The Film
The three ring circus started with Open Season and Open Season 2. And perhaps the third time's a charm in Open Season 3, a straight-to-video romp about a bear and his friends, now on Blu-ray. The bear Boog is depressed about going on a "guys' trip" all alone and runs off to join the circus. His buddies in the forest as well as his more domesticated friends of the canine and feline persuasion realize the danger and come together to rescue Boog. That lucky bear.
The Picture
As an animated film, the picture is crisp in this 1.78:1 transfer. Open Season 3 is set in the idyllic forests of America. Trees, pastures, lakes and streams come alive as Boog and his friends romp. The circus is somehow going on in that forest, and has spectators on the big night. At the circus animals and humans alike are animated to spectacular proportions as they dance, get shot out of cannons, and pull off stunts. Most of the circus scenes take place at night, giving it a more mysterious air.
The Sound
Presented in 5.1 channel DTS-HD master audio, the dialog, music and sound effects fill the room. Some sounds and dialog come from the rear channels where appropriate. You almost find yourself turning around to see where the action is coming from. While the sound field is well filled, there were not enough sounds of nature, considering that's where the animated film takes place.
Only an animated film aimed at children such as Open Season 3 is likely to have previews for its predecessors. Recap the action of Open Season and Open Season 2 before starting the feature film. Before the features, there's even a promo for Sony 3D starring the characters of the film. Because of the relevance to the movie, it's appropriate to think of the previews as an extra, and certainly an added benefit for children to review what happened in previous Open Season films.
In addition to previews starring Open Season's cast, the Blu-ray packs in a few bonus features. A progression reel shows each step of animation from sketch to sequencing to animation to lighting. It shows the progression in-scene, and does not include any explanation while this is going on. The fun starts with an interactive "Rabbit Splat Mode." The movie can be viewed in this mode and you can use the remote control to shoot rabbits onto the screen. The feature is fun to play with for a few minutes, maybe to re-watch a favorite scene, but might not hold the attention of anybody over the age of 10 for very much longer. The disc also has "Boog's Cannon Blast Game," a game where you use the remote to aim a cannon and shoot animals at Boog in a cage to free him. It's fun for a few rounds, and it's important to note that while Boog needed saving, he wasn't trapped in a cage at any point of the film. Open Season 3 is also enabled with BD-Live.
Final Thoughts
The sequel syndrome of children's animated films is seen with Open Season 3. The involvement of the canine contingent to rescue Boog from being taken off to Russia with the circus was a stretch. It was as though the writer's were too attached to the doggie characters and just had to bring them to the set, in their own Jetstream trailer. The storyline was a bit old, and includes references to stories of old such as The Sound of Music and maybe the Prince and the Pauper as Boog joins the circus by switching places with the bear Doug who is running away.
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