Hitpig! Parent Guide

No job is too difficult for Hitpig (Jason Sudeikis). Be it a polecat that’s consumed nuclear material or a koala seized from a petting zoo, Hitpig can catch and return your missing critter.

The animals aren’t always co-operative: the koala, for instance, doesn’t want to go back to a life of being petted by kids with sticky fingers. But Hitpig is determined to do the job, bolstered by memories of his departed mentor, Bertha (Lorraine Ashbourne). Then animal rights activist Leticia (Anitta) drains his bank account and Hitpig is desperate for any job that can refill his empty coffers.

Soon a badly needed call comes from the Leapin’ Lord of the Leotard (Rainn Wilson), a demented ex-billionaire who has squandered his family fortune on vanity projects. Now he’s preparing a dance show in Las Vegas, but Leticia has freed his elephant co-star, and he’ll pay one million dollars to get Pickles (Lilly Singh) back. That’s an offer Hitpig can’t refuse. There’s just one problem – Pickles radiates an innocent friendliness that gradually softens Hitpig’s heart, and he realizes that he can’t betray a friend. Hopefully he hasn’t learned that lesson too late…

Hitpig! offers a zany, madcap adventure that will keep most kids laughing and focused on the screen. There are certainly no pacing problems here – the movie bounces around the globe and into outer space as its animal characters get themselves into and out of trouble at a rapid rate. There are some messages about friendship, courage, self-assessment, and doing the right thing that parents will approve and kids will absorb without realizing.

This isn’t one of those classic animated films that will enchant parents – it’s nowhere close to The Incredibles or Shrek. It’s made for kids who won’t notice the plot holes, charm deficit, or Jason Sudeikis’ inability to give Hitpig some heart. Although there are a few Easter eggs for adults (such as the lightning quick Bloom County Bill the Cat reference) this is the kind of movie that sees parents doze off as their kids watch.

More alert parents will notice that the show’s negative content includes a bit more violence than expected for an animated production. There are plentiful moments of peril, some falls that should be lethal but aren’t, and a fight with tranquilizer darts. One character is killed by a crocodile off screen and two others are vaporized by the sun on screen. This might be a bit much for sensitive viewers, but I suspect most elementary school age viewers will take the violence in stride.

Hitpig! does have one achievement in terms of negative content – it features some of the most creative uses of flatulence I’ve ever seen in a movie. Parents will roll their eyes, but kids are sure to get a big kick out of the critter whose nuclear-powered farts can blast craters into the earth or power a vehicle through space. Frankly, I wasn’t laughing, but that won’t matter to the seven-year-olds doubled over with laughter as yet another fart joke toots its way across the screen.