Open Season: Scared Silly

{{Infobox film

| name = Open Season: Scared Silly

| image = Open Season Scared Silly (2016) DVD Cover.jpg

| alt =

| caption = DVD cover

| director = David Feiss

| producer = John Bush

| screenplay = Carlos Kotkin

| story = Steve Barr
David Feiss
Stephan Franck
Paul McEvoy
John Norton
Kris Pearn

| based_on = Characters by
Steve Moore
John B. Carls
Jill Culton
Anthony Stacchi

| starring = Donny Lucas
Will Townsend
Melissa Sturm
Trevor Devall
Garry Chalk
Kathleen Barr

| music = Rupert Gregson-Williams
Dominic Lewis

| cinematography =

| editing = Maurissa Horwitz

| studio = Sony Pictures Animation

| distributor = Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

| released = {{Film date|2015|12|18|Turkey|2016|3|8|United States}}

| runtime = 84 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $5.5 million{{cite web|last1=Failes|first1=Ian|title=From 'Cow & Chicken' to 'Open Season': Q&A with David Feiss|url=http://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/cow-chicken-open-season-qa-david-feiss-144081.html|publisher=Cartoon Brew|access-date=November 1, 2016|date=November 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101193948/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/cow-chicken-open-season-qa-david-feiss-144081.html|archive-date=November 1, 2016|url-status=live}}

| gross = $1.8 million{{cite web |title=Open Season: Scared Silly |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl407405825/ |access-date=May 6, 2017 |website=Box Office Mojo}}

}}

Open Season: Scared Silly is a 2015 American animated comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation.{{cite web |date=February 19, 2016 |title='Open Season: Scared Silly' Lands on Retail March 8 |url=https://www.awn.com/news/open-season-scared-silly-lands-retail-march-8 |access-date=October 28, 2017 |website=Animation World Network |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710223639/https://www.awn.com/news/open-season-scared-silly-lands-retail-march-8 |url-status=live }} The fourth and final installment in the Open Season film series, it features the voices of Donny Lucas, Will Townsend and Melissa Sturm.{{Cite web |date=March 7, 2016 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Director David Feiss Talks Open Season: Scared Silly and More |url=https://www.comicbookmovie.com/animated_features/exclusive-director-david-feiss-talks-open-season-scared-silly-a131797 |website=ComicBookMovie.com |access-date=March 15, 2020 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170650/https://www.comicbookmovie.com/animated_features/exclusive-director-david-feiss-talks-open-season-scared-silly-a131797 |url-status=live }}

The film was directed by David Feiss with music by Rupert Gregson-Williams and Dominic Lewis. Feiss had previously worked on the first film in 2006, where he served as the head of story. It premiered theatrically in Turkey on December 18, 2015 and was released direct-to-video in North America on March 8, 2016.

Plot

Elliot tells a campfire story about the legend of the Wailing Wampus Werewolf that is said to live in the Timberline National Forest one night. Boog is terrified by the story and decides to "chicken out" of their annual camping trip until he knows that the werewolf is gone. Determined to help Boog overcome his fears, Elliot, Mr. Weenie, and the other woodland animals band together to scare the fear out of Boog and uncover the mystery of the Wailing Wampus Werewolf.

Former hunter Shaw, now a tour guide, returns to Timberline to get revenge on Boog and Elliot for defeating him in the first film and witnesses an unseen creature in the forest (which turns out to be Ian, a deer who is Elliot’s rival, in a disguise). Shaw begs Sheriff Gordy to reopen hunting season and he reluctantly does so, but not before telling Shaw to only hunt down the werewolf. Despite this, Shaw becomes determined to not only catch it, but also hunt down Boog and Elliot. To carry out his plan, Shaw recruits his old friends Ed and Edna, the owners of poutine restaurant Poutine Palace. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Elliot catches the werewolf by himself after Boog angrily breaks off his friendship with him. As Boog walks through the forest, Elliot’s wife Giselle catches up to him and tries to convince him that Elliot was trying to help him overcome his fear and that Elliot is headed toward Dead Bear Gulch, but fails.

Meanwhile, a starving Mr. Weenie starts to believe that he is the werewolf. At Dead Bear Gulch, Elliot and Mr. Weenie are both caught by the werewolf, who is actually Shaw in a costume; fortunately, Boog and his friends leap to the rescue. Shaw is eventually overpowered and defeated as he, Ed and Edna are arrested by Gordy, who permanently shuts down open season. Gordy meets up with Boog, having recognized the bear's handiwork in defeating Shaw, and rewards him with a few treats. The animals then discover that the werewolf is real, but Elliot befriends him by dancing with him as he joins their campout. The next morning, Bobbie and Bob happily return to their RV with Mr. Weenie, and Bobbie tells Mr. Weenie that today is his birthday. The werewolf asks Boog to wear the female werewolf costume one more time, but Boog angrily refuses.

Cast

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

Donny Lucas as Boog
Will Townsend as Elliot / Mr. Weenie
Melissa Sturm as Giselle
Trevor Devall as Shaw / The Wailing Wampus Werewolf / Deputy #1
Kathleen Barr as Edna / Bobbie / Tree-Hugger Lady
Garry Chalk as Ed
Brian Drummond as Ian / Reilly / Tree-Hugger Man
Lee Tockar as Buddy / McSquizzy / Deputy #2
Shannon Chan-Kent as Rosie / Marcia
Michelle Murdocca as Maria
Lorne Cardinal as Sheriff Gordy
Peter Kelamis as Serge

}}

Production

Open Season: Scared Silly was first announced on June 11, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/06/11/open-season-scared-silly-due-for-spring-2016-release/|title='Open Season: Scared Silly' Due for Spring 2016 Release|work=Rotoscopers|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=March 27, 2016|archive-date=May 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513120718/http://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/06/11/open-season-scared-silly-due-for-spring-2016-release/|url-status=live}} The first trailer was released on November 1, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/11/01/trailer-for-open-season-scared-silly-debuts/|title=Trailer for 'Open Season: Scared Silly' Debuts|work=Rotoscopers|date=November 2015|access-date=March 27, 2016|archive-date=November 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108055225/http://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/11/01/trailer-for-open-season-scared-silly-debuts/|url-status=live}}

Release

=Home media=

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on March 8, 2016, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.{{Cite web |title=Open Season: Scared Silly Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Open-Season-Scared-Silly-Blu-ray/143414/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=blu-ray.com |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305223454/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Open-Season-Scared-Silly-Blu-ray/143414/ |url-status=live }}

Reception

Renee Schonfeld from Common Sense Media gave it a positive review, saying, "Talented voice actors, along with a clever story and script, make this very funny film a cut above most direct-to-DVD fare for kids and families".{{cite web |last=Schonfeld |first=Renee |date=March 7, 2016 |title=Open Season: Scared Silly |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/open-season-scared-silly |website=Common Sense Media |access-date=March 27, 2016 |archive-date=April 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410140330/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/open-season-scared-silly |url-status=live }}