Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

The original Hoodwinked! opened to decent reviews when it was released in 2006. Five years later and we finally have a sequel. Did Detective Nicky Flippers ever set up that private agency with Red and Wolf? Did Kirk Kirkendall become a successful yodeler? Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil reveals all…

As it turns out, all of the above is true. Detective Flippers has set up an agency with Red, Granny and Wolf in charge. While Red and Granny prove great agents, Wolf ends up causing more trouble than actually preventing it. While Red is away training for the Sister Hoods, the agency takes on a mission to rescue Hansel and Gretel from an evil witch. Because Red is out of the picture, Wolf ends up getting Granny captured. Now the agency must rescue one of their best agents and save the candy-loving children.

Much of the cast from the first film returns for the sequel, with the notable exceptions of Anne Hathaway as Red and Jim Belushi as Kirk the Woodsman. In their place are Hayden Panettiere and Martin Short. While the change is noticeable, it doesn’t really make that much of a difference in the big picture of things. Red is still as feisty and strong willed as ever and Kirk isn’t in the film all that much to begin with. The real enjoyment mainly comes from newcomers to the series.

Comedians Bill Hader and Amy Phoehler provide the voices of Hansel and Gretel, and they are to die for. I don’t know if it’s their hilarious German accents or their adorable little rotund bodies, but the two are clearly the forerunners of the film. Other notable characters include the Three Little Pigs and Jepeth, the singing mountain goat who you probably recognize from the first film.

Hoodwinked Too! expands on the fairytales from the first film and gives the children’s tales a much needed reboot of sorts. Characters are given more depth and are taken out of their original context and thrown into a modern day world. It’s entertaining, for both kids and adults. For example, children most likely won’t understand the Silence of the Lambs reference with Boingo but their parents will find it absolutely hilarious.