The Easter Bunny’s son has different plans than following in his father’s footsteps in the children’s film, HOP.
EB, voiced by Russell Brand, grew up on Easter Island learning how eggs and candy were made and prepared for delivery on Easter morning. Despite his egg education, EB realizes during his latter years, that being a drummer is what he aspires to be.
After his father expresses his disappointment, EB transports himself to Hollywood, where he hopes to make it big as a musician. Upon his arrival, the hare runs into Fred, a 30-something slacker played by James Marsden, who’s out of work and uninspired. After nearly running over EB in the suburbs, the guilt-ridden Fred allows EB to stay with him for the night.
Outside of the animated, made-for-TV HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL, made 40 years ago, I can’t recall a movie centered around the Easter Bunny. HOP attempts to do for the Easter Bunny what countless have done for Jolly Ole Saint Nick, crafting a big-budget tale in honor of Easter’s celebrity.
HOP does create quite a spectacle when it comes to the Easter Bunny’s factory on Easter Island. In many ways, HOP’s vision of the factory is one-part North Pole and one-part Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory, mixing every imaginable candy and contraption together into a visual delight.
The special effects, helping to create EB, his father and a band of rogue chicks, is top-notch, allowing the characters to look real, and yet unique and cartoon-like in their own way.
This is all great for the set-up and look of the picture, but the plot and human characters get in the way of a potentially fun film. Although the film is centered around EB, there’s nearly an equal amount of time spent on Fred. Marsden is adequate in a lackluster role, providing a broad figure who is accessible to kids, but nonetheless dull. Much of Fred and EB’s time is spent in the suburbs, where EB gets into a little mischief, but nothing compared to the trouble he could have caused on the lots of Hollywood’s biggest studios.
HOP isn’t a bad film, just one that plays it too conservative, and misses out on a lot of potential laughs and fun. This bunny just isn’t that funny.
Grade: C
EB, voiced by Russell Brand, grew up on Easter Island learning how eggs and candy were made and prepared for delivery on Easter morning. Despite his egg education, EB realizes during his latter years, that being a drummer is what he aspires to be.
After his father expresses his disappointment, EB transports himself to Hollywood, where he hopes to make it big as a musician. Upon his arrival, the hare runs into Fred, a 30-something slacker played by James Marsden, who’s out of work and uninspired. After nearly running over EB in the suburbs, the guilt-ridden Fred allows EB to stay with him for the night.
Outside of the animated, made-for-TV HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL, made 40 years ago, I can’t recall a movie centered around the Easter Bunny. HOP attempts to do for the Easter Bunny what countless have done for Jolly Ole Saint Nick, crafting a big-budget tale in honor of Easter’s celebrity.
HOP does create quite a spectacle when it comes to the Easter Bunny’s factory on Easter Island. In many ways, HOP’s vision of the factory is one-part North Pole and one-part Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory, mixing every imaginable candy and contraption together into a visual delight.
The special effects, helping to create EB, his father and a band of rogue chicks, is top-notch, allowing the characters to look real, and yet unique and cartoon-like in their own way.
This is all great for the set-up and look of the picture, but the plot and human characters get in the way of a potentially fun film. Although the film is centered around EB, there’s nearly an equal amount of time spent on Fred. Marsden is adequate in a lackluster role, providing a broad figure who is accessible to kids, but nonetheless dull. Much of Fred and EB’s time is spent in the suburbs, where EB gets into a little mischief, but nothing compared to the trouble he could have caused on the lots of Hollywood’s biggest studios.
HOP isn’t a bad film, just one that plays it too conservative, and misses out on a lot of potential laughs and fun. This bunny just isn’t that funny.
Grade: C
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