Several animated movies were released in 2006. I still enjoy animated movies and managed to see many of them while they were still in the theater. I just rented Open Season, one of the few I wasn’t able to see that way.
Boog, a domesticated bear, had a comfortable life living in Beth’s garage and performing in a show with her. All that changed after he met Elliot, a deer with one antler. Boog ended up back in the wild and had to try to learn how to survive in the wild while trying to make his way back home to Beth. The fact that hunting season was going to open in just a matter of days just complicated this for him. Shaw, a crazed hunter convinced that animals were plotting to take over the world, was tracking Boog and Elliot. They ended up working with several other animals to fight back against Shaw and other hunters.
The plot of Open Season was pretty straightforward, with most of the movie being devoted to Boog’s attempts to return to his home. A little bit of time was taken at the beginning of the movie to introduce Boog and how he had been living in Beth’s garage. A few other characters, like Elliot and Shaw, were also introduced at that time. Boog was completely out of his element once he was in the woods. That aspect of the plot wasn’t the most original, but it still worked and managed to make an entertaining movie. There was also a subplot going on with a couple that was in the area looking for Big Foot.
Open Season did deal with hunting and that aspect of the movie might bother some viewers. There was a little bit of violence in a few scenes, mostly later in the movie when the animals were fighting back against the hunters. Earlier in the movie, Elliot was beaten up by some other animals. The movie probably had a little more violence than many other animated movies have had. I didn’t think the movie was violent overall. The movie was rated PG, so there were things in the movie that could concern some parents. Some scenes might be a bit upsetting for younger children.
Open Season was a funny movie overall. There were a few scenes that were more serious without making the movie sappy. Gross humor turned up in a few scenes. There really wasn’t any need for that type of humor, but there were only a few of those jokes so it wasn’t too bad. Several of the things included for laughs were at least somewhat silly which might bother some people. Anyone that doesn’t like silly humor should pick a different movie. Several scenes dealing with Boog adjusting to being in the woods were very funny. This wasn’t the funniest animated movie I’ve seen, but it was very funny and entertaining.
Open Season was the first animated movie made by Sony. It was created with computer animation. The movie did have a look that was somewhat similar to other recent animated movies while still having a unique look. The animation was very good throughout the movie. It was very impressive looking in certain scenes, like when Boog’s fur was fluttering in the wind. A scene involving a river was also very well done. The water in that sequence looked amazing and very realistic. The quality in those scenes was very close to what Pixar has been producing.
Boog was happy living in Beth’s garage like a pet. He had no idea how to take care of himself in the wild. He was only concerned with getting back to his pampered life, but that did change as the movie progressed and he was willing to help the other animals. Martin Lawrence’s voice fit the character perfectly. Lawrence has been a bit annoying in some of his other movies. Thankfully that didn’t happen with Boog. Elliot was hyper most of the time and he frequently annoyed Boog. Elliot was very impulsive and liked to have fun. He wanted to be Boog’s friend even though Boog didn’t seem to want him around. Ashton Kutcher did well with the voice and kept the character from being irritating.
Beth was a ranger that had been taking care of Bok for a long time. She was kind of over protective of him and had him acting like a pet or even like a human when it came to certain things. Debra Messing did fine with the voice. Shaw was a crazed hunter that tried to kill animals before hunting season started. He was convinced that all the animals were plotting against humans and he wanted to stop them. I didn’t recognize Gary Sinise’s voice for the character because it sounded so different. It did match the character really well.
Boog encountered several other animals once he was in the woods. Some of them, like McSquizzy, turned up several times. He was a squirrel that was very protective of the trees. Giselle was a female deer that Elliot was interested in. Ian was a male deer that enjoyed teasing Elliot. Ian was in charge of the herd and very over bearing. Patrick Warburton provided the voice for Ian. Warburton has done voices in many different animated movies. None of the other animal characters were as developed as Boog and Elliot were.
Voice Talent
Billy Connolly - McSquizzy Jon Favreau - Reilly Ashton Kutcher - Elliot Martin Lawrence - Boog Debra Messing - Beth Gary Sinise - Shaw Patrick Warburton - Ian
DVD Information
The DVD of Open Season that I rented was the widescreen version. I’m not sure if there is also a full screen version available. The extras included a commentary with the film makers, two featurettes on the making of the movie and the voice talent, an art gallery, a music video, two deleted scenes, a deconstructed scene, and some DVD-ROM content. There was also an animated short called Boog and Elliot’s Midnight Bun Run. I did enjoy the two featurettes and thought they were interesting.
Open Season was a very funny, entertaining animated movie. It is worth watching for people who enjoy animated movies.
In Sony Pictures Animation?s first feature film, the animated action adventure comedy Open Season, the odd are about to get even. Boog (Martin Lawrenc...More at HotMovieSale.com
Product DetailsOriginal Title:Open Season (Full Screen Special Edition)Actors: Ashton Kutcher - Gary Sinise - Jon Favreau - Martin LawrenceCondition:...More at iNetVideo.com
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