A SPUNKY GIRL IN THE HOOD.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

WHILE IT MAY yet be early for the suits at Pixar, DreamWorks, Aardman et al. to concern themselves over-much with the newest animated kid on the block, they should dismiss the Edwards Brothers' ``Hoodwinked'' at their peril. A smart sendup of the ``Little Red Riding Hood'' tale with a fable-skewering sense of humor that is decidedly ``Shrek''-ian, ``Hoodwinked'' - opening at Grauman's Chinese today before opening citywide on Jan. 13 - shouldn't lose its audience to the onset of puberty.

``What do I have to do, get a restraining order?'' Little Red says before going postal on a Granny-impersonating Wolf. All manner of pandemonium breaks lose, the police arrive, and the hunt for the forest's elusive Goody Bandit appears to be all but solved. But once the various suspects - Red, Wolf, Granny, Woodsman - are interviewed separately, the picture clouds. It falls to effete frog P.I. Nicky Flippers (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) to crack the case.

In the ``Rashomon''-like tale that unfolds, it becomes clear that Red (Anne Hathaway) isn't so cheerful, the Wolf (Patrick Warburton) is no carnivore, Granny (Glenn Close) is anything but helpless, and the ax-wielding Woodsman (Jim Belushi), if he's heroic, has earned his medals entirely by accident. Within the same woods are a singing goat (Benjy Gaither), a sheep informant (Chazz Palminteri), a helpful bunny (Andy Dick) and assorted other critters.

The slightly creepy big-eyed people favored by the ``Hoodwinked'' animators take a little bit of getting used to, but once directors Cory and Todd Edwards and Tony Leech (who are also ``Hoodwinked'' co-writers) kick their tale into gear, the resulting ride is nearly irresistible. There are plenty of chases, no violence, and both fairy-tale and pop-cultural jokes spraying the landscape like so much shrapnel. Much of it is thrown away, but it's no less funny.

Warburton, paying homage to the Chevy Chase of the Gregory McDonald ``Fletch'' movies, makes for a canny, laconic antihero. But he's entirely no match for Cory Edwards' vocal turn as Twitchy, the motor-mouthed shutterbugging squirrel who doesn't drink coffee. Which, yes, will turn out to be an important plot point.

Yes, the director steals his own movie. He has, indeed, hoodwinked the audience. And that's a good thing.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

HOODWINKED - Three and one half stars

(PG: mild action and thematic elements)

Starring: Ann Hathaway, Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton, Jim Belushi.

Directors: Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, Tony Leech.

Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

Playing: Mann Grauman's Chinese Theatre. In wide release Jan. 13

In a nutshell: The girl in the crimson cape gets tied up in a manic whodunit. The squirrel steals the show.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

It's Red Riding Hood - with a difference - in ``Hoodwinked.''