Hop

HOP is nothing more than a generic holiday movie with a bunny swapped in for good ol' St. Nick. Director Tim Hill is a kids' flick veteran, and, after Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties and Alvin and the Chipmunks, somewhat of an "expert" at comedies that feature both live-action and computer-animated creatures. It's a shame that most movies that attempt that form of hybridization (Yogi Bear, Marmaduke) are just plain awful, but in a way Hop benefits from the low expectations that adult moviegoers will have for this subgenre of family films. It's unquestionably better than the atrocious Yogi and passably better than Marmaduke, but that's still not saying much.

Marsden is a talented, appealing actor. He's one of those dashing-looking types who's best known for supporting roles (Enchanted, X-Men, Hairspray) and can pull off most characters with his easy charm. So it's a tad ludicrous that he was cast as Fred, since the 37-year-old in no way looks like an early-to-mid-20s slacker, and the role would have been more believable in the hands of a lovable loser-style comedian. His miscasting aside, the movie manages to be amusing enough thanks to Marsden's rapport with Brand, who raises his voice to sound a bit younger as the rock-loving adolescent bunny. Special mention must go the voice-talent genius of Hank Azaria, who plays Carlos the Chick, the Easter Bunny's candy-factory foreman who wants to usurp E.B. as the next Easter Bunny. Azaria makes Carlos the scene-stealer of this lighthearted jellybean of a comedy.