Over the Hedge is a 2006 American animated heist comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures.^[4] Based on the comic strip of the same name created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis, the film was directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick (in the latter's feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Len Blum, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton and Kirkpatrick, and features an ensemble voice cast that includes Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Wanda Sykes, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney, Avril Lavigne, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Nick Nolte. Set in Indiana, the film centers on a raccoon named RJ, who is forced to deliver food to a bear named Vincent after accidentally destroying his stockpile of food, whereupon he manipulates a family of woodland animals who have recently awakened from hibernation into helping him steal food in order to speed up the process.

Over the Hedge was theatrically released in the United States on May 19, 2006, as the first film by DreamWorks Animation to be distributed by Paramount, and released on home video on October 17, 2006. Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $339.8 million worldwide on an $80 million budget.

In a deserted Indiana picnic area, a raccoon named RJ tries stealing a stockpile of food from a hibernating bear named Vincent after failing to obtain food from a vending machine. The plan backfires when the food is destroyed in the ensuing confrontation. Vincent is woken up by the commotion and almost kills RJ, the raccoon offers to replace his food in one week's time; should RJ fail, Vincent will kill him.

The next morning, a family of woodland animals led by a turtle named Verne awaken from hibernation on the first day of spring, but discover most of the forest they lived in has been turned into a housing development that is separated from the little forest remaining by a giant hedge. RJ introduces himself to the group and explain they could have better food by scavenging off the humans. Despite Verne's concerns, RJ convinces the other animals to steal and stockpile food and other human stuff, unaware of his true intentions of delivering the stash to Vincent. Gladys Sharp, the neighborhood Home Owners Association president, takes notice of the animal problem and hires exterminator Dwayne LaFontant.

While RJ tries stopping a worried Verne from returning the pile of food to avoid Dwayne, the food is destroyed following a chase from an excited Rottweiler named Nugent. RJ blames Verne for the destruction while Verne unsuccessfully tries convincing his family not to follow RJ for their own safety; the family abandons him in favor of RJ. That night, Dwayne rigs animal traps, including a federally illegal contraband device called the Depelter Turbo, in Gladys' yard.

Verne reconciles with RJ and the other animals. On the night of the full moon, RJ sees that Gladys has bought a massive stockpile of food and has the animals invade her home and steal it. A squirrel named Hammy successfully disables the Depelter Turbo while the striped skunk Stella steals Gladys' pet Persian cat Tiger's collar, which enables entry into the house's pet door, by posing as a cat and seducing him. The animals stockpile another wagon full of food, but before leaving, RJ sees a can of chips and becomes determined to get them per Vincent's request. While trying to justify his motivation to get the chips, RJ reveals his true intentions just as Gladys comes downstairs and catches them. RJ flees with the food while Verne and the other animals are captured by Dwayne, who takes them away in his truck.

While delivering the food to Vincent, a remorseful RJ sees Dwayne's truck driving past and in an attempt to free the animals, sends the wagon to crash Dwayne's van and knock Dwayne unconscious. This prompts an enraged Vincent to attack RJ. The porcupine triplets drive the truck back to the neighborhood to escape Vincent while Verne convinces the others to forgive RJ. The animals crash the truck into Gladys' home and return to the hedge, only to be attacked from both sides of it by Vincent, Gladys and a now-awake Dwayne. Hammy reactivates the Depelter Turbo. RJ, who is wearing Verne's shell for protection, tricks Vincent into leaping over the hedge to eat him, resulting in Vincent, Gladys, and Dwayne being caught in the Depelter Turbo.

The local animal control service ships Vincent to the Rocky Mountains while Gladys is arrested for possessing the Depelter Turbo. Dwayne's escape attempt is thwarted by Nugent. RJ rejoins the woodland creatures permanently alongside Tiger, who remains in love with Stella even after learning she is a skunk. After Verne thinks they have wasted a whole week without gathering food for the winter, Hammy reveals that he has finally found the nuts he had stored for the previous winter, replenishing the animals' food supply.

• Bruce Willis as RJ, an intelligent, charismatic and manipulative raccoon. He starts out as a con artist to deliver food to a greedy Bear named Vincent who will kill him if he doesn't deliver. Despite this, he is revealed to have a sensitive side to his personality, developing feelings of guilt over using his newfound companions to his own ends.
• Garry Shandling as Verne, a cynical and timid ornate box turtle who is the leader of the foragers. He has his own ways of doing their daily tasks, but his world is turned upside-down when RJ introduces his free-spirited lifestyle into the mix. Though Verne genuinely cares for his family, he sometimes comes off as condescending. Verne's shell falls off regularly and is laughed at as a running gag, as well as that he is commonly mistaken for an amphibian despite the fact that he is a reptile.
• Steve Carell as Hammy, a hyperactive American red squirrel whose mouth moves as fast as his feet. He is naïve and childish in nature, with an extremely short attention span.
• Wanda Sykes as Stella, a short-tempered and sassy striped skunk. She later goes undercover as a black cat to distract Tiger, but ends up falling in love with him when he reveals he has no sense of smell.
• William Shatner and Avril Lavigne as Ozzie and Heather, a Virginia opossum father and teenage daughter respectively who see the world from different points of view. Ozzie often embarrasses Heather when he constantly feigns death to get away from danger.
• Nick Nolte as Vincent, a greedy, predatory American black bear to whom RJ owes food, motivating the story. He makes a cameo in Bee Movie.^[5]
• Thomas Haden Church as Dwayne LaFontant,^[6][7] an overzealous pest exterminator who is hired by Gladys to get rid of the animals. He can detect the species of any animal that has recently been in the area by smell. He is nicknamed the "Verminator", a spoof of the Terminator.
• Allison Janney as Gladys Sharp, the president of the El Rancho Camelot Estates Home Owners Association who is disgusted by wild animals and strict on H.O.A. rules. It is implied that she is not taken seriously by the other residents of the housing development, much to her irritation.
• Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as Lou and Penny, an easygoing North American porcupine couple; Lou has an overly friendly and optimistic attitude and a strong Minnesota accent, while Penny encourages her children to partake in the wonders of suburbia.
• Omid Djalili as Tiger, a snobbish Persian cat whose full name is "Prince Tigerius Mahmoud Shabazz".^[8] Initially hating the forest animals, he guards Gladys' house against them until Stella seduces him disguised as a black cat. He later joins the other animals after he falls in love with Stella even after realizing she is a skunk.
• Shane Baumel, Sami Kirkpatrick and Madison Davenport as Spike, Bucky and Quillo, Lou and Penny's triplet children who enjoy playing video games and are the most enthusiastic about exploring beyond the hedge.
• Brian Stepanek as Nugent, an excitable Rottweiler whose only spoken word is "Play!" He otherwise communicates by barks.

Two minor human characters named Lunch Table Larry and BBQ Barry who appear during the dog chase scene, were voiced by Lee Bienstock and Sean Yazbeck, two participants on The Apprentice 5 as part of a reward for winning a task.^[9]

The soundtrack for the film was released on May 16, 2006, by Epic Records. Rupert Gregson-Williams composed the original score while Hans Zimmer served as an executive music producer and Ben Folds contributed three original songs, along with a rewrite of his song "Rockin' the Suburbs" and a cover of The Clash's "Lost in the Supermarket".^[15]

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In May 2007, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that Over the Hedge would not receive a sequel due to its box office performance, saying that "It was close. An almost."^[49] In October 2010, an article explaining the possibility of a sequel was posted on the official Over the Hedge blog, saying that if a sequel failed to perform as well financially as the first film, DreamWorks could lose money on the project.^[50]