Review of Open Season (2006) by Ben L — 21 Apr 2012

This is the kind of cartoon that I enjoy once and end up tiring of quickly. The animation is cute, and the voice talent is pretty solid, but the writing is lackluster. It draws some chuckles, but sadly most of those come from low-brow toilet humor. There are some bright spots, particularly the Bigfoot hunters and the squirrels which are hilarious. Sadly those minor positives aren't enough to outweigh the negatives.

Using Ashton Kutcher and Martin Lawrence for the leads was a very odd choice. A streetwise African-American voicing the pampered bear just learning about the wild feels all wrong. Meanwhile Ashton is downright annoying. I was, however, impressed by Gary Sinise as the hunter. He was goofy and funny when the script called for it, but intimidating and dangerous also.

I can definitely see what kids would like about this film. The problem I have is that they push the boundaries with their innuendo a little too much. At least they attempt to disguise the more adult humor, but they don't hide it very well. Plus they rely too much on toilet humor which, while great for youngsters, will grate on the nerves of most adults. Open Season isn't necessarily a bad movie, it just isn't on par with other great animated films of its time.