Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Sequel to: “Hoodwinked!” (2005)

The original “Hoodwinked” told the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” from the viewpoint of all the main characters amidst an animal led crime scene police investigation. The film poked fun at traditional fairy tale features with songs, modern cultural references and recognizable movie lines. By the end, the characters had decided to join the “Happily Ever After” (H.E.A.) agency as its newest agents.

“Hoodwinked Too!” picks up shortly after the first film ended with an original story that kicks off with the team of Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers), Big Bad Wolf (Patrick Warburton), Granny (Glenn Close and Twitchy on a rescue mission. Meanwhile, Red Riding Hood is away at a monastery undergoing special training with a mysterious ‘sisterhood’ that Granny had gone to many years ago.

After Granny is kidnapped by the same witch holding Hansel & Gretel, Red (Hayden Panettiere) reluctantly teams up with the Wolf to find Granny before she is forced to give up the secret recipe to the ultimate truffle cupcake which will make its eater unstoppable.

Our heroes will encounter new friends and enemies along the way including the witch (Joan Cusack), a Giant, ably played by Brad Garrett as a mobster, and Wolf’s old enemies, the three little pigs, two of which are comically played by Cheech and Chong.

objectionable content

Violence—Moderate for a kid’s film. There is a lot of fighting throughout including a groin injury, characters falling from great heights, missile shooting pigs, explosions and kidnappings. A very large spider appears in the final act and this will be especially scary to younger children. In consideration of its younger audience, no one is ever actually hurt in the film though the threats seem real enough. Red also gives a troll bridge an unnecessary wedgie.

Sex—Minor. The squirrel, Twitchy, when he is paid a visit from the Wolf, is seen kissing his two girlfriends goodbye as they leave his bachelor pad trailer.

Language—Mild. ‘Muffins’ is the most common expletive by several of the characters. After the aforementioned groin injury the Wolf says, “Ok, I can taste my own butt”. ‘Stupid’ and ‘Jerk-face’ are typical of the level of insults thrown derogatively about. A former competitor of Granny’s, who came in second once, refers to herself as feeling like a “…big pile of number 2.” The Lord’s name is never taken in vain, in fact never mentioned with the Wolf muttering humorously the only prayer when he foresees doom and says, “Now I lay me down to sleep…”.

The two morals featured were that of acceptance and redemption.

When Red and the Wolf feel they may just die, both come to admit that they had talents that the other did not appreciate. This understanding of the value of the roles each must play is reminiscent of what Paul the Apostle was explaining to the people that make up the body of the church:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor” 1 Corinthians 12:21-23.

At one point Granny tells her former rival that, “You were never #2 to me”, which plays a big part of that characters redemption later on. In fact, the Word of God tells us to encourage each other for exactly this reason.

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” Romans 14:19.

Told in a very straightforward manner, “Hoodwinked Too!” bears little resemblance to its predecessor and is not nearly as clever or witty in its storytelling. Scenes, at times, start and end abruptly in a very haphazard fashion with its fun-filled, properly developed and well transitioned scenes being too few and far between. Frequent, highly implied perils make it unsuitable for younger kids, but should please older ones with no expectations beyond a regular cartoon adventure.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Mild / Sex/Nudity: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.