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DIY hits the realm of computer animation with Hoodwinked, a first-tier recasting of -Little Red Riding Hood, from a third-tier studio fueled by a plucky resolve to compete with the big boys. Kanbar Animation, the sounds-made-up studio, and Cory and Todd Edwards, the brothers who jointly covered the tasks of directing, writing, writing the songs, and providing additional vocal talent, should have had a decent hit on their hands. But a number of curmudgeonly critics did their best to deep-six it, perhaps due to its less than plum January release date (it was once scheduled for Christmas), perhaps due to digital animation that varies in quality from scene to scene, character to character. But in animation's computer age, the script should be the determining factor between a dud and a hit, when the animation meets a minimum standard. The Edwardses have written a truly funny and inventive reexamination of a common fairytale, borrowing the differing-perspectives structure of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon and giving the story a decidedly feminist bent in the process. Not every bit works -- the long scene of Granny snowboarding down a mountain is tiresome, as is her talking to fellow snowboarders in urban street lingo. But the majority of it is pretty smart, with an accused wolf complaining of racial profiling, a barnyard of animals dressed up as police (including three oinking pigs), and a dapperly long-legged frog detective named Nicky Flippers (voice of David Ogden Stiers) trying to piece it all together like Sher-frog Holmes. The forest is also fondly reminiscent of what Shrek accomplished in its self-contained storybook world. Digital animation couldn't remain the sole domain of Pixar and DreamWorks forever, and Hoodwinked proves that the little guy deserves a seat at the table. Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide