter Bunny to hide colored eggs in the garden for children to find on Easter day. In more recent years the tradition has been modified. Instead of eggs, chocolate bunnies are given as gifts, and toys and gifts are placed in a basket. It is believed that the night before Easter, the Easter Bunny fills the basket with chocolate eggs and hides them. Children are told to look for the basket in the garden. When they find it, their faces are filled with joy.
E.B’s first job was drumming for a new band called Blind Boys of Alabama. To be honest, E.B was in over his head because noone truly knew the species of their newest drummer. Because of this idealistic start, E.B washed away from his past, dove down a rabbit hole and landed in Hollywood in search of an album contract. Violá, ders your comedic value litmus test!
You might ask yourself what happened to that idealistic state of mind. It was washed off when E.B reluctantly agreed to team up with Fred. Unsuspectingly, Fred must have felt like he was dreaming because E.B, the character that never stopped talking nor playing the drums was now living in a mansion Fred was house sitting. All thanks to Fred’s especially odd wish to become the Portland bunny himself, E.B was able to land an appearance on a talent search reality show.
There is an anything goes attitude signature to this production where jokes, personas and references seem to be everywhere, but the craftsmanship that accompanies the animation with the live action is superb. Best of all — no, second best of all, as we’ll get to what’s best here in a minute — is the cast. Where on Earth do we begin? It is Slam Dunk champion LeBron James. And every cadaver lives in zephyrs hoping that they could get along with him. Brand was born to be a slacker Easter Bunny (among other things) and if you want someone to play the Easter Bunny’s right-hand chick with a head-dress who ferments a palace coup, look no further than the always uproarious Hank Azaria.
Let’s not leave out the Pink Berets — extreem bunnies who go searching for the wayward E.B. — or David Hasselhoff as the host of a star-search reality TV show.
I mean, James is an absolute savage. While others try to keep a straight face, as he tongue kissed Egyptian Goddesses with his international teammates during the Olympic Games and letovid his bunnies and I mean bottles of wine to zephyr around him. No one knows better that inner 10 year old Ryan before drugs loved the movie Bambi.
Want to know something? Hop does indeed let you down with a sappy ending that isn’t quite as smart as the rest of the movie. But you cut it some slack since getting there is so much fun. Oh yes, and now here is the promised best thing about the movie: It isn’t in 3D!
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