We've had animated movies that deal with toy neglect, ogre prejudice and runaway fish, but "Over the Hedge" is the first to blow the lid off urban blight.

"Over the Hedge" prepares us for its adult-ish concerns with a charming short film, "First Flight," about a bird that introduces a stressed businessman to the beauty of early-morning light. Then, it's on to "Over the Hedge," in which the habitat of a raccoon, a turtle and their woodland compadres is vanishing in the wake of Tudor manses with eight-car garages and postage stamp-sized lots.

That makes "Over the Hedge" sound about as entertaining as a visit to the zoning board, and that is so not the case. "Over the Hedge" is a terrific movie with a sweet script, exceptional voice performances from a cast list that's like what might happen if an action movie fell on a comedy club (William Shatner, Garry Shandling, Allison Janney, Nick Nolte, Steve Carell, Bruce Willis) and subtle Ben Folds songs that smooth over some dramatic emotional shifts.

The movie's MVP is the unlikely king of dramatic emotional shifts, Carell, who continues to reveal new aspects of his ferocious talent. In "Over the Hedge," as on TV's "The Office," he finesses hairpin curves so they make sense for his characters - one minute you're laughing at his foolishness, and the next minute he's showing you the sad humanity behind it. If you saw last week's "The Office," which he wrote and which is the best 40 minutes of anything I've seen all year, you won't be surprised that "Over the Hedge" finds him connecting with the humor and the melancholy of a hyper, homeless squirrel.

"Over the Hedge" has a point to make about greed and waste, as when a raccoon (Willis) jokes, "That is an SUV. Humans ride around in it because they're slowly losing the ability to walk." But the movie never feels like a lesson.

In fact, this witty and wise comedy is easily the most thoroughly enjoyable animated movie since "The Incredibles."

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'Over the Hedge'

Starring: Voices of Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, Garry Shandling

Directors: Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick

Run time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Rated: PG for rude humor

Starts Friday at: College Square, Crossroads 12 and Waverly Palace

***1/2 (out of *****)