Western Animation / Open Season

The odds are about to get even.

Open Season is a 2006 buddy-comedy All-CGI Cartoon produced by Sony Pictures Animation in their animated feature debut. In the small mountain town of Timberline (seemingly located somewhere in the Rockies or Cascades of the northwestern USA), Boog (voiced by Martin Lawrence), a happily domesticated, 900-pound adult grizzly bear, is kept as a pet by Ranger Beth (Debra Messing). Boog enjoys being the star of the town's educational nature show (ironically branding him as "the mighty grizzly") and sleeping in Beth's cozy garage. However, Boog's pampered life turns upside down when he meets a scrawny, fast-talking one-antlered mule deer named Elliot (Ashton Kutcher). Through a series of disastrous events, culminating with Elliot inadvertently ruining Boog's show (and leading both of them to be sedated by local police) while trying to escape from the crazed, egomaniac hunter Shaw (Gary Sinise), Beth mistakenly and reluctantly deems Boog unsuitable for domestic life and has him (along with Elliot) helicopter-lifted to a distant part of the forest. Awakening from tranquilization, Boog immediately panics, having no idea how to survive in the wild, while Elliot, eager to glean both protection and companionship from Boog, promises to lead the grizzly home. The duo thus embark on a buddy-comedy journey in which they encounter an Ensemble Cast of forest animals (a clan of Scottish squirrels, a duo of Russian ducks, beavers mirroring construction workers, Elliot's antagonistic former herd, etc.) and are pursued through the woodlands by the vengeful Shaw, who wants revenge on Boog and Elliot for wrecking his truck. While Boog just wants to get home, Elliot, despite his clinginess and oft-harebrained schemes, just wants to have a friend.

Notable for being the only theatrically-released feature film co-written by David Feiss, who created Cow and Chicken. Received three increasingly low-budget Direct to Video sequels (two animated by Reel FX Creative Studios, with the fourth, Scared Silly, by Rainmaker Entertainment) that managed to make this light and soft movie even Lighter and Softer.

In 2023, a TV series based on the films, titled Open Season Call Of Nature was announced. Produced by the Canadian studio 9 Story Media Group, the series involves Boog and Elliot discovering an abandoned summer camp, where they use it to create a new safe area for animals to live. While it was announced for a 2024 release, it ended up premiering in Latin America in October 2023, with a Canadian premiere the following month.

Now has a character sheet.

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The films and its sequels contain examples of:

• Added Alliterative Appeal: The Wailing Wampus Werewolf in Scared Silly.
• The Atoner: Fifi becomes this in the threequel after trying to fry Boog, Elliot, and their friends with shock collars in the second film, and acts like a Zen dog throughout the film. However, it could also count as a Heel–Face Brainwashing, since it came as a result of being fixed. And being shocked by those collars may have helped too.
• All-CGI Cartoon
• Alternative Foreign Theme Song: The theme song of the Japanese version is called "Tookage" by Chemistry.
  • The theme of the Latin American version is Tu Eres El Amor by Reyli (who also did the voice of Boog in that version).
• Animals Not to Scale: In Scared Silly, the giant deer tick. (Her sister made it to a trophy at Shaw's wall.)
• Animal Talk: With the exception of rabbits, all species are able to communicate with each other.
• Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: In Open Season 2:
  Giselle: This is not at all what I was thinking.
• Artifact Title: The second and third films do not involve hunting seasons. The fourth film, on the other hand, does as part of Shaw's evil plan is to declare it legal again.
• Artistic License – Physics: In Open Season 2, when Boog and Mr. Weenie grapple and rescue Elliot and Gisele through the water slide, they somehow manage to go upwards through the slide back to the surface from the pest' underground hideout.
• Bros Before Does: Said by Elliot in the first film's ending right before chasing after Giselle.
• Babies Ever After: Elliot and Giselle marry at the end of the second film. By the third film, they now have three children named Gisela, Giselita, and Elvis, although the fourth film inexplicably omits them.
• Bait-and-Switch: When Boog overpowers Shaw and roars in his face, the camera cuts to the other animals watching as Shaw cries out in pain, implying that Boog is mauling or possibly even eating him. Boog then walks away to check on Elliot, revealing that he's actually just tied Shaw up with his own rifle.
• Bait-and-Switch Compassion: Boog and Elliot are arguing with each other over who's the bigger loser, until Elliot says he killed a man. They then laugh it off as Elliot was joking.
• Big Eater: Boog, being a bear, is quite prone to getting hungry quickly, albeit in the first film, he could just eat a few fish-flavored crackers and be alright.
• Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: Bigfoot does not actually appear, but looking for it is the sole reason Mr. Weenie's owners are in the woods. It is claimed his scientific name is "Homo Sasquatches".
• Bittersweet Ending: The first movie ends with Boog deciding to stay in the woods instead of returning home with Beth. He and Beth share a heartfelt farewell, but (considering Beth's absence from the sequels) they presumably never see each other again.
• Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Mild case. Obviously justified with doe/stag, but did you also notice how different Boog and Ursa look, snout-wise? (Blame it on cuteness factor.)
• Body Bridge: At one point, the characters are seen crossing Boog the bear in order to cross a ravine.
  Boog: "Watch the ribs!"
• Book Ends: In the first film, Elliot first appears strapped to a car after being hit by it. In the first film's stinger, Shaw is strapped to a motor home after being hit by it.
• Bowdlerise: On Nickelodeon airings when Elliott poops, he lifts his tail, but no excrement comes out. Also, Elliot’s line “…only you’re crapping on it” is censored.
• Buffoonish Tomcat: Roger, while ocassionally having slapstick moments, he is very goofy, spacey, genial and quite crackbrained.
• Butt-Monkey: The rabbits are used by the other animals as projectiles, towels, gas masks, etc. Lampshaded by a disclaimer in the film's ending credits comedically alleging that no rabbits were harmed during production.
  • Elliot gets a lot of bad luck as well, though he sometimes brings it upon himself.
  • Boog also counts as one in the first film.
  • As well as Fifi.
• Camp Straight: Alistair from the third film. Dear god, Alistair.
• Canine Confusion: In Scared Silly, Serge and Deni lay eggs when they're startled, and so does Mr. Weenie the Dachshund even though dogs do not lay eggs. Even Weenie himself appears to be surprised.
• Canon Discontinuity: Open Season: Scared Silly ignores the events of the second and third films, and is a direct sequel to the original film.
  • Elliot and Giselle's children do not appear at all.
  • Mr. Weenie is still shown living with Boog, Elliot, and the forest animals despite choosing to stay with the pets in Open Season 2.
  • Ursa moves in with Boog to the forest in the end of Open Season 3, but she isn't mentioned either in Scared Silly.
• Cats Are Superior: Averted with Roger.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome:
  • Beth is never seen after the first movie.
  • Rufus and Charlene, two of Fifi's group, are absent from the third movie.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Boog mentions the climax of the first film in Open Season 2. He also mentions Beth.
  • In 3, Elliot recalls when he was tied in front of the truck in the first film.
• Creative Closing Credits: The first film's credits began with "No rabbits were harmed in the making of this movie".
• Crying Critters: In the second film, Elliot realizes he misses Giselle and bursts into tears while shouting her name.
• Dark Reprise / Ironic Echo: "If you go out in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise."
• Deer in the Headlights: We see a literal example in Shaw's flashback to when Eliot "ran in front of" his pickup truck.
• Did You Die?: While Fifi was telling his story:
  Stanley: What happened? Did you live?
• The Ditz: Also Roger.
• Disney Death: Elliot in the first film (however, [[subverted|trope moments later).]]
• Ditching the Dub Names: In the Latin American Spanish dub, McSquizzy and Mr. Weenie were renamed Guido and Señor Salchicha in the first three movies. In the fourth movie, Scared Silly, they went back to their English names.
• Dogs Are Dumb: Subverted in the first film; Mr. Weenie's owners think their dachshund can't even beg properly, but he turns out to be pretty self-reliant without them.
• Dogs Hate Squirrels: Averted. Mr. Weenie shows no hostility to McSquizzy or his squirrel troops at all and in the second film the other dogs show no more hate for him than they do the other wild animals. In fact, this trope actually gets inverted in the second film as when McSquizzy disguises himself as a little female dog along with Gizelle, a doberman named Rico becomes smitten with him and remains in love, even after he finds out that McSquizzy is a squirrel. It is not until he reveals that he is a guy that Rico drops the romance.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Boog and Elliot's party in the convenience store looks a lot like a drunken bender, complete with Boog coming home "drunk" on sugar, getting into a fight with Dinkleman, and vomiting on the window of the garage.
  • Happens again in Open Season 3.
• Don't Look At Me: Elliot says this verbatim to Boog when he realizes one of his antlers his missing. He begins crying and calling himself a monster while Boog only gets increasingly annoyed at the deer.
• Easily Forgiven: In spite of many of the terrible things Elliot has done since Boog rescued him, such as stealing him from his home, getting him deported to the forest, and deliberately misleading him in the woods just to get Boog to like him, Boog forgives him in the end. Granted, Elliot apologized, but many of Boog's troubles could've been avoided had Elliot just left him alone.
• Eat the Camera: As Boog is escaping security through a water slide, his mouth moves into the camera, which then zooms out to reveal Mr. Weenie.
• Egg-Laying Male: At one point in Scared Silly, Deni and Serge (who are male ducks) get so startled they lay eggs.
• Egomaniac Hunter: Shaw.
• Eye Pop: The Rabbit from the teaser.
• Failed a Spot Check: In Open Season 2, Elliot spends an entire day and night walking in circles because he mistakes his own footprints for Mr. Weenie’s. Even though he already knows that Weenie is being held in a camper van, so he’s not even travelling by foot.
• Failed Attempt at Scaring: The film opens up with Boog, our grizzly protagonist, sneaking out of the garage he lives in behind his owner, Beth the park ranger, and giving a Mighty Roar from behind her, in an attempt at being scary. Beth, however, just smirks, and turns around before roaring right back at Boog, actually startling him, and telling him, "Now, that's a roar, Boog."
• Fantastic Racism: Fifi had a deep hatred of wild animals in the second film.
• Fartillery: The two skunks Maria and Rosie. Their stink is so bad that it caused a squirrel to pass out moments after the two skunks sprayed Boog.
• Flat "Wow.": Elliot's reaction to Mr. Weenie first admitting he wants to join the forest animals.
• Fly-at-the-Camera Ending: Ends with a rabbit thrown at the camera.
• Foreshadowing: Gordy dismisses Shaw claiming that the latter has been "living in the woods too long". Turns out Shaw has been living in the woods—literally!
• Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better: Both the film's leads are capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal location, although Boog is almost entirely bipedal until the film's final scene (in which he assumes a quadrupedal posture to indicate an acceptance of his newfound lifestyle in the wild) while Elliot alternates more frequently.
  • This is likewise Lampshaded in Shaw's subplot, in which the sight of Elliot walking bipedally (a trait no other mule deer admittedly shares in the film) is the main impetus for the hunter's increasingly crazed conspiratorial assumption that Timberline's local wildlife is preparing to occupy the town and enslave its human inhabitants.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Boog enters the shack in the first film, if you look carefully as the lightning flashes, the mailbox reads "Shaw".
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Roger.
• Furry Confusion: During the battle against the hunters, Elliot rides Ian (who is also a mule deer, if significantly larger and less anthropomorphically-built than the former) like a steed. They both find it more than a little awkward. McSquizzy the squirrel was also riding Mr. Weenie like a horse.
• Funny Animal: Elliot does not wear any clothes like most funny animals, but unlike his herd, he is always seen walking on his hind feet and demonstrates amazing dexterity with his front hooves like they were hands. In the third film, Gisela, Giselita, and Elvis also walk on their hind feet like their father.
• Furry Reminder: Deni mainly quacks, but occasionally says a word in English. However, most animals just speak in translated animal noises.
• Gassy Gastronomy: In the sequel, Roberto farts after he informs Fifi that he has to poop. Fifi then snaps, ranting that he shouldn't have eaten a burrito before they left.
• Getting Sick Deliberately: In the second movie, Roberto is having a Potty Emergency, so Fifi forces himself to throw up on their owner's lap (offscreen) to make her pull over. Downplayed, however, since while he did throw up, he was not actually sick with a disease.
• Glass Smack and Slide: The final shot of the first film is of Boog throwing a rabbit, which smacks flat against the movie screen and slides down. The End.
• Good Angel, Bad Angel: Boog has these in the third movie. Elliot has others as well.
• Gory Discretion Shot: Played with in the beginning when Elliot and Boog have a fight behind a curtain. Boog splatters paint against the curtain, pull streamers from a box, and shouts/roars at Elliot. Naturally, the audience sees the shadows and assumes the worst.
• Gratuitous Japanese: The fish.
  • Ironically enough, what the fish shout when they attack Boog translates to "Now we know Japanese!"
• Helium Speech
• Heel–Face Turn: The dogs, after Fifi's Sanity Slippage. Though they never really hated wild animals in the first place until Fifi put it in their heads.
• Homoerotic Subtext:
  • Boog and Elliot. Lampshaded by Ian, McSquizzy, and the Furry Tail Clan.
  • There's also some between Ian and Elliot later on.
    Ian: [with Elliot sitting on his back] This, uh... this is awkward.
    Elliot: Yes. Yes, it is.
  • Fifi and Roberto also get this.
• Horrifying the Horror: When Shaw was about to kill Boog in the climax, Elliott launches himself into the line of fire, causing Boog to loom over Shaw, pinning him down in anger and roaring in his face, all the while Shaw was terrified by this.
• Hunting Is Evil: The hunters looking for them are portrayed as the bad guys, particularly the Big Bad Shaw who will go to lengths and even break the law to hunt down the animals he's looking for.
• Hypocritical Humor: When encountering Mr. Weenie's owners in the woods, Shaw explains his insane conspiracy theory that animals are plotting to overthrow and enslave humanity. When Weenie's owners mention that they are looking for Bigfoot, Shaw is frustrated to realise he's talking to a couple of "whack-jobs".
• I Call Her "Vera":
  • Shaw has the name "Lorraine" grafted onto his hunting rifle, and speaks to "her" as if she's alive.
  • McSquizzy calls the propane tank that's used to blow up the hunters' vehicles "Mr. Happy".
• I Choose to Stay: Boog deciding to stay in the woods when realizing he is revered by the forest animals, who were initially hostile towards him, for saving them from slaughter.
• Idiot Ball: After separating from Mr. Weenie's rescue party in Open Season 2, Elliot spends an entire day and night walking in circles, because he mistakes his own footprints for Weenie's. In the previous scene, Elliot saw Weenie being taken away in a camper van, so he should know that Weenie isn't even travelling by foot.
• I'll Kill You!: Boog when Elliot refuses to leave the podium stage.
  Boog: I'm gonna kill you!
• Imagine Spot: When Elliott and the other animals insist in living with Boog to hide away from the hunters, Boog imagines the scenario with Beth’s garage being overstuffed with the animals, and immediately he shakes off the thought of it.
• Immune to Jump Scares: The first film opens with Boog sneaking out of his owner Beth's garage, creeping up behind her and letting out a Mighty Roar. Beth doesn't show any signs of fear or startling. Instead, she just smirks, turns around, and roars back at Boog, to show him how to do it correctly.
• Inflating Body Gag: This happens to Elliot after accidentally inhaling a helium balloon.
• Ink-Suit Actor:
  • In there's Martin Lawrence's smile inside Boog and Ashton Kutcher's wide eyes and grin in Elliot.
  • Debra Messing as Ranger Beth.
  • Billy Connolly as McSquizzy, almost no difference.
• Intentional Mess Making: Fifi throws up on his owner's lap in the car (offscreen) so that they'll pull over and her other dog Roberto can go out and poop.
• Ironic Echo Cut: Doug tempts fate when the animals ganged up on him.
• Ironic Nursery Tune: Shaw's Dark Reprise of "Teddy Bear Picnic." See above.
• Jerk Jock: It is clear that Ian, Manliest of Mule Deer Stags, is supposed to be one of these. At the right angles, the fur on his head is even a mullet. While he clearly is a pretty tough guy and does deserve to be leading the herd, he is a serious jerk.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Jerk he may be, but Ian kind of has a point about Elliot being a loser, an idiot and a burden on people.
• Language Barrier: When the audience hears Boog roaring at Elliot behind the curtain, they can't understand him and mistake him for trying to kill Elliot and then all of them.
• Large Ham: Gary Sinise as Shaw at his best.
• Living Doorstop: The rabbits and their many uses.
• Memento Macguffin: Mr. Dinkleman, Boog's teddy bear/backpack.
• Missed Him by That Much: The gang trying to find Boog in the circus. Fifi and Roger flew over him.
  McSquizzy: You'd think we can't miss a 1200-pound fat bear.
• Never Trust a Trailer: The first theatrical trailer for the film made it look like Boog ended up in the woods due to a What Did I Do Last Night? incident when Elliot lured him out of his garage with a chocolate Woo-Hoo bar. The real reason is more tearjerking.
• Noodle Incident: It is never made clear why Elliot was originally thrown out of the herd – though from his actions and personality, it is not hard to believe there was a good reason.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: The fourth direct-to-video follow-up Scared Silly features a werewolf named Wailing Wampus Werewolf.
• Parrot Expo-WHAT?: "Homo-Say-Whatis?"
• A Pet into the Wild: Mr. Weenie runs off to live in the wild, but ultimately returns to his owners in the second movie.
• Pets Versus Strays: Fifi, the main antagonist of the second movie, harbors a hatred of wild animals and assumes Mr. Weenie has been corrupted by them. Thankfully, the pets and the wilds get along by the end.
• Poking Dead Things with a Stick: After Shaw pulls into town with Elliot the mule deer tied to the hood of his truck and appearing dead with his tongue sticking out, a visibly disturbed Boog curiously picks up a stick and pokes him with it. However, Elliot turns out to not be dead, as he opens one eye and notices Boog, prompting both the deer and bear to reactively scream.
• Pop-Star Composer: Paul Westerberg wrote and performed all of the film's original music.
• Post-Climax Confrontation: Near the end of the first film, just as Boog and the other forest creatures believe that their main tussle with the human hunters is all over, Shaw suddenly comes out of nowhere one final time in an attempt to take the aforementioned grizzly bear home with him as yet another hunting trophy of his, but the other forest creatures soon interfere with the attempt by completely coating Shaw in honey and leaves, embarrassing him to the point where he gets up and runs away as fast as possible without anything else ever being spoken of the recent incident afterwards.
• Profound by Pop Song: This exchange at the end of Open Season 2 before everyone starts singing "Close to You":
  Elliot: Okay, what I'm trying to say is... Why do these birds and ducks suddenly appear... ...every time you're near? Unless, like me... ...they long to be close to you.
  Giselle: Oh, Elliot, that's the most romantic thing...
• Prone to Vomiting: Invoked by Fifi who throws up on purpose so that his owner will pull over and allow Roberto to do his business.
• Promotion to Parent: Gisela and Giselita, while their mother is away. Giselle even tells them to watch over their dad.
• Psycho Poodle: Fifi from Open Season 2 gained a massive hatred for Woodland Creatures after he was scared by some a long time ago, causing him to back into a bug zapper and unwittingly electrocute himself. He plans to place shock collars on the heroes as revenge. However, he has a Heel–Face Turn at the end of the movie, and stays a good guy in Open Season 3.
• Race Against the Clock: In the first film, Boog knows when Open Season begins, and needs to find his way home before then. Subverted when he nearly makes it in time, but decides to turn around and help the other animals fight back against the hunters instead.
• Real After All: The Wailing Wampus Werewolf in Scared Silly.
• Rejected Apology: At the hunting grounds, Elliot apologizes to Boog for everything that happened, only for Boog to leave and call it quits. Boog eventually comes back for him, though.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Buddy the porcupine, also the Ensemble Dark Horse.
• Say My Name: In the second film, Elliot shouts Giselle's name when he misses her and later, "Mama" shouts Mr. Weenie's name when she finds him.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: In the first film, Ian is galloping gracefully with his herd across the river when the floodwater comes down. He turns to look at it mid-leap and screams like a girl just as it hits.
• Series Continuity Error: At the end of the first movie, Boog gave his stuffed toy Mr. Dinkleman to Beth so she could always remember him. In the third movie, Mr. Dinkleman is inexplicably back in Boog's possession.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: The ducks have shades of this.
• Shout-Out: A few Braveheart references, courtesy of Billy Connolly and the squirrels.
  McSquizzy: (riding a rearing Mr. Weenie like a steed) FREEDOM!
  • Boog watches Wheel of Fortune (also owned by Sony).
  • While Elliot falls down a tree with a rabbit in his hand in the second film, he yells "MORTAL KOMBAT!"
  • In Scared Silly, as the hunters see Shaw's seaplane Jolene takeoff:
  Ed: Jolene?
  Edna: Jolene!
  Shaw: JOLEEEEEEEEEEENE!!!
• Silent Bob: Fittingly, Bob, one of Mr. Weenie's owners.
• Smelly Skunk: Boog meets two skunks named Rosie and Maria, who at first dismiss him because they are too busy arguing with each other. Boog asks Elliot for help who advises him to to "stand your ground and show them who's boss." So Boog does so stating "I'm laying down the law" and the skunks scowl at him. You can guess what happens next.
  Elliot: Unless, of course, they're skunks.
  (Boog is promptly sprayed with a cloud of musk)
  Boog: Ugh! Disgusting!
  (Boog runs away gagging; a squirrel drops from a nearby tree.)
  Elliot: (fans the stench away) Wow!
• Spicy Latina: Rosie and Maria have urban Hispanic American accents.
• The Stinger: The first film has a scene at the start of the end credits where Shaw, tarred and feathered in leaves, gets strapped to the roof of Bob and Bobbie's van, both of whom mistake him for Bigfoot.
• Sudden Musical Ending: The second film ends like this.
• Title Drop: In the first film, "Open Season" is when hunters are permitted to go into the woods to shoot any animals they want.
• The Cover Changes the Meaning: Elliot sings a revised version of the Teddy Bear Picnic song about a magical elf and a flatulent dwarf who live in a rainbow tree.
• Those Two Girls: Rosie and Maria the skunks.
• Thundering Herd: The deer like to pull this off, and they do it very well.
• Toilet-Drinking Dog Gag: The pet hotel featuring in the second film has toilets designed for dogs to drink from.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Giselita and Gisela, respectively.
• Translation Convention: Around the animals, obviously.
• Twitchy Eye: Fifi appears to be twitching when a circus bear resembling Boog is shown on TV.
• Unconventional Food Usage: Discussed in the sequel, where Elliot thinks of opening the door to a caravan with a can of sardines among other Noodle Implements, but Boog realises the door is unlocked.
• Unsuccessful Pet Adoption: Subverted. Mr. Weenie runs away from his owners in the first film, yet comes back to live with them in the second film.
• Unwanted Assistance: Boog says "Stop Helping Me" to Elliot word-for-word in the first film when Elliot and the animals try to help fight Shaw, while launching hard things at Boog, hitting him instead.
• Villain Song: In Scared Silly, when Mr. Weenie laments that he'll turn into a werewolf to "Habanera". (Subverted - he actually does not, this lunacy of course goes on Elliott, who set this flea into his ear.)
• Violent Glaswegian: Again, the squirrels.
• Vomit Discretion Shot: This happens in the second film when Fifi intentionally throws up in order to get his owner to stop the RV so that Roberto can poop. They have apparently done this before.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot: In the first movie, Boog throws up a green splash of barf with regurgitated cereals and snacks over the glass of the garage window of the ranger station after he and Elliot spend the whole night at the general store and eat almost everything from there.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Some of the other dogs from the second film do not appear in the third one.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Shaw realizes that animals understand what humans say when he sees Elliot walking on his hind legs and drinking coffee, then spends the rest of the movie trying to shoot Boog and Elliot.
• Woodland Creatures: Boog, Elliot and the surrounding animal cast, with the exception of Mr. Weenie.

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