Open Season

Year: 2006
Directors: Roger Allen & Jill Culton
Voice cast: Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing

This year we've seen a lot of animation films, from Ice Age 2 to Cars to Over The Hedge. And there are more coming up: Barnyard, Flushed Away and Happy Feet. And then there's this one, Open Season.

In this animated movie that takes place in the small town of Timberline, there's a story of a 900 pound domesticated bear named Boog, looked after by his owner, Beth the park ranger. One day, he crosses paths with a fast talking mule deer named Elliot. Elliot had been captured by the obsessed hunter Shaw, so Boog frees him. In return, Elliot takes Boog out of his comfortable home (Beth's garage to be exact) and shows him what he's missing. Unfortunately this gets the big bear in a lot of trouble, and Beth is forced to set him loose into the wild where he belongs. But does he really belong there, being domesticated all his life and knowing nothing about surviving in the woods? That's where Elliot comes in, with all the other quirky animals, who unfortunately make life harder for Boog. But there's more. Open hunting season begins, and Boog and Elliot have to work together with the other animals to drive the hunters away from their home.

So after Ice Age, Madagascar, The Wild and Finding Nemo, here's yet another animated film featuring talking animals. The common theme of friendship between odd characters is of course present. And with Lawrence and Kutcher voicing a bear and a deer respectively, it should be good, right? Well, not quite.

Unlike Finding Nemo, there aren't many laugh out loud jokes here. Kutcher is inconsistent in his performance, being hilarious sometimes and annoying at other times. The supporting characters are not much fun either. There's a grumpy squirrel, a beaver, an adorable porcupine, two skunks, a couple of tense looking ducks and a very vain deer, but none of them really stand out. However, listening to serious actor Gary Sinise (CSI NY) voice a crazy hunter like Shaw is fun. It's quite hard to believe that he actually did it, and that's a revelation.

It's a fun movie, but it's quite forgettable. I'd recommend Ice Age instead. (2.5/5)