Open Season (2006)

Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.

Directors:

Roger Allers, Jill Culton,

Writers:

Steve Bencich (screenplay), Ron J. Friedman (screenplay),

Stars:

Ashton Kutcher, Martin Lawrence, Debra Messing

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Lawrence	...	Boog (voice)
Ashton Kutcher	...	Elliot (voice)
Gary Sinise	...	Shaw (voice)
Debra Messing	...	Beth (voice)
Billy Connolly	...	McSquizzy (voice)
Georgia Engel	...	Bobbie (voice)
Jon Favreau	...	Reilly (voice)
Jane Krakowski	...	Giselle (voice)
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Gordy (voice)
Patrick Warburton	...	Ian (voice)
Cody Cameron	...	Mr. Weenie (voice)
Nika Futterman	...	Rosie (voice)
Danny Mann	...	Serge (voice)
Jack McGee	...	Hunter (voice)
Michelle Murdocca	...	Maria (voice)

Storyline

A happily domesticated grizzly bear named Boog, has his perfect world turned upside down after he meets Elliot, a scrawny, fast-talking one-horned wild mule deer. They both end up stranded together in the woods during hunting season and it's up to the duo to rally all the other forest animals and turn the tables on the hunters.

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Plot Keywords:

hunter | deer | bear | forest | grizzly bear | 

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Taglines:

The Odd Are About To Get Even.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some rude humor, mild action and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [France] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les rebelles de la forêt

Filming Locations:

Sony Pictures Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,007,483 (Australia) (1 December 2006)

Gross:

$1,007,483 (Australia) (1 December 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) DTS Sonics-DDP (IMAX version) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Sony's 11th number one opening movie of 2006. It performed particularly well at IMAX theaters where it took in about $1.4 million. This averages about $22,000 per screen versus $6,000 for conventional theaters.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie Beth loads a large blue cooler and a smaller red one into the back of her jeep. They are nowhere to be seen when Boog jumps into the back a few minutes later.

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Quotes

Shaw: It walks... like a man!

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Crazy Credits

Near the beginning of the end credits, there is a scene where Shaw appears looking like Bigfoot (in reality, he was tarred and feathered in leaves) and is captured by Bob and Bobbie.

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Connections

References The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

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Soundtracks

Good Day
Written and Performed by Paul Westerberg
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Fun for the whole family! A great start for Sony Pictures Animation!

What's a 'unihorn' you may ask? Well, it's a deer that only has one antler, of course. And you'll only see one in the new Sony Pictures Animation film, Open Season, starring Martin Lawrence, Debra Messing, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Jon Favreau, and many more.

Martin voices the lovable Boog in the film; he's the main attraction of a show at the zoo with his best friend, Beth (Debra Messing). Boog also lives with Beth, equipped with his stuffed animal, Dunkleman. On a completely side note, what would a Sony film be without a reference to one of their own. Before Boog settles in for his comfy night sleep, he checks out Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune.

They have a great life together doing shows for the fans, even exchanging powerful roars. But that's before Elliot (Ashton Kutcher) shows up, the hapless one-antlered deer who's been captured by the evil Shaw (Gary Sinise). Boog helps Elliot escape and makes Boog's and Beth's life miserable, forcing Beth to send the two animals away into the forest.

On his own for the first time, Boog now has to rely on himself, or be stuck with Elliot. And that means figuring out how to go to the bathroom in the wild. That's when he first runs into McSquizzy, the squirrel (voiced by Billy Connolly) – McSquizzy is the ruler of the forest trees, and has a great and powerful squirrel Army to back him up, equipped with thousand of acorns. Without a doubt, McSquizzy is one of the highlights of Open Season! He's got wit, humor, and a ton of Scottish charm.

Boog realizes having Elliot around is the only way he'll get back to Beth. So they become 'partners,' much to the dismay of Boog – but the delight of Elliot, who just needs a friend. With hunting season right around the corner, the two must work together to sneak around the hunters.

But when Shaw breaks the hunting season date, the animals switch their thinking – instead of running away, they're going to fight back! And fight back they do! Trying to run away, Boog crosses a dam; unfortunately, his 900 pound body crumbles the wood.

That's when Open Season turns into Hill Street Blues! There is one of the most amazing chase scenes I've ever seen in the movies. Boog, Elliot, and their porcupine friend try and escape the gun shots of Shaw – but on water. Bobbing and weaving through the water, under water, above water, around rocks – great scene! There's even a waterfall at the end to top it off! I have somewhat of a test for animated movies I've been giving myself over the past few years – ever since seeing the water scenes in The Incredibles, and noticing how real it looked, I've started to take an eye to the screen. If water doesn't look real, than it doesn't pass the test. Let's just say, Open Season aced my test. This water chase scene goes on for about 5 minutes, maybe a little more; but it's so exciting and amazing to watch! It's not just the water of Open Season, it's the entire field of animation; the animals really come alive on the screen. I'm a huge fan of animation; I think it has to do with the fact that anything done with computer fascinates me. The detailed description of each character, from their eyes, nose, mouth, walk, and hair – and in this movie, fur; it's just so amazing! But back to the story - after meeting back up with the group of beavers, led by Reilly (voiced by Jon Favreau), some of Elliot's former deer mates (Patrick Warburton and Jane Krakowski), and a few other animals, Boog and Elliot team up and go on the attack against the hunters. Bras, plungers, grills, forks, knives, spoons, and basically, anything they can get their hands on – sorry, whatever they can get their paws on – they use to charge the hunters with.

Open Season is directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Tony Stacchi; each has a number of major credits to their name. Both Tony and Jill make their feature directorial debut on this film; however, Jill has worked at Pixar on the character development for Monsters Inc. and Toy Story. Tony worked on a number of films for ILM including Hook and Ghost. Roger Allers co-directed The Lion King, and has just recently completed The Little Match Girl – a short attached to The Little Mermaid.

Open Season is a fun and very enjoyable film for kids and families. It's definitely a film you'll be talking about for a long time. And don't forget, you can also check out the film in IMAX 3D, opening at major theaters across the country.