Product Description

From Walden Media (The Chronicles of Narnia franchise) and based on the best-selling book, Hoot is a classic story that is fun for all ages. When a boy and his classmates realize that a population of endangered, burrowing owls is threatened by new construction, the kids decide to take on crooked politicians and bumbling cops in the hope of saving their new friends.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4142 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-15
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
The natural beauties of Florida find some young champions in Hoot, based on the young adult novel by satirical crime writer Carl Hiaasen. While trying to resist being bullied on the school bus, Roy (Logan Lerman, Jack & Bobby) becomes intrigued by a barefoot boy running frantically along the sidewalk. As he investigates, Roy learns that a nearby construction site is a habitat for a protected species of burrowing owl and that a tough girl at his school named Beatrice (Brie Larson, Sleepover) has some connection with the barefoot boy, who has some connection with vandalism at the construction site. Hoot has been attacked by conservative critics for promoting eco-terrorism--a charge most viewers may find overheated--but the movie's real weakness isn't political but artistic; the clumsy dialogue barely sounds like human speech and the plot takes some hard-to-believe turns. At one point, as part of protecting the burrowing owls and their chicks, a kid releases poisonous cottonmouth snakes onto the construction site; apparently his ecological knowledge doesn't include the feeding habits of these snakes, which eat birds. The colorful scenery and the affable presence of Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket, Old School) keep the movie alive. Also featuring Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Holes) and singer Jimmy Buffett, whose tropical honky-tonk bubbles up all over the soundtrack. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

It's Rare to See a Movie Stay So Close to the Storyline of a Successful Novel
Hoot the novel was a sensational read which has gone on to win many an award and even entered as study material, into the curriculum of many a school. The basic plot for those who don't know is a boy who has been moved around the country by his father's (whose played by Neil Flynn, the janitor in Scrubs) changing career locations is about to start his first day in a Florida school. Being new he of course attracts the attention of the school bully and while pressed up against the glass notices a weird barefoot boy running alongside the bus. Intrigued he decides to follow the boy the next day and not only in the process further makes the bully his arch nemesis, but also seems to anger the hottest most popular girl in school. As the film goes on he learns of the plans of a pancake house to build on top of the habitat of endangered ground dwelling owls and that the mysterious barefoot boy is currently the only thing standing between them and certain death.

When there's a successful book out there it's easy for film studios to simply buy the rights and turn the book into some other project they had waiting in the wings (ie I am Legend) that only really angers fans of the original book who have eagerly been waiting to see what they saw in their minds as they turned the pages appear on the big screen. Hoot however sticks fairly closely to the novel's plot (there are granted a few places it didn't which would have made more sense if it did such as the cottonmouths and dogs scene where in the movie if you hadn't read the book and were unaware that Mulletfingers had secured the mouths of the snakes together you'd be left thinking well dinner time snakes, by by owls). As a whole though the movie does make sense and the changes for film do as well such as Beatrice in the film being an attractive blond girl, whereas her character in the book more resembled the actor who played Dana Matherson, the male bully in the film.

Hoot is a great film that teaches both kids and adults the value of conservation through the main character's determination to save some rare endangered ground dwelling owls. The bonus features on the DVD also expand this message with features such as teaching kids to make animal sanctuaries in their own backyards and meeting the actual real life owl stars of the film and learning how they came to be in captivity in the first place from the actions of humans. The awareness that Mullets ecoterrorism actions are not what will stop developers who are doing the wrong thing by all the characters by the end of the film is also a great message and one overlooked by those who criticise this film and novel (and probably who haven't seen or read Hoot).

I thought the kids playing the main characters did a good job bringing them to the big screen. They probably could have cast Dana the bully a bit better as he more resembled an obese kid who would have got picked on in school himself than someone you'd fear, but then again being a kids film they maybe needed to lessen the realism and scariness of the bully. The soundtrack also enhanced the film including songs by Jimmy Buffet (who bought the rights to the film - find out more in the special features) who also played the marine biology teacher (changed from history teacher in the book to suit his personality). Brie Larson (who plays Beatrice) also has a song in the film. Scenic footage of Florida landscapes and various wildlife is almost worth watching the film for alone, but of course we're glad they added the Hoot storyline.

Read the book by Carl Hiaasen then watch the DVD as you'll get a lot more out of it. The DVD also includes full length commentary by Carl Hiaasen as well as an interview with him and his thoughts on the film version of his highly successful book.

A great movie and DVD package!

watching owls is fun
Hoot was a total hoot to watch (sorry, I couldn't resist!)

It was actually not so much devoted to the storyline of saving owls as it was to featuring a young teenage boy who goes to a new school in Florida and gets into fights with both the school/bus bully AND a girl who happens to not take a lot of crap from anyone as well.

The movie was fun to watch and all the Jimmy Buffett songs were great, but there was so much focus on the boy getting into trouble and having an adventure that the only bits of story involving owls were brief and devoted to quick screen shots of the adorable creatures coming out of the ground (NOT sitting in the trees, for some reason- these were ground owls).

I liked the part where the mom and dad made their son write an apology letter to the bully (the boy actually beats up the bully in one segment). Of course the bully wasn't going to accept an apology and just threatened the poor kid some more.

The best part was trying to figure out why this one kid was hiding in the woods. It brought excitement and mystery to me.

Still, the story was fun, the characters were good (especially the main boy actor whose emotions were realistic most of the time) and at the end of the movie I was left feeling happy about the movie I just watched. Pick it up.

A Sound Hoot
This is perhaps one of the favorite "new" movies that my kids thoroughly enjoy. There is a bit of prankster in it, but nothing over-the-line. The message of the movie is very good: respect nature in all its forms. The moral message is also quite good: we have to make personal decisions that (while maybe not popular) will effect the overall good of the situation we are in. My kids LOVE this movie... and now they want to move to Florida!!! Not a bad thing at all.