Over The Hedge II

""These are wicked little guys who'll pick your pocket as they steal your heart.""-Ted Koppel, host of ABC's "Nightline"

Suburbanites treasure their sameness, safety, and security, little knowing what lurks just "Over the Hedge." There, in a strikingly successful comic strip created by writer Michael Fry and illustrator T Lewis, reside the only slightly displaced original inhabitants of the land: R.J., an irascible raccoon, and his sidekick turtle, Verne.

Verne and R.J. have found little trouble adapting to the ways of their human neighbors. In fact, the relationship works out just perfectly when it comes to borrowing their hot tubs, setting the table with gourmet leftovers, or relaxing on their lawn furniture.It's not that the dynamic duo don't want to stick up for sovereign rights to their turf. It's just that barbecue feasts, television, and even computers keep luring them closer to the enemy camp.

Now in "Over the Hedge 2," Fry and Lewis present their second tour de farce. They've got RJ arguing with one of his woodland neighbors, ""This 'angry white mole' thing is so early eighties."" There's Verne breaking the Internet by e-mailing seven million copies of Spam and potato chip pie recipe. And also, both of the ""boyz in the wood"" taking off in their human-neighbor Nate's Harley with the help of training wheels and a nine-iron pedal extender.

Through it all, Fry, who also produces the nationally syndicated strip "Committed," sustains a wickedly funny commentary on the joys of suburban living, while Lewis, a successful illustrator of fourteen children's books, keeps the masked wonder and his shell-shacked companion fresh from frame to frame.

"Over the Hedge 2" is sure to appeal to animal lovers, suburbanites, and anyone who can laugh at the human condition, as seen through the eyes of two nearly-human opportunists.