Open Season (film series) explained

Open Season
Creator:Steve Moore
John B. Carls
Jill Culton
Anthony Stacchi
Years:2006–present
Films:Open Season
Direct-To-Video:
Tv Series:Open Season: Call of Nature
Shorts:Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run
Video Games:Open Season

The Open Season film series from Sony Pictures Animation consists of the animated film Open Season (2006) and its three direct-to-video sequels Open Season 2 (2008), Open Season 3 (2010), and (2015), the short film Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run (2007), the television series Open Season: Call of Nature (2024–present) and a video game based on the first film.

Films

Open Season (2006)

See main article: Open Season (2006 film).

In the tranquil town of Timberline, a 900-pound grizzly bear named Boog has his perfect world turned upside down after he meets Elliot, a one-antlered mule deer. After Elliot messes up Boog's nature show, they end up tranquilized by Boog's owner Ranger Beth and then her friend Sheriff Gordy tells her to release them into the Timberline National Forest before open season for only 3 days. But when hunting season comes, it is up to Boog and Elliot to rally all the other forest animals and turn the tables on the hunters. In the end, Boog decides to stay in the forest and says goodbye to Beth (who had returned to take Boog home).

Open Season 2 (2008)

See main article: Open Season 2.

One fine spring morning, Elliot gets all prepared for his big wedding with Giselle. But little do they know, Bob and Bobbie have left a trail of dog treats in the forest for Mr. Weenie to follow, which he does and he ends up getting taken back to his original home by his owners. Elliot sees this, tells the story to Boog and the others, and they all make a mission to go save their friend before he gets turned back into a pet. In the end, Mr. Weenie thought he goes back with the wilds, but instead he decides to remain a pet once again and go live with Bob and Bobbie and the other domestics.

Open Season 3 (2010)

See main article: Open Season 3.

Boog wakes up early in his cave one spring morning and prepares for a guy's trip to start spending more time with his male friends. Unfortunately, they all decline because of family obligations; this makes Boog feel bad and take Dinkleman with him on the trip, only to discover it is not a guys trip with only one guy. He then stumbles upon a poster of the Russian Maslova Family Circus, where he meets a devious look-alike named Doug, his llama friend Alistair, and a skilled girl bear named Ursa (with whom he falls madly in love). When Doug tricks Boog into letting him switch places, Elliot and the wilds find out about this and set out to rescue their beloved bear friend (especially as the circus is going back to Russia sooner or later), with Elliot being the leader once again. In the end, Ursa decides to live with Boog and his best friends since he doesn't want to leave her or Elliot and the guy's trip becomes a success.

Open Season: Scared Silly (2015)

See main article: Open Season: Scared Silly.

A few months after the events of the first film, Elliot tells a campfire story about the legend of the Wailing Wampus Werewolf that is said to live in the Timberline National Forest one night. Boog is terrified by the story and decides to "chicken out" of their annual camping trip until he knows that the werewolf is gone. Determined to help Boog overcome his fears, Elliot, Mr. Weenie, and the other woodland animals band together to scare the fear out of Boog and uncover the mystery of the Wailing Wampus Werewolf.

Former hunter Shaw, now a tour guide, returns to Timberline to get revenge on Boog and Elliot for defeating him and witnesses an unseen creature in the forest (which turns out to be Ian, a deer who is Elliot’s rival, in a disguise). Shaw begs Gordy to reopen hunting season and he reluctantly does so. Despite being told to only hunt down the werewolf, Shaw becomes determined to not only catch it, but also hunt down Boog and Elliot. To carry out his plan, Shaw recruits his old friends Ed and Edna, the owners of Poutine Palace, a restaurant serving poutine. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Elliot catches the werewolf by himself after Boog angrily breaks up with him. As Boog walks through the forest, Elliot’s girlfriend Giselle catches up to him and tries to convince him that Elliot was trying to help him overcome his fear and that Elliot is headed toward Dead Bear Gulch, but fails.

Meanwhile, a starving Mr. Weenie starts to believe that he is the werewolf. At Dead Bear Gulch, Elliot and Mr. Weenie are both caught by the werewolf, who is actually Shaw in a costume; fortunately, Boog and his friends leap to the rescue. Shaw is eventually overpowered and defeated, permanently shutting down open season. Gordy meets up with Boog, having recognized the bear's handiwork in defeating Shaw, and rewards him with a few treats. The animals then discover that the werewolf is real, but Elliot befriends him by dancing with him as he joins their campout. The next morning, Bobbie and Bob happily return to their RV with Mr. Weenie, and Bobbie tells Mr. Weenie that today is his birthday. The werewolf asks Boog to wear the female werewolf costume one more time, but Boog angrily refuses. as a result of the anger Boog goes on a rampage throughout the town an causes a ruckus.

Future

In an interview with ComicBook in 2016, Open Season: Scared Silly director David Feiss hinted at the possibility of a fifth film stating: "You can never be too sure, but I have a feeling that we will be seeing an Open Season 5. Everybody likes the characters and the movie and the way it turned out, so I would be surprised if there wasn’t a Open Season 5. I know people want to do another."[1]

Short film

Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run (2007)

A short film titled Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run is featured on the Open Season DVD and Blu-ray.[2]

Television series

Open Season: Call of Nature (2023–present)

A 2D animated series Open Season: Call of Nature takes place between the events of and Open Season 2.[3] The series is produced by 9 Story Media Group, and first started airing on Discovery Kids in Brazil and Latin America on October 2, 2023[4] and later made its Canadian debut on Family Channel in November 3 the same year.[5] In the United States, the series was released on The Roku Channel on March 10, 2024[6] and on Tubi in July 2024.[7] At the same month in United Kingdom, it started airing on Nickeldeon on July 30.

Releases

Box office performance

FilmRelease dateRevenueRank (Domestic)Budget
United StatesOutside United StatesWorldwide
Open Season$85,105,259$115,706,430$200,811,689
  1. 742
$85,000,000[8]
Open Season 2$8,797,168$8,797,168[9]
Open Season 3$7,487,555$7,487,555[10]
$1,774,429$1,774,429$5,500,000[11] [12]
Total$$$$90,500,000

Critical response

FilmRotten TomatoesMetacritic
Open Season49% (103 reviews)[13] 49% (18 reviews)[14]
Open Season 2 (4 reviews)[15]
Open Season 3 (4 reviews)[16]
Open Season: Scared Silly (1 review)[17]

Cast and crew

Cast

CharactersFilmsShort filmTelevision series
Open SeasonOpen Season 2Open Season 3Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun RunOpen Season: Call of Nature
BoogMartin LawrenceMike EppsMatthew J. MunnDonny LucasMartin LawrenceJonathan Langdon
ElliotAshton KutcherJoel McHaleMaddie TaylorWill TownsendAshton KutcherJoshua Graham
GiselleJane KrakowskiMelissa SturmJosette Jorge
Mr. WeenieCody CameronWill TownsendCody CameronJonathan Sconza
McSquizzyBilly ConnollyAndré SogliuzzoLee TockarTrevor White
SergeDanny MannPeter Kelamis
DeniMaddie Taylor
BuddyLee TockarJonathan Sconza
IanPatrick WarburtonMaddie TaylorBrian DrummondRon Pardo
RosieNika FuttermanShannon Chan-Kent
MariaMichelle Murdocca
ReillyJon FavreauJon FavreauMaddie TaylorBrian Drummond
BobbieGeorgia EngelKathleen BarrGeorgia Engel
BobDanny Mann
(singing voice)
BethDebra Messing
ShawGary SiniseTrevor Devall
Sheriff GordyGordon TootoosisLorne CardinalGordon Tootoosis
Fifi Crispin Glover 
Roberto Steve Schirripa 
Stanley Fred Stoller 
Roger Sean Mullen 
Nate Frank WelkerCody Cameron 
Rufus Diedrich Bader 
Charlene Olivia Hack 
Fox Jaw Jacquie Barnbrook 
Doug Matthew J. Munn 
Ursa Kari Wahlgren 
Alistair Dana Snyder 
Gisela Karley Scott Collins 
Giselita Ciara Bravo 
Elvis Harrison Fahn 
Ed Garry Chalk 
EdnaKathleen Barr
Wailing Wampus WerewolfTrevor Devall
Kiki Annick Obonsawin
KarlaSara Garcia
NormDeven Mack
CleoAna Sani
RJRaoul Bhaneja
NapoleonCarlo Essagian
SugarSugar Lyn Beard
Wild the Wolf Hadley Kay

Crew

OccupationOpen SeasonOpen Season 2Open Season 3
Scared Silly
Director(s)Jill Culton
Roger Allers
Co-directed by:
Anthony Stacchi
Matthew O'Callaghan
Co-directed by:
Todd Wilderman
Cody CameronDavid Feiss
Producer(s)Michelle MurdoccaKirk Bodyfelt
Matthew O'Callaghan
Kirk BodyfeltJohn Bush
Screenplay bySteve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman,
and Nat Mauldin
David I. SternCarlos Kotkin
Story byJill Culton and Anthony Stacchi
From an original story by:
Steve Moore and John B. Carls
Steve Barr, David Feiss,
Stephan Franck, Paul McEvoy,
John Norton, and Kris Pearn
Composer(s)Paul Westerberg
Ramin Djawadi
Ramin DjawadiJeff CardoniRupert Gregson-Williams
Dominic Lewis
Editor(s)Pamela Ziegenhagen-SheflandPatrick J. Voetberg
Steven Liu
Arthur D. Noda
Nancy Frazen
Maurissa Horwitz
StudiosSony Pictures AnimationSony Pictures Animation
Reel FX Creative Studios
Sony Pictures Animation
Rainmaker Entertainment
DistributorColumbia PicturesSony Pictures Home Entertainment

Video game

Notes and References

  1. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: Director DAVID FEISS Talks OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY And More. ComicBookMovie. March 7, 2016. January 8, 2021. October 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170650/https://www.comicbookmovie.com/animated_features/exclusive-director-david-feiss-talks-open-season-scared-silly-a131797. live.
  2. Web site: Ball . Ryan . Open Season Unloads on DVD . Animation Magazine . October 31, 2015 . January 30, 2007 . January 30, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160130065254/http://www.animationmagazine.net/home-entertainment/open-season-unloads-on-dvd/ . live .
  3. Web site: Archived copy . August 1, 2023 . August 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801180651/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/08/new-open-season-series-in-the-works-at-9-story/ . live .
  4. Web site: Archived copy . October 24, 2023 . October 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231018105714/https://www.ouniversodatv.com/2023/09/em-outubro-discovery-kids-traz.html . live .
  5. Web site: Open Season: Call of Nature . 2023-10-22 . Family.ca . en . November 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231104214120/https://www.family.ca/shows/open-season-call-of-nature/ . live .
  6. https://therokuchannel.roku.com/details/84ed28b43dff5266a0aef116effe2f7e
  7. https://tubitv.com/series/300010992/open-season-call-of-nature
  8. Web site: Open Season (2006) . . August 28, 2011 . July 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190712053744/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=openseason06.htm . live .
  9. Web site: Open Season 2 (2008) . . August 28, 2011 . January 31, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160131054231/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&wk=2009W7&id=_fOPENSEASON201 . live .
  10. Web site: Open Season 3 (2010) . . August 28, 2011 . November 3, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103120341/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&wk=2010W53&id=_fOPENSEASON301 . live .
  11. Web site: Open Season: Scared Silly. Box Office Mojo. July 23, 2016. August 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817084955/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&id=_fOPENSEASONSCARED01. live.
  12. Web site: Failes. Ian. From 'Cow & Chicken' to 'Open Season': Q&A with David Feiss. Cartoon Brew. November 1, 2016. November 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161101193948/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/cow-chicken-open-season-qa-david-feiss-144081.html. November 1, 2016. live.
  13. Web site: Open Season . . 2021-01-01 . March 13, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100313175247/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/open_season/ . live .
  14. Web site: Open Season. Metacritic. August 28, 2011. May 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160502145446/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/open-season. live.
  15. Web site: Open Season 2 (2008) . . 2021-01-01 . May 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210514113713/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/open_season_2_2008 . live .
  16. Web site: Open Season 3 (2010) . . 2021-01-01 . November 18, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201118050112/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/open_season_3 . live .
  17. Web site: Open Season: Scared Silly (2015) . . 2021-01-01 . August 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210802041444/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/open_season_scared_silly . live .
  18. Web site: Adams . David . Open Season Game Opens at Retail . IGN . October 30, 2015 . September 18, 2006 . January 30, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160130211215/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/18/open-season-game-opens-at-retail . live .
  19. Web site: Seff . Micah . Four Ubisoft Titles Ready for Launch . IGN . October 30, 2015 . November 17, 2006 . December 11, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211055553/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/17/four-ubisoft-titles-ready-for-wii-launch . live .