There are not enough chocolate eggs in the world that could save this dud of an Easter Bunny movie.

One would think that an animate feature starring an Easter Bunny who can play drums, crap jelly beans, and is voiced by British wild child Russell Brand could have something going for it. Yet in a packed field of Easter holiday animated releases, Hop is definitely the dud egg of the season.

Brand voices E.B., the son and heir apparent to the Easter Bunny (Hugh Laurie), who wishes he were a drummer in a famous rock band.

Running away from Bunny headquarters on Easter Island (not kidding), E.B. heads to Hollywood and befriends 30 something year old slacker Fred (James Marsden), who is also trying to find his way.

Now, the next line should be something in the vein of “together they embark on a journey of adventure and discovery”, yet that would be a falsity. There is no adventure to be found in this blandest of films, and the only discovery is the horrific notion that Hop just may be the worst film released thus far this year.

If Hop were a picture book, it would be a success. Live action and CGI mesh very well, and the vibrant colour found within Easter Bunny headquarters with its never ending stream of chocolate and sweets, would even make Willy Wonka blush.

Yet while visually impressive, the sorely needed elements of character, story and emotion are missing in action, thanks to the shambolic direction of Tim Hill and the poor writing of Kevin Daurio and Cinco Paul.  

A talented cast fail to give Hop that sorely needed spring in its step. Brand proves to be dull with such low risk material, Hank Azaria bores with his usual Latino shtick in his portrayal of a scheming chic, and the usually solid James Marsden is wanning in the human/straight man role, his wide eyed optimism and pearly whites unable to compensate for the lack of quality material.

And that’s the trouble with Hop: it’s lazy. Years of stellar animated features has proven that studios just cannot release a film filled with colour and cute animals gyrating to music, and call it quality entertainment.

Pixar and Dreamworks have lifted the bar. Family films need to move us as well as make as laugh, to dazzle us with imagery as well as quality writing. Hop has the look, yet it’s as emotionally synthetic as the commercial secular holiday it promotes, and features a leading character more useful as a stuffed play thing.

Bug Bunny and Roger Rabbit would be hopping mad with such poor representation.