Blu-Ray Review: Goofy, Weird ‘Yogi Bear’ Misses For All Audiences

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionE-mail page to friendE-mail page to friendPDF versionPDF version
No votes yet

CHICAGO – I must admit that I was dreading “Yogi Bear” like most teenagers dread 3rd period Calculus. I have avoided the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movies with just cause and can’t stand the new trend of CGI characters talking to human ones in kids movies. They’re usually pale excuses for family entertainment and the previews for “Yogi Bear” made my stomach turn. So consider it faint praise when I say it’s not THAT bad. Oh, it’s still bad and you can do a lot better for your family movie dollar but it’s more forgettable than truly wretched.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

“Yogi Bear” has two significant problems — lazy writing and CGI that just doesn’t look right. Why does Hollywood keep going back to this well when pure animation always works so much better? Would kids really have stayed away from a CGI cartoon version of “Yogi Bear”? Of course not. So why bother with the goofy live-action & CGI blend that looks bad now and will look absolutely ridiculous in 2020. This kind of film is going to age horrendously.

Yogi Bear was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 22nd, 2011
Yogi Bear was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 22nd, 2011
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Home Video

But kids don’t care about a film’s longevity. How does “Yogi Bear” work in 2011? So-so. The “story,” if you can call it that, is basically built around what people know about the legendary character Yogi Bear (Dan Aykroyd) — he sounds like a Vaudeville era stand-up, says “pic-a-nic” instead of picnic, and tries to steal food as he causes total mayhem with his little buddy Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) at Jellystone Park.

Yogi Bear was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 22nd, 2011
Yogi Bear was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 22nd, 2011
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Home Video

The hapless humans who don’t quite make eye contact with the CGI creations that were inserted later include Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh of “Ed”), Ranger Jones (T.J. Miller), love interest Rachel (Anna Faris), and villain Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) with his lackey (Nathan Corddry). Mayor Brown attempts to sell off Jellystone to fix the deficit he caused while Ranger Smith and new girlfriend Rachel try to save the day and stop Yogi from causing too much damage.

There’s a problem when the most annoying element of a kids movie is the title character. Yogi himself doesn’t look right, doesn’t sound right, and hasn’t been given any funny dialogue at all. When Yogi says that picnic baskets are a moment on the lips and a lifetime on the hips, who’s going to laugh at that? Kids won’t get it. And it shouldn’t be funny to adults. Talented writers could have made a nostalgic throwback to the old days of Yogi and Boo Boo while also appealing to their kids. They didn’t bother, figuring that the special effects and marketing would make enough money anyway so why bother writing an actual joke?

Even if the script for “Yogi Bear” had been stellar, it would have looked goofy. I simply HATED the character design for Yogi and Boo Boo. They never once look like they’re sharing the same space as each other, much less the human characters that they are supposedly interacting with. “Yogi Bear” just looks bad, especially in HD where its goofiness just seems heightened. Bad design looks even worse in 1080p.

“Yogi Bear” may be a bad movie but it’s not completely horrendous. Kids may laugh a few times and the adult cast is more likable than some junk like this. I’ve always had a soft spot for Anna Faris, even if she deserves WAY better projects than this one. Most people do.

Special Features:
o Spending A Day At Jellystone Park
o Watch Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake Voicing Yogi & Boo Boo
o Ranger Jones’ Jellystone Park Including His Real-Life Audition With a Bear
o Ranger Smith’s Love Song For His Favorite Girl
o Roaring Rapids, Basket-Nabbers and So Much More!
o Are You Smarter Than the Average Bear? Find Out by Taking This Fun- and Food-Filled Interactive Picnic Challenge
o New Looney Tunes Cartoon Rabid Rider
o Yogi Bear Mashup!

“Yogi Bear” stars Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Ed Cavanagh, and Anna Faris. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 22nd, 2011 and is rated PG.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

User Login

Free Giveaway Mailing

TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

Advertisement



HollywoodChicago.com on Twitter

archive

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
referendum
tracker