'Open Season' to release on Oct 20

Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) In a first of its kind association, ''Open Season'', the first animated film to come out of the Sony Pictures studio, has tied up with 'Sanctuary' in an effort to reach out kids to seek their involvement in protecting nature especially the Tiger.

''Open Season'' will roll out in theatres all over India on October 20 and simultaneously in its IMAX version in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

Protecting wildlife and nature is probably the finest way to demonstrate love and concern for our threatened planet .'Open Season', with its theme revolving around two key characters -- Boog and Elliot, addresses this crucial issue with a twist of humour and a global appeal, a press release issued here yesterday said.

In ''Open Season'', the odds are about to get even - Boog (voiced by Martin Lawrence), a domesticated grizzly bear with no survival skills, has his perfect world turned upside down when he meets Elliot (voiced by Ashton Kutcher), a scrawny, fast-talking mule deer.

When Elliot convinces Boog to leave his cushy home in a park ranger's garage to try a taste of great outdoors, things quickly spiral out of control. Relocated to the forest, with open season only three days away, Boog and Elliot must acclimate in a hurry.

They must join forces to unite the woodland creatures and take the forest back! The odd couple embarks on a hilarious journey, enlisting the aid of some helping hands (paws) along the way as they join forces with the denizens of the forest to turn the tables on hunters, and once again make the forest safe for its four-legged inhabitants.

Thematically, both ''Open Season'' and Sanctuary are conveying the same idea ''Protect nature's wildness!'' In truth the ''Forest'' is a ''Sanctuary'' for all life, the release added .

Sanctuary's mission to save the forest and its natural habitats will be incorporated in Sony's school contact programme for ''Open Season'', it said.

Simultaneously, the former will conduct their own campaign across schools in India through which children will be introduced to the film and the characters of the film. A specially-designed ''Open Season'' activity sheet has been designed for this purpose and it includes a contest for kids, with exclusive screenings of ''Open Season'' for selected participants.

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