Over the Hedge is the latest animated feature from Dreamworks Studios due out May 19th, 2006. A special presentation of the film took place Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at The Emagine Novi Theaters.

There was a catered dinner prior to the screening. It featured meats and potatoes on sticks, cheese and crackers, fruit and some desserts. No seats were available, but there were tables to stand at and eat upon.

There was a substantial crowd, maybe 60 or 70 people, most with kids. I attended with my husband. While we have no children, we like the kids’ movies and do usually take my niece and nephew who are 10 and 12 respectively. I likely would have nabbed them for this event but they live in Lansing.

The catered reception lasted about a half hour. Then we were able to turn in our concession tickets for popcorn and pop. We did so and headed into the theater.

We were supposed to be able to mingle with some of the talent from the film: Wanda Sykes, who voices Stella the Skunk; director Tim Johnson; and executive producer and Dreamworks’ CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg. Unfortunately, they did not make themselves available before or after the screening. But they were there and that was pretty cool.

Mr. Katzenberg addressed the audience first. He set up a clip from Flushed Away, another Dreamworks animated feature. The film is currently in production. It stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet. Jackman plays a snooty rat who winds up getting taken out of his plush above-ground existence and into the sewers. The sewers first appear typical, but then he discovers a mini-London run by rats. The artists on the film have previously worked on Chicken Run and the Wallace and Gromit series, including the recent feature, Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I’m not sure about rats and sewers, but I haven’t seen a Dreamworks picture I haven’t liked yet.

After that clip, Mr. K. came back out and set up a short that will accompany Over the Hedge called First Flight. It was created by a couple college students who were working on OTH. They compiled it with input from most of the crew in their down time. It is a very moving story about a man running late for work who encounters a baby bird who looks to him to teach him how to fly. I loved it and look forward to watching it again.

Then, Mr. Johnson came out. He spoke mostly to the kids, asking for assistance in getting the adults to understand that the film (OTH) was “not finished”. It featured some rough layouts and rough animation. Here, you might encounter shaded or outlined characters, moving and speaking but without color. Or you could get full color but no movement but still have the audio.

Then Ms. Sykes came out. She made a joke about how it was great that Dreamworks finally realized she was perfect for kids. Ms. Sykes has made a name for herself with her very adult stand-up routines and also with a role in Pootie Tang, which she referenced and was promptly greeted with applause. Mostly, it was just from me. But I love that movie!

So then came the screening. It was great. Stay tuned for the full review as we get closer to the release date!