In the tranquil mountain town of Timberline, Boog (Martin Lawrence), a grizzly bear with no survival skills, enjoys an idyllic existence. He spends his days as the star of the town's nature show and his nights living a life of luxury in the garage of Park Ranger Beth (Debra Messing), who raised him since he was a cub. Every town has a bully and Timberline's is the paranoid uber-hunter, Shaw.
When he drives into town with Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), a scrawny, fast-talking wild mule deer strapped to the hood of his truck, Boog is moved by Elliot's pleas for help and against his better judgment, frees him. Elliot follows Boog home, intent on returning the favor by 'freeing' Boog from his garage 'captivity'. He introduces the bear to a world of sweet temptations he has never known. But when the bear's true instincts emerges, events quickly spin out of control.
One glance at "Open Season" and you would probably be thinking "Oh no, not another one of those animations...". This year itself, we already had plenty of them, including "Ice Age 2", "The Wild", "Over The Hedge" and the list goes on. Sony Pictures' first attempt at a studio animation 'bear' (pun intended) a huge resemblance to those that have come and gone - cute-looking and fast-talking animals; lots and lots of wisecrack jokes and humour to keep you laughing to tears; and an emotional part of the movie that makes you go "awwwww.."
The unlikely duo of Boog, a tame grizzly bear who was brought up in town and Elliot, a one-antlered fast-talking deer, results in a lot of funny and weird moments. Taken away from the comfort of his nest, Boog must somehow adapt to his new environment and discover that the place he fears the most is actually his true home. Sounds familiar? "Open Season" essentially 'borrowed' four themes from other animations and movies. Don't believe me? Read on...
The first is the domesticated-animal-out-of-his-element story, featured most recently in "Madagascar" and "The Wild". "Open Season" made that very clear as Boog struggles to pit himself against salmons skilled in martial arts, and his laughable inability to relieve himself in the absence of a hygienic, private toilet.
Next is the odd friendship/partnership between the hyper and needy but lovable loser (always a small creature) and the good-hearted but often-irritated protagonist (usually something, or someone big). Hmm... Where have I seen this before? Does Manny and Sid, from "Ice Age", and Donkey and Shrek, from "Shrek", ring a bell?
Next, we have the underdog story of the bullies becomes the bullied. In "Open Season", the animals in the forest gang up on the hunters, one of the movie's more inventive, exciting and funnier scenes. Sadly, even though this is the part of the movie where the trailers and posters promote, it only lasted for the last 15 minutes of the film.
Lastly, we have the tragic dark humour of bunny abuse, which unfortunately some find amusing. These include throwing rabbits against a window instead of stones, using them as rags to clean messes, stomped on and practically mistreated. Oh, the horror! And I thought it only happens in "Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit".
Overall, this is a fine attempt by a newcomer to enter the animation market. The animation is first-rate, not only in finely detailed backdrops (which are made vividly larger than life when viewed in IMAX 3D), but you can see the pain and sweat in the designers to convincingly render the fur of the animals. A little more originality (and a lot less cruelty to the rabbits) might have put "Open Season" somewhere in the league of other animations.
