Traveling raccoon con artist, RJ (Willis), arrives in a woods outside a human city in the Midwest, excited about the wonders that living near humans can bring hungry animals. What he finds, however, is an Amish-like community that is deathly afraid of humans, after their leader, Vern the tortoise (Shandling), has an encounter with human boys that terrifies him. Encouraged by RJ, however, the animals slowly venture over the hedge that separates them from the brand new suburban development that appeared over the winter while they were sleeping, and what RJ shows them is a whole new world where humans leave tin cans full of fish and other food in big canisters, ripe for the taking. As they get closer and closer to humans, however, their comfortable lives in the woods appears to be threatened… Written by austin4577@aol.com

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This is the story of Doogal, an adorable candy-loving mutt who goes on a mission to save the world. Doogal must prevent the evil sorcerer Zeebad from freezing the earth forever with the power of the three mysterious legendary diamonds. Joining Doogal on his big quest are pals Dylan, a guitar-playing rabbit, Ermintrude, an opera-singing cow, and Brian, a bashful snail. Hopping on a magic train, they travel over ice-capped mountains, navigate fiery pits of lava, and sail across vast oceans on the perilous journey of a lifetime. Along the way, they learn that the most powerful weapon of all is their friendship - which even Zeebad’s magic cannot destroy! Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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While Skrat the Saber Toothed Squirrel is still ineffectually trying to regain his precious acorn, the misfit trio of Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Sloth and Diego the Sabretooth Tiger have settled down in an isolated valley with numerous other animals. However, the trio discover that the ice wall surrounding the valley is barely holding back a massive body of water behind it and it’s melting state threatens to break and flood the valley. With their one chance of survival being a boat at the other end of the valley, the trio follow the desperate exodus there. Along the way, they meet Ellie, a female mammoth who is convinced she’s a opossum like her brothers. While the strange group continues the trek, they must learn to get along even as Manny struggles to find some connection to this strange female who may be the only other one of his kind. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

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Just hearing the word ‘sequel’ makes me cringe. Too many times the fond memories of a good movie have been ruined by a lame, cash-in-while-the-getting-is-good sequel. The bad sequel list goes on ad nauseam, populated with misguided, unnecessary and annoying attempts to recapture the spirit – and the box office dollars – of a successful movie. And no matter how you try to forget them, bad sequels leave a rotten taste in your mouth that taints the enjoyment of the original film. But the powers behind “Shrek” got it right. They pulled off the near impossible and created a sequel that’s better than the original. Even the computer generated animation, which was pretty darn good in the first film, has been vastly improved. This “Shrek” looks gorgeous, feels fresh, and touches your heart on a grander scale than the first movie.

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It was with a great deal of trepidation that I found myself at a recent preview screening of “Finding Nemo.” First off, I don’t usually like ‘kids’ movies. Secondly, I’m not a big fan of animated films in general. “Finding Nemo” combines the two, making it the sort of film I dread seeing the most.

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Tyrants - Monsters - Heroes - Ear Wax.

This is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in years. It’s also one of the sweetest romances. Who would have thought that a huge, ugly, bug-eating, tube-eared, gassy green ogre could be so loveable? Mike Myers voice was the perfect match for this animated creature, though personally I believe Eddie Murphy stole the show with his Donkey doings.

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In the year 2065, the next great assault against an invading race of phantom-like aliens is about to be launched. Dr. Aki Ross, a brilliant young scientist, races to find the invaders’ secrets, not only to save the planet, but herself as well after her body is infected by alien particles. She teams up with the prestigious Deep Eyes military squadron, led by her old friend Grey Edwards. But as Aki, her mentor Dr. Sid, and Grey work toward a peaceful end, the scheming General Hein devises a plot to eradicate the aliens in one swift, destructive blow…even if it destroys the Earth right along with them. Written by H2F

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Let me admit right off the bat that the trailers for “Madagascar” did nothing for me. While “Shrek” and its sequel both had me at hello, “Madagascar” was a tough sell. Chris Rock has a decent voice for animated movies, but Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer aren’t exactly known for their voice work, and the trailers and clips didn’t convince me they should look for more jobs in that particular field. Fortunately for moviegoers, the humor – in large part supplied by four wily, scene-stealing penguins - is strong enough to make up for the film’s lack of enchanting voices.

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