Open Season

Computer-animated kids' movies with chatty, lovable critters doing all sorts of outrageous things to one another before learning the value of friendship are getting to be a dime a dozen, but while this isn't the best of the litter, Open Season is nicely animated, boasts a solid voice cast, and offers some genuinely amusing lines and visual gags. The set-up couples Elliot, a wacky, free-spirited deer (voiced by Ashton Kutcher) with Boog, a lovable domesticated bear (Martin Lawrence) who unwillingly finds himself in the wilderness, for which he's totally unprepared. After Boog saves Elliot from a nasty hunter (Gary Sinise)—it's the beginning of hunting season, after all—the unlikely duo lead the usual assortment of second banana forest critters in an assault against the gun-toting human interlopers. And when it's over, Boog will face the decision of remaining in the wild or returning to domesticity. Not a terribly inventive plot, perhaps, but it's spruced up with some clever dialogue and pop-cultural references, and while big hunters aren't likely to find Open Season as endearing as little hunters (who, after all, are easy prey), most will find this to be an engaging riff on the old Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoons. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include an audio commentary (by filmmakers Michelle Murdocca, Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi), a 15-minute “Behind the Trees” making-of featurette, “The Voices Behind the Stars” (8 min.), the new animated short “Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run” (5 min.), commentary on three scenes by characters Mr. Weenie, Porcupine, and Maria the Skunk (4 min.), the “Swept Away” scene deconstruction (3 min.), two deleted scenes (2 min.), the brief “Ring Tales” short animated clips, a “Voice-A-Rama” feature that allows viewers to see what the characters sound like with different accents, the “Wheel of Fortune: Forest Edition” DVD trivia game, the music video “I Wanna Lose Control (Uh Oh)” by Deathray, art galleries, a sneak peek at the upcoming animated film Surf's Up, DVD-ROM features, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a better-than-average family flick.] (F. Swietek)