This is the first Sony Pictures Animation movie to become a franchise.
The song sung by the characters at the end of this movie, "Close to You", was used in The Angry Birds Movie (2016), another Sony Pictures Animation movie.
This is so far the only Sony Animation follow-up where the main protagonist and the sidekick switched roles, with Elliot the deer taking on the role of the main protagonist of this movie.
Despite the success of Open Season (2006), this movie and Open Season 3 (2010) were not released theatrically, with them being Sony Animation's only straight-to-DVD movies up until Surf's Up 2: WaveMania (2016), since Columbia Pictures wouldn't let Sony Animation release any sequels theatrically until they had purchased and acquired Sony Animation in 2010.
Boog and Elliot have different voice actors from Open Season (2006) for unknown reasons, which also applied to Open Season 3 (2010) where they got re-cast again. Matthew Taylor, who voiced Buddy and Deni in Open Season (2006), now also voices Ian instead of Patrick Warburton.