Over the Hedge was a fairly successful animated family film from the 2000s and, in a time when even the oddest kids' movies end up getting a sequel, it's a wonder there was never an Over the Hedge 2. Based on the comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis, Over the Hedge is a 2006 animated movie that follows a crafty raccoon who finds himself owing a winter's worth of food to a mafia-like bear. To procure the food and avoid getting eaten, RJ (Bruce Willis), convinces a gang of woodland critters to help him.

Gary Shandling, Steve Carell, Allison Janney, Thomas Haden Church, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte, and Eugene Levy round out the all-star voice cast of forest animals and humans. Fun, zany, and with a sharp sense of humor, Over the Hedge is in the higher tier of animated kid's movies that had more care and thought put into it than those movies sometimes receive. With a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and a major studio behind it (DreamWorks), it's curious as to why there's never been an Over the Hedge 2​​​​​.

Over The Hedge 2 Never Happened Because The First One Didn't Make Enough Money

There Were Other DreamWorks Animation Movies With Bigger Box Offices

Along with its high critical acclaim, Over the Hedge also earned a huge amount at the box office, nearly $340 million (via BoxOfficeMojo). Well, at least it is a huge amount before everything is factored in (via OverTheHedgeBlog). The film cost around $100 million to make, and then another $70 million to and market. Additionally, most studios only end up getting around half the theater receipts, which comes out to $170 million. At this point, the movie is only at break-even.

Subtract another 15% distributor's fee to Paramount, and DreamWorks is in a $25 million hole. Even the $75 million in DVD sales only brings the movie back to $50 million. Over the Hedge is in the green at this point, but if DreamWorks Animation is only making 2–3 movies a year, and something like Shrek 2 earns nearly a billion at the box office two years earlier (via BoxOfficeMojo), it's not hard to guess which movie DreamWorks would rather take the risk on backing if they intend start or continue a franchise.

Why Over The Hedge Didn't Perform Better At The Box Office

Other Major Kids Movies Came Out The Same Summer

With such a stacked cast, excellent animation, cute characters, and a story good for adults and kids, it's a wonder why Over the Hedge didn't earn more at the box office, and push itself into sequel contention. As with most movies (at least in the past), the other films opening at the same time could very easily encroach on another's box office, as parents and viewers have to decide which film to see.

Over the Hedge had a lot of competition in the family and kids genre, including the massively successful Cars which opened just a month later.

Over the Hedge had a lot of competition in the family and kids genre, including the massively successful Cars which opened just a month later. Other popular kids films that opened the same spring and summer include Hoot, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, Nacho Libre, Leroy & Stitch, Monster House, The Ant Bully, and Barnyard, all of which had successful box offices.

Could Over The Hedge 2 Come Out Over Streaming?

Over The Hedge Does Not Have Much Of A Legacy

While some fans of Over the Hedge may have liked to see a sequel to the 2006 animated movie, they're likely in the minority. Over the Hedge is undeniably a lot of fun, and is a unique take on a heist film, with a lot of exciting and creative scenes of animals dealing with the human world for the first time. However, it has little, if no, cultural impact. If Over the Hedge 2 dropped on to a streaming app, there would be few people who would even recognize that they were watching a sequel if not for the 2 in the title.