The Director of ‘Hoodwinked!’ Wants You to Know the Story Behind It

Anyone remember Hoodwinked? That charming little animated movie from 2005 that told the story of Little Red Riding Hood through four distinct perspectives? I remember seeing it on DVD after its initial theatrical run. It looked, moved, and felt different than any animated movie I'd seen from Disney, Pixar, or even DreamWorks.

That's because it was. At the time, Hoodwinked! was the first computer-animated feature film to be funded independently. The directors, a pair of Indiana-born brothers, Cory and Todd Edwards, along with their mutual friend, Tony Leech, set out to make an animated film the hard way. It was the only way they knew, or could muster.

After learning Hoodwinked! was unavailable to stream, let alone rent, on any streaming or VOD platform, I hit up my local library (shoutout to Carnegie-Stout) and rented it to relive its magic. It still holds up today. After watching it, I decided to reach out to co-writer/director Cory Edwards to get some insight on how such an improbable project got made.

Edwards talked about how him, his brother, and Leech conceptualized the idea of Hoodwinked!, from the characters to the plot and art design, in a California apartment:

This movie started with three guys in an apartment in Pasadena. A couple of us are writing the script in one room. Tony is cutting the entire thing [and] drawing storyboards on an iMac [....] and Todd is composing all the music on a guitar in the kitchen. It is that kind of ground-level thing that was starting to happen. - Cory Edwards, per our interview

Edwards also spoke about how the dissolution of The Weinstein Company has left Hoodwinked! and its rights in legal limbo (similar to Dogma, another Weinstein movie). This explains why you can't find the film on any streaming platform at this time. Edwards hopes that changes soon, especially considering that the film's 20th anniversary is next year.

In addition to Hoodwinked!, along with the troubled production of its sequel, Edwards touched on his work on VeggieTales over the last 15 years, and teased a Christmas movie he is working on alongside his wife.

Take a listen to my interview with director Cory Edwards below, and learn more about his extensive work in animation and beyond on his official website!