Release Date: March 22, 2011
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Everyone’s favorite pic-a-nic basket-stealing bear comes to the big screen in Yogi Bear, a new adventure, filmed in 3D, that combines live action with computer animation. Yogi has always relied on his quick wit and fast feet to stay one step ahead of irate campers while dodging his long-suffering nemesis, Ranger Smith. But he and Boo Boo are about to face a situation worse than anything Yogi has ever gotten them into Jellystone Park is being sold! To cover his mismanagement of city funds and fuel his election campaign, Mayor Brown plans to sell the park to loggers. Families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors Jellystone has always provided and, even worse, Yogi, Boo Boo, and all their friends will be tossed out of the only home they’ve ever known. Faced with his biggest challenge ever, Yogi must prove he really is smarter than the average bear, as he and Boo Boo join forces with Ranger Smith to find a way to save the park from closing forever.
If anybody needed an update on what Yogi Bear is up to today, the 2010 family comedy with live action actors and computer animated bears is the film to watch. And if you’re not exhausted with the 3D format, that’s available as well. Although there were less than a dozen times that I noticed the moments which were crafted for 3D viewing.
Anyway, I personally only viewed this film due to Anna Faris playing the role of an aspiring documentary film maker who makes Jellystone Park her latest project. There definitely wasn’t enough of Faris in the film, but I was still surprisingly attentive in the scenes without her. In fact, she is absent in the initial start of the film. Another live action actor that I really enjoyed was Tom Cavanagh who played the park ranger that makes it his mission to save Jellystone Park from the town’s mayor who’s on a political campaign. Andrew Daly plays Mayor Brown and he actually brings most of the genuine laughs in the film, at least for the adult audience. Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake voiced Yogi Bear and Boo Boo brilliantly.
But even trying to put myself in the mindset of a child, the story does not reach its maximum potential…what little there was for a remake anyway. Sure, the film has humour but it is not funny enough, charming enough, and entertaining enough to pay to see. And Yogi Bear himself contradicts himself throughout the entire film. For such a smart bear, he has a huge problem with listening to directions. Speaking of direction, Cavanagh and Faris’ conversations with Yogi Bear and Boo Boo do not often measure up with each other, as sometimes the actors are staring at their marks, which have been placed too high or too low. When the actors are in the same shot as Yogi Bear and/or Boo Boo…well, let’s just say that this film does not produce the best effects.
It tries though and the kids probably won’t even think about that. The cartoonish acting and wild bears may overshadow the negative aspects of the film for young viewers. What can be appreciated about the film, is its innocence in a time when so many films made for children are surprisingly inappropriate. So the film is enjoyable but it could have been way better. If you do find yourself buying this, it had better be because you or your child are big Yogi Bear fans or you are not expecting much and the film is on the sale rack.
Bonus Features Exclusively on Blu-Ray in High Definition:
* Spending A Day At Jellystone Park
– Watch Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake Voicing Yogi & Boo Boo
– Ranger Jones’ Jellystone Park
– Ranger Smith’s Love Song
– Roaring Rapids, Basket-Nabbers
– etc…
* Are You Smarter Than The Average Bear?
* New Looney Tunes Cartoon, Rabid Rider
* Yogi Bear Mash-Up
Yogi Bear is available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand, and for Download March 22, 2011.