I’ll admit: it’s been years since I’ve watched this movie. I remember when I was a kid, I loved this movie, and even had the video game on PlayStation 2. I also had a few toys too and would spend hours playing both the game and the toys. I also remember getting the movie on DVD when it first came out, but I lost it. Many years later (in fact, a couple of weeks ago) I found the movie at a 2nd and Charles and I had to buy it. When I got home and put the movie in my DVD player, the memories came flooding back. While I still like the movie, there are a few things that don’t really work when you watch it as an adult.

Pros: * The characters are likable. I generally like these characters. They’re fun, and the voice actors do a great job at bring a lot of energy to the characters. The three villains are equally as fun and memorable. (It’s kinda interesting how this movie does a better job at handling three villains than Spider-Man 3 or The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Speaking of villains, my favorite character in the movie is the Exterminator. His lines are so funny, and Thomas Haden Church brings so much joy to this character. * The story. I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for movies that feature talking animals that are the main characters. (If they’re done right, that is). The plot of this movie kept me engaged and made me care about these characters. While it’s on my mind, let’s talk about the liar reveal trope. In most DreamWorks movies, it’s done to death and doesn’t work all the time. Even I get tired of them from time to time. In this movie, I feel that it works. Let me explain: The main plot centers around RJ, who owes Vincent a lot of food, and has to trick the other animals into gathering food for him. Why I think this trope works for this movie is that during the scene where the RJ is revealed to be a liar, you can feel emotion behind the character. RJ actually found a family with the other animals. This also plays into why I think the characters are really fun in this movie. * The soundtrack. The songs in this movie were not only made for the movie, but they are really fun to listen to, and you can often catch yourself humming to each tune. My favorite tune on the soundtrack is “Rockin’ the Suburbs”. * This scene. (Kinda amazing how the makers of the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie looked at this scene for inspiration and not the Quicksilver scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past).

Cons: * While some of the jokes in this movie work really well, there are some that don’t work. * Even though I really enjoyed the characters, I feel as though some of the other animals don’t get a lot of attention. I would’ve liked it if they spent a little longer with them.

In conclusion, this movie was still as good as I remember, but you start to notice a few things once you get older. While I still think this movie is underrated, it’s not as underrated as say, Megamind or The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Rating: 6.5/10