I wanted to but couldn't!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

To begin with, I'm an adult male who tends to like movies that adult males like, and I have a confession to make. I absolutely, totally, completely, loved the first "Hoodwinked" cartoon movie, which I'm pretty certain was aimed at prepubescent children.This follow-up, while not nearly as clever as the original, is still entertaining enough to be worth the time. It does have some problems , however. It was no doubt produced to capitalize on the success of the first one, but, in this case, the pop culture references are overdone and the plot has been neglected. It definitely follows the pattern of the sequel being worse than the original, but not so much so, that it's not worth watching. It's also fun, because kids will get some of the references, adults will get others, and both together will get yet others. Overall, a fun, safe time for the entire family that everyone should be able to find something to like about.

As adults, we loath kids movies. Sure, some people get into the Disney stuff, but for the most part, adults despise films that are made for kids and I am no exception. It takes a really good story and some clever writing for a PG film to appeal to adults as much as it does to kids, and it's virtually impossible to do this while still keeping the PG rating intact, but somehow the writers of Hoodwinked have accomplished this twice! The story really isn't important, it's geared toward kids and is very simple and predictable. What's not easy is keeping the adults awake, while the kids have the time of their lives. The writers accomplished this by throwing in parodies of classic adult films. Hoodwinked Too! has references to Goodfella, Die Hard, Silence of The Lambs, and a half a dozen other classic films, and it was those scenes that were the most fun. Also interesting to note, the voice of the wolf was done by Patrick Warburton, who does the voice of Joe Swanson on Family Guy, and it was really difficult for me to see the wolf as a totally different character. Hoodwinked and now it's sequel are nothing like Toy Story and aren't going to blow anyone away, but they are pretty good and while the kids are watching it, you'll find yourself getting in a few laughs as well. Hoodwinked Too! is a terrific family film with something for the whole family and is really the definition of what a family film should be.

I watched "Hoodwinked Two;" better known as "The Sequel No One Asked For." I mean, has Hollywood really run out of ideas so much that it has resorted to creating really worthless waste-of-time sequels. (Or course it has, how else do you explain not one but two lame-ass Alvin and the Chipmunks movies not to mention another up-coming Smurfs??) I mean, they didn't even bother to improve the animation. One of the best things about the first movie was bending the story of Little Red Riding Hood into a farce of itself, but once you go there, where can you go? What the movie does is follow the incidents of the first movie into a new adventure, and have as many cameos from Mother Goose and the Grimm Fairy Tales as possible. Hayden Panettiere replaces Ann Hathaway from the first movie, exuding as much girl power as possible, but other than that, all of the original cast members has returned, except for Jim Belushi who felt unable to keep up the German accent for the Woodsman and was replaced by the tireless and wonderful Martin Short, barely given much to do in the movie. Beyond that, the movie suffers from far too much "sequelitis," that is, trying too hard to be too much like the first movie. One of the most favorite characters from the first movie, Japeth the Singing Mountain Goat, is turned into a one-joke device, getting the brunt of all the punishment from a series of Wiley Coyote disasters. Amy Poehler and Bill Hader voice Hansel and Gretel, the background criminal masterminds, who after a while become less evil and just down right annoying. Patrick Warburton is neutered as the wolf; he doesn't get any really funny lines this time around, and Joan Cusack voices the witch. She really excels with that cackling laugh, but the character is paper flat. Brad Garrett has a cameo as the giant, but even he is barely given much to do that prove how deep his voice gets. The plot is okay, but the problem is there are two many characters crowding each other. Heck, even Andy Dick returns to voice the rabbit for a tired "Silence of The Lambs" spoof. Kids may like it, but parents may want to look away.

Let's just say that this film wins the prize for most unnecessary sequel of the year. haters of Pirates 4 and Cars 2, step back.The film opens with a mission by the Happily Ever After agency, led by Agent Nicky Flippers, to rescue Hansel and Gretel from a witch. Granny gets kidnapped by the witch, and so the big bad wolf goes looking for Red Riding Hood, now a member of an organization "Of the Hood." Joining forces, they go on a mission to discover the mystery behind Granny's disappearance, and what follows is a series of dupes, and fairy tale references. You've been hoodwinked into forking over hard earned money.Before you ask me exactly WHY I watched the movie, I'll tell you. It's because I liked the first film. Some can fault the first film if they want, but I think its half decent story, clever jokes, and low budget animation charm give it a nice identity. In short, the sequel fails to live up to the first film in any way, it's also the second worst film featuring Red Riding Hood I've seen this year, the first being that boring Amanda Seyfried flick.The story is forced, under developed, bolted down, and lacking in coherency. The laughs fall especially short of the edge. I can't say it didn't make me laugh a few times, but even that's not enough to cover it. The cast tend to be obnoxious, monotonous, and feel wasted, just like their characters that could have worked if more effort had been put into it. The film's biggest saving grace is its brisk running time of just under 80 minutes. But if you do see this film expecting a good time, prepare to be duped.I give it *1/2 out of ****