Common Sense Media Review
By Nancy Davis Kho , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 5+
Understated but funny sequel has some crude humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
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Language
a little
Animal almost says "pansy-ass" before he's stopped from saying it. Frequent double entendre: jokes revolving around use of the word "nuts," and phrases like "grabbed Mr. Weenie" (the name of the dog). A flirtatious dog says to another dog, "Your doghouse or mine?" When Elliot gets new antlers, there are jokes concerning his "new rack."
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
For a movie that starts with an animal wedding, there is very little romance. Lots of punny double entendre jokes about "racks" and "nuts." Animal character makes reference to "grown-up time." One dog says to another dog, "Your doghouse or mine?" A gas station attendant's rear end crack is exposed.
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Violence & Scariness
very little
Rabbits are used like snowballs in a snowball fight. Scene of a dog getting electrocuted. Cartoonish pratfall violence: animals falling and losing their antlers, a gas station explodes.
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Positive Messages
a little
This is a story of very different creatures working together as a team to achieve goals. There are also lessons in forgiveness and finding out what's really important; that is, being with the ones we love and the ones who love us. On the other hand, much of the humor comes from either engaging in or coming very close to engaging in stereotypes of ethnicity, region, and lifestyle.
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Positive Role Models
none
The animals make lots of jokes concerning flatulence, urination, defecation. While they do work together, no characters emerge as clear positive role models.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Open Season 2 is a 2008 animated comedy in which a deer questions his looming marriage and a dog that has lived out in the wild returns to the world of the tame. This is a funny, occasionally crude animated comedy that pits wild animals against domesticated pets in a race to save a conflicted dachshund. There are frequent moments of potty humor. Puns and double entendre with words like "nuts" and "rack" are abundant. Animals talk of needing "grown-up time," and one dog says to another, "Your doghouse or mine?" There are jokes revolving around a dog named "Mr. Weenie." A gas station attendant's rear end crack is exposed. There's a lot of cartoonish pratfall violence. Some of the character voices feel a lot like stereotyping by ethnicity, region, or lifestyle. The trappings of domestication -- leashes, treats, RVs -- are presented as entrapment, at least from the perspective of the "wilds." But it ultimately delivers a nice message about the devotion between pets and their owners. While it might be helpful to see the original before viewing this, it's not imperative -- kids will still be able to follow along with the action. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Open Season 2
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (6)
- Kids say (13)
age 5+
Based on 6 parent reviews
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 5, 2022
age 5+
I found almost no redeeming qualities
I saw the first film and did not care for it much. This film I found had no redeeming qualities except perhaps, Crispin Glover and Georgia Engel. I am a big Glover fan and cannot resist Engel's trademark voice. But even these delightful additions are too weak to save this film. The gender jokes, the heteronormativity, the underlying violence and the us against them attitude is worn thin in this film and it is never made interesting.
MyOpinionsOnStuff2 Adult
February 7, 2022
age 8+
Animal Lovers-Caution
I think something parents should know is that there are very unsettling scenes of a poodle being burned. It is a bit hard to watch and you see burn injuries afterwards. These scenes upset me as a kid and I think that these scenes alone require parental guidance, especially if your kid is sensitive or copies things they see in media.
Rate movie
See all 6 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In this straight-to-DVD sequel to Open Season, OPEN SEASON 2 leaves the anti-hunting rhetoric mostly behind and takes on pet ownership. Elliott the mule deer (now voiced by Joel McHale) is supposed to be marrying Giselle (Jane Krakowski) as the movie opens. But Elliott has an attack of cold feet, conveniently explained by the disappearance of Mr. Weenie the dachshund -- a former pet who has embraced life in the "wild" only to be lured back by his well-meaning owners en route to the Pet Paradiso RV resort. Elliott, Giselle, and a motley crew of forest animals take off in pursuit of Mr. Weenie, but they don't anticipate the venom with which the dogs and cats of the RV park will fight the encroachment of the wild on their now-natural habitat.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (13):
This sequel loses something of the star wattage of the voice performers in the original, but with Krakowski and Billy Connolly returning to their roles, it still entertains and amuses. In part, the entertainment value comes from the richly imagined characters, from a perpetually angry Scottish squirrel to a psychopathic French poodle named Fifi (Crispin Glover, who else?). The depiction of crazily devoted pet owners -- and the subtle way in which they have come to look like their pets -- is also effective.
But in the end, this is a buddy film, with Elliott realizing that to survive, he'll need the help of his friends -- and that includes his fiancé. What Giselle sees in Elliott is mystifying, between his hysteric tendencies and his unwillingness to commit, but since this is a movie aimed at kids, we'll give it a pass. It's a fine family entertainment choice that may have children rethinking their assumptions about the family pet.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mr. Weenie's dilemma. If you have pets, do you think they ever wish they were free? What would be the pluses and minuses of being free for an animal used to living inside? What do you think wild animals might envy about domesticated life?
Was the violence necessary to the story, or did it seem like it was used to add to the comedy or be entertaining for its own sake?
Do the mannerisms and accents of the different characters seem stereotypical to you, or are they a humorous reflection and parody of such mannerisms and accents?
Movie Details
- In theaters: January 27, 2009
- On DVD or streaming: January 27, 2009
- Cast: Jane Krakowski, Joel McHale, Mike Epps
- Director: Matthew O'Callaghan
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Black actors
- Studio: Sony Pictures Animation
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Wild Animals
- Character Strengths: Teamwork
- Run time: 86 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: For mild rude humor
- Last updated: September 17, 2023
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Open Season 2
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