2006's Open Season was Absolutely Fabulous in Imax 3D!

Minor Plot Details
Boog is a performing bear who is spoiled! Beth had taken him in as a cub and raised him as if she was his mother. Life's good for Boog... until he runs into Elliot, a little deer who got caught at the start. Boog sees Elliot tied to a truck and releases him. Just as every story goes, Elliot now wants to be buddies with Boog! (hmmm... sounds like Shrek!... or Ice Age!) Elliot visits Boog and convinces him to go break into a candy store with him. Boog gets a major sugar high... then he gets a major punishment. To make a long story short, Beth realizes it's time to release Boog into the wild.

Trouble is that it's only a few days til Open Season. Can Boog survive in the wild? Or will he make it home before the hunters come out to play? You'll have to see.

Voices
Martin Lawrence .... Boog (voice) ... Hilarious! Martin voiced this character as a smooth talking, spoiled bear who loved to get down but never really got out! When Boog is released into the wild, Martin is hilarious when he's trying to adjust... where's the toilet? What do bears eat anyway? Can Boog ever adjust to the wild? The best part is how he carries around his teddybear backpack all the time!!!! I can't stop giggling about that.

Ashton Kutcher .... Elliot (voice) ... Lots more laughs here! Basically, this character reminded me of how Ashton talks on a regular basis on his TV show or in his comedy movies. He's a smart-butt, fast talking deer with a lot to say. He was the one that really made the most shocking statements and jokes - but he said them so fast that kids wouldn't even realize there was anything bad about them.

Gary Sinise .... Shaw (voice) ... This dude was scary! He was the hunter who was after all the animals even though there were a few days left til open season. He was a great enemy because he could scare kids without freaking them out too much - just enough to make them hate him!

Debra Messing .... Beth (voice) ... She was good and had a nice caring voice that would definitely make kids like her character. She was funny in her own mild way, but wasn't the main source of laughs for this movie.

Thoughts on the Story, Comedy, and Drama!
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I wasn't bored much like I am sometimes in these cartoon movies. When they did have some sad parts or drama, it was very quick. This seemed to be geared towards adults, with enough silly stuff so that kids could enjoy as well. If you are one of those people that are worried about "inappropriate" jokes... than lock yourself in your house and keep your kids away. Everyone else should go see this right away! There were some jokes that shocked me, but I looked around and noticed these jokes went right over the kids heads. Instead, the kids were laughing and reacting to the slapstick and innocent jokes that are packed inside the movie.

As compared to other computer animated movies, I felt this one cut out the sappy stuff and stuck to the laughs. Yes there was a slight lesson, and yes there was a little drama... but overall it was designed to make people of all ages laugh. Don't get me wrong, I love those other computer animated lesson-filled movies also, but this one was different. It was almost like watching a real life comedy with two great actors! Kutcher and Lawrence really had me going from the very start. Plus, the movie is shorter than most animated films now-a-days so you don't even have time to get bored.

Thoughts on the visuals... in 3D!
From the very beginning I thought the 3D visuals were amazing. The scenery, buildings, people and animals all looked very real. It wasn't 100% true to life, but it seemed so real! They paid a great attention to detail so you could even see every fur on the bears body. At one point, the bear is eating crackers and they even went so far to put crumbs on his chest.

The animals were so cute! I want my own bear sleeping in my garage, but I don't think they are that cuddly in real life. The visuals may get a little scary for kids at times, especially when Shaw is hunting down these animals. I was even a little jumpy whenever I saw this creepy character.

Visually, this was fun to watch and I would have liked it very much even if it weren't in 3D. However, the 3D effect made the visuals even better. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this as much in a regular theater. Sometimes throughout the movie, I found myself glancing all around at the trees, flowers, and other scenery because it just looked so real. I was starting to get very relaxed as the movie progressed because I felt like I was just strolling in the forest. If the Imax wasn't so expensive, I'd be willing to go see this a couple more times because it left such fun pictures in my mind.

Conclusion
I think you can enjoy this on a good tv, but I believe you'll enjoy it much more at the Imax 3D! The characters just come to life right in front of you and it seems like the film was created for the Imax. Visually it was wonderful, story-wise it was great, comedy-wise it was fantastic! My mom, my aunt and I all enjoyed it, and I heard many kids around us laughing and enjoying it as well. Go see it today. Enjoy!!