Open Season 2

Open Season 2 is a 2008 American computer-animated comedy film and the sequel to the 2006 film Open Season, produced by Sony Pictures Animation. It was directed by Matthew O'Callaghan, co-directed by Todd Wilderman, and produced by Kirk Bodyfelt and Matthew O'Callaghan. It was released as straight-to-DVD film in United States, while in other countries it had a theatrical release.

Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher and Patrick Warburton did not return to voice Boog, Elliot and Ian. They were replaced by Mike Epps, Joel McHale and Matthew W. Taylor. Most of the supporting cast reprised their voice roles, though.

Plot
The film takes place one year after the events of the first film.

Elliot (Joel McHale) has grown giant new antlers and is getting married to Giselle (Jane Krakowski). But during a mishap, Elliot's new antlers are cracked off and now look like they did in the first film, which upsets him. Luckily, his best friend, Boog (Mike Epps) and the others manage to cheer Elliot up by having a rabbit fight. But Elliot has new emotions about his marriage and feels reluctant to marry Giselle. Mr. Weenie (Cody Cameron) finds a dog biscuit trail that his previous owners left behind and uncontrollably follows it. At the climax of the wedding, Elliot witnesses Mr. Weenie being taken away by his old owners, Bob and Bobbie (Georgia Engel). Elliot tells an exaggerated story to the other forest animals (in order to get out of marrying Giselle) and decides to make a rescue mission to save him. The other ones that go on Elliot's rescue mission are Boog, Giselle, squirrel McSquizzy (Billy Connolly), Buddy the porcupine, (Matthew W. Taylor), and ducks Serge (Danny Mann) and Deni (Matthew W. Taylor).

Meanwhile, the other pets meet. There is Fifi (Crispin Glover), a toy poodle and his basset hound companion Roberto (Steve Schirripa), two cats named Stanley (Fred Stoller) and Roger (Sean Mullen), and Southern dogs named Rufus (Diedrich Bader), and Charlene (Olivia Hack). Fifi discusses his hatred for wild animals as one night he goes into the bushes to retrieve his chew toy and is "traumatized" by the wild animals inside, and accidentally gets his tail zapped by the bug lighter. He then tries to maul a nearby rabbit, until he's stopped by his owner. Meanwhile, the wilds find Weenie, much to Elliot's dismay, who does not want to marry Giselle. They try to free him while his owners are in a gas station. They free him from his chains, but accidentally leave him stuck in the RV along with Buddy. Elliot and Giselle get in a feud, and eventually leaves Elliot to search for Mr. Weenie himself, while Serge and Deni fly to look for him.

The owners reach the pet camp with Mr. Weenie and a stowed away Buddy. The other pets meet with Weenie, and Fifi tries to revert Weenie back into his pet state, but Weenie resists. Buddy helps Weenie escape and Buddy tries to free Weenie from his shock collar. During the chase, Fifi gets shocked by the collar and gets the fur on his forehead burned, causing him to lose most of his sanity and vow revenge.

Meanwhile, Serge and Deni return and explain they found Weenie and Buddy at a pet camp, which they already escaped from. Boog and the others set camp, and Boog fails to convince Giselle that Elliot is a good person and that they belong together. Elliot, meanwhile, is having a horrible time, following his own tracks that he confuses for Mr. Weenie's and gets his head stuck on a trash can lid all the while missing his friends. The wilds reach the pet camp, but the pets and their owners have already left, but realizes that they have gone to a resort called "Pet Paradiso", a vacation spot for pets. Weenie and Buddy find Elliot in the woods and convince him to go to Pet Paradiso to save his friends.

The wilds reach Pet Paradiso and try to sneak in by disguising themselves as pets, with Giselle as a dalmatian and McSquizzy as a chihuahua. Boog attempts to sneak in as a cat, but gets the idea to be a sheepdog. Elliot also disguises himself as Boog's human owner. Giselle and McSquizzy walk around Pet Paradiso looking for Mr. Weenie, but their cover is blown and are kidnapped by Fifi and the other pets and taken to their secret lair. Elliot, Buddy and Mr. Weenie attempt to go inside to save Giselle and McSquizzy, but Mr. Weenie, missing being a pet again, goes to play on a waterslide, leaving the rest to be captured by Fifi.

Fifi tries to kill them all with a pile of shock collars. As Boog tries to stop Mr. Weenie from going down the waterslide, his cover is blown as well and security attempts to tranquilize him. Before Fifi shocks the wilds into submission, Elliot tries to profess his love for Giselle. As Fifi is about to kill them, Boog, via the waterslide, enters the pets' lair, and the water from the waterslide forces everyone out of the lair.

A battle between the wilds and pets ensues, with the Pet Paradiso security focused on tranquilizing the wilds. While Boog tricks security into tranquilizing themselves, Elliot saves Giselle, accidentally placing all the shock collars on himself. He wrestles Fifi in the pool for the shock collar remote; Fifi eventually grabs the remote and activates the collars, but then realizes that Elliot put all the collars on him. Fifi survives, but the electricity caused him to lose all his fur, humiliating him. The pets and the wilds settle their differences and decide to become friends. Mr. Weenie, wanting to be a pet again, decides to join the pets and returns to his owners in rejoice. Elliot finally professes his true feelings for Giselle, and they get married. Elliot soon loses his other antler.

Cast

 * Joel McHale as Elliot. He was supposed to marry Giselle, but abandoned her due to new emotions. In the end, he and Giselle end up getting married anyway after he finally manages to profess his love for Giselle.
 * Mike Epps as Boog. He also leads the rescue mission to save Mr. Weenie.
 * Cody Cameron as Mr. Weenie. He is a German dachshund. He was captured by Fifi and the pets, leaving Boog, Elliot, and the other wilds to go rescue him.
 * Jane Krakowski as Giselle. She is Elliot's fiancé who is scared of getting married. However, in the end, she and Elliot end up getting married after Elliot finally professes his love for Gisele.
 * Billy Connolly as McSquizzy. He joins in the mission to save Weenie.
 * Crispin Glover as Fifi. He is an ill-tempered toy poodle who is often annoyed by his companion, Roberto. Fifi has a deep hatred over wild animals and slowly begins to lose his sanity after his forehead gets burned during a chase.
 * Danny Mann as Serge. He joins in the mission to save Weenie with Deni.
 * Matthew W. Taylor as Deni/Buddy/Ian, one of the main protagonist. Except for Ian, they join in the mission to save Mr. Weenie.
 * Steve Schirripa as Roberto. He is Fifi's dim-witted companion who usually annoys him. In the end, he is reformed and becomes friends with the wilds.
 * Fred Stoller as Stanley. He is a pet cat who is constantly annoyed by Roger. In the end, he is reformed and becomes friends with the wilds.
 * Sean Mullen as Roger. He is an intellectually disabled cat who often annoys his best friend Stanley. In the end, he is reformed and becomes friends with the wilds.
 * Diedrich Bader as Rufus. He is a Southern dog who is Charlene's boyfriend. In the end, he is reformed and becomes friends with the wilds.
 * Olivia Hack as Charlene, a Western dog who is Rufus' girlfriend. In the end, she is reformed and becomes friends with the wilds.

Production
Sony announced a sequel to Open Season in September 2007. Although, the original grossed $85 million and $105 million outside the United States, Sony felt the film performed much better on DVD, thus, making a direct-to-DVD sequel. Sony Pictures Digital president said that "the studio will keep Open Season 2's costs low by utilizing Imageworks' satellite facilities in India and New Mexico".

Release
Although Open Season 2 was as direct-to-video in the United States and the United Kingdom, it was released theatrically in some countries. In South Africa on its opening day, the film grossed $84,244 from 26 screens with an $2,081 average. In Russia, it opened with $2,835,600 from 360 screens with a $7,877 average. In Poland, it opened with $194,339 from 75 screens with an $2,591 average. In total, the film grossed $8,716,950.

Theatrical releases:
 * South Africa - September 24, 2008
 * Russia - October 16, 2008
 * Croatia - November 6, 2008
 * United Arab Emirates - November 13, 2008
 * Czech Republic - December 18, 2008
 * Slovakia - December 18, 2008
 * Lebanon - December 18, 2008
 * Turkey - January 16, 2009
 * Poland - January 23, 2009
 * Iceland - January 30, 2009
 * South Korea - March 12, 2009

Reception
Critic at DVD Verdict claimed, "Open Season 2 is no classic (neither was the original), but it's a competent check-your-brain-at-the-door comedy for children of all ages. The animation and storytelling may not stack up against Pixar's (whose does?), but the flick offers something that Pixar movies generally don't: old cartoon slapstick and sight gags in the mold of Bugs Bunny".

Home release
Open Season 2 was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and PSP UMD on January 27, 2009.

Sequel
The sequel Open Season 3 premiered in theaters in Russia on October 21, 2010 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in United States on January 25, 2011.