In the Game Boy Advance version of Over the Hedge gamers accept challenges and quests that lead them through actual film adventures. Players must master stealth and heist situations each with its own unique location. Traveling from the forest through the suburban sprawl, players use cartoon weaponry in tandem with avoidance techniques to overcome dangerous machines, villainous gadgets and unfriendly animals. Advice and hints are offered to the player by the other members of the forest family, including Stella the skunk, Ozzie and Heather, the father-and-daughter possums and the porcupine family, headed by Lon and Penny.