Open Season

The mid-2000s were a fascinating, slightly frantic time for the animation industry. Pixar had just proven they were untouchable with The Incredibles, and DreamWorks was busy leaning into the "celebrity-voice-plus-pop-culture-references" formula that defined the Shrek era. Amidst this digital gold rush, Sony Pictures Animation decided to throw their hat into the ring with Open Season. It arrived at a moment when we were transitioning from the last gasps of VHS into the glorious, supplement-heavy age of the DVD, and honestly, it’s the quintessential "Target bargain bin" masterpiece.

I watched this most recently while my dog was barking at a squirrel outside the window, which added a certain 4D immersion to the experience that no IMAX theater could ever replicate. Looking back, this film represents a very specific milestone: the moment when major studios realized they didn’t need to be Disney to make a movie look incredibly expensive.

From Pride Rock to the Pine Trees

One of the most surprising things about Open Season is the pedigree behind the camera. It was co-directed by Roger Allers, the man who gave us The Lion King. You might expect a sweeping, Shakespearean epic about the circle of life, but instead, Allers and co-director Jill Culton opted for something closer to a Looney Tunes short on a massive budget.

The story follows Boog (Martin Lawrence), a 900-pound grizzly bear who lives a life of luxury in a garage, performing in a nature show and sleeping with a teddy bear named Dinkelman. He’s essentially a 900-pound toddler who has been gaslit by a park ranger into thinking he’s a human. Enter Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), a hyperactive, one-antlered mule deer who talks at the speed of light and inadvertently lures Boog into the "wild" just days before hunting season begins.

The chemistry between Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher is surprisingly solid. In 2006, Kutcher was at the height of his Punk’d fame, and his performance as Elliot captures that specific brand of "annoying but lovable" energy that defined his early career. Meanwhile, Lawrence plays the straight man (or straight bear) with a weary, urban sophistication that makes the physical comedy land much harder.

The Great Digital Outdoors

Technically, Open Season was a massive deal for Sony. Looking at it now, the CGI has that slightly rubbery, saturated look common in the mid-2000s, but the "squash and stretch" animation style holds up remarkably well. Unlike the photorealistic push we see today, this film leans into a stylized, cartoonish aesthetic that feels like a 3D version of a comic strip. Apparently, the look was heavily influenced by the work of cartoonist Steve Moore, known for his In the Bleachers strips, and that DNA is visible in every frame.

The adventure itself is a classic "buddy-road-trip" structure. As Boog and Elliot navigate their way back to the safety of Timberline, they encounter a rogue’s gallery of forest weirdos. Billy Connolly is a standout as McSquizzy, a Scottish squirrel who commands an army of nut-throwing subordinates with the ferocity of a highlander. It’s exactly the kind of unhinged performance that makes these movies enjoyable for adults who are stuck watching them for the fifteenth time on a rainy Saturday.

But the real MVP is Gary Sinise as Shaw, the villainous hunter. Sinise plays the role with a level of intensity that feels like he wandered in from a different, much darker movie. Shaw is genuinely unhinged and arguably the most underrated villain in mid-tier animation history. He treats a bear and a deer like they’re the Viet Cong, and his obsession with "the conspiracy of the animals" provides some of the funniest, most bizarre moments in the film.

A DVD Era Time Capsule

One of the charms of Open Season is how much it reminds me of the DVD culture of the time. This was a film built for the "Special Features" era. I recall the original disc being packed with mini-movies and "behind-the-scenes" featurettes that showed off the cutting-edge fur-rendering technology. At the time, making a bear’s fur look wet or matted was a monumental task for computer scientists, and Sony was very proud of their digital grooming.

The soundtrack also screams 2006, featuring original songs by Paul Westerberg of The Replacements. It’s a bit of a "how did he get here?" moment, but his gravelly, alt-rock sensibilities give the film a slightly more indie-adventure vibe than your standard orchestral score (though Ramin Djawadi, who would later compose the Game of Thrones theme, handled the incidental music).

Is it a deep, philosophical exploration of the human-animal bond? Not really. It’s a movie where a bear gets a sugar rush from eating snack foods and a deer loses an antler in a garage door accident. But there’s a genuine warmth to the "rag-tag army" finale, where the animals finally fight back using everything from flaming marshmallows to skunk-grenades. The film is a chaotic, colorful fever dream of forest-dwelling lunacy.

While it might not have the emotional weight of a Pixar classic, Open Season is a delightful relic of the CGI boom. It’s a brisk, funny adventure that doesn’t overstay its 86-minute welcome. If you're looking for a dose of mid-2000s nostalgia or just want to see a Scottish squirrel lose his mind, it’s a journey into the woods that’s well worth the trip. Just make sure you bring the crackers.