丛林大反攻2 Open Season 2

If you think there's a certain sameness to computer animated movies, then you're likely noticed that lower-budget computer animated movies are even harder to distinguish from each other. Anyone who thought the use of technology in place of hand-painted backgrounds would eliminate the unnaturally static backgrounds of old-time animation has undoubtedly been sadly disappointed ?corners are cut just as much when a movie is drawn on a computer screen as when they were done by hand.

Too many computer animated movies are quick and dirty productions, and the filmmakers seem to think that viewers ?especially kids ?are not going to particularly notice or mind. Well, I'll here to say that it's more noticeable than they seem to think.

Which brings us to Open Season 2, a low-budget direct-to-DVD movie that takes its so-so originator and then scrimps. It scrimps on its cast ?with none of the big name voice talent back (the original's two animal protagonists return, but with Mike Epps replacing Martin Lawrence as the voice of Boog the bear and Joel McHale replacing Ashton Kutcher as Elliot the mule deer). And it scrimps on animation, with scene after scene of wilderness playing out without so much as a branch shifting ever so slightly in the breeze.

Maybe the Sony Pictures Animation folks don't have the backing they need to do better ?and this is a distinct possibility after the $85 million budget of the original was just barely recouped at the box office. Whatever the cause, this one simply looks pretty cheap. While the CGI technology allows for perfectly placed shadows and splashing water that really seems to splash, this level of precise detail only exists where the filmmakers choose to invest in it. And in this particular sequel, scrimping trumps detail.

The story here follows on the events of the original, with Elliot opening the movie all set to marry Giselle (Jane Krakowski is one of just two significant cast members from the original who has returned) in the forest. Elliot is a self-promoting klutz, unable to keep his rack of antlers attached, while Giselle is smart and patient (thankfully, for Gisell's sake), and Boog is a good-natured, huge bear who mainly works to pull Elliot down from the ceiling after his many freak-out sessions.  www.130q.com

The Elliot/ Giselle wedding is interrupted when the formerly domesticated dog, Mr. Weenie (Cody Cameron is the other returning cast member), is snatched from the forest back into domesticity by his human owners. The nuptials are delayed while the animals head off in pursuit, planning to rescue their canine buddy. They aren't so much up against humans as the RV-driving crowd's doggies ?principally Fifi (voiced by Crispin Glover, who goes delightfully over-the-top), a little frou-frou toy dog that's got a hate on for all things wild.

This is mostly a chase movie, with plenty of rabbit abuse and mostly adult-level jokes thrown in to spice things up. It's mostly in good fun, but at a few points, verges on mean-spirited. There are confrontations and rescues, culminating in a goofy battle scene at a theme park for pets. The eventual peace between wilds and domestics seems a long time coming, even if the movie does last just 76 minutes. Now and again, the humour is quite effective and the spoof of RV road warriors hits the mark, but more often, the jokes are higher on energy than they are on laugh generation.

丛林大反攻2 Open Season 2

Perhaps it's damning with faint praise to suggest "Open Season 2" is a more competent film than its 2006 predecessor, but in a very appealing way this sequel gets the job done with minimal fuss and a few sizable laughs. Even though it's cursed with a small budget and a complete overhaul of the voice cast, "Season 2" is a gentle charmer, yet even more importantly, it's practically "A Night at the Opera" compared to the first film.

Preparing for his wedding to love Giselle (voiced by Jane Krakowski), Elliot (Joel McHale, TV's "The Soup") is starting to have his doubts, confiding to his best friend Boog (Mike Epps) that he feels inadequate. Heading toward a matrimonial disaster, the gang is distracted by the absence of pooch Mr. Weenie (Cody Cameron), who's been reclaimed by his human owners, whisked away to a retreat for domestic animals. On the trail to retrieve their friend, Elliot tries to figure out exactly what his heart desires, while Boog, Giselle, and raging squirrel McSquizzy (Billy Connolly) feel the wrath of Fifi (Crispin Glover), a vengeful poodle who loathes all wild animals.  www.130q.com

It's easy to notice that "Open Season 2" was not afforded the same opportunity to marinate in money and prolonged production time as the original film. Visually resembling a PS3 video game cut scene, the CG effort goes about as far as it can with limited resources. This doesn't mean the picture is unsightly, it's just not allowed the same keystroke polish as the 2006 movie, making character movements stiff, backgrounds moderately static, and animated scope an impossibility. Being the clever directors they appear to be, Matthew O'Callaghan and Todd Wilderman find inspired ways to work around the absence of luxury, picking their fights carefully to make the best feature humanly possible.

One of the largest detours from the previous film is found in the voice cast. Gone are Ashton Kutcher and Martin Lawrence as Elliot and Boog, and I say good riddance. Replaced by McHale and Epps, the new blood infuses "Season 2" with a bighearted comedic spirit; the cast moves beyond mere mimicry to find diverse angels of neuroses and panic to devour. McHale especially impresses with his full-throated slapstick skills, finding his own silly beats as Elliot that end up more comedically rewarding than Kutcher's lackluster take on the character. Also welcome is Glover, perhaps the most unexpected animated voice actor in recent memory, giving his pampered pooch character a nice edge of hostility as the improbable villain of the movie.

Another advantage "Season 2" holds triumphantly over its leaden forefather is its brevity. Clocking in at 70 minutes and built for lenient DTV audiences, the film is free to chase cartoon tangents without the demand to lay a bulky morale on the whole endeavor. Of course, this means more mindless screaming from the characters to tickle children, which can be quite unpleasant to any viewer over 10 years of age, and I wasn't too interested in the film's flirtation with fecal humor. However, these are the unfortunate taxes to pay on what becomes a solid comic venture in the second half, as the gang infiltrates the Pet Paradiso animal theme park, thus creating multiple opportunities for comic mischief, a chance to try on some delightfully absurd animal disguises, and entertain a few pokes at Boog's weight sensitivity.