I don't quite know what to say about Care Bears Bear Buddies. I was never a Care Bears kid, and after watching an hour and a half of them, I remembered why.
Bear Buddies is full of "lessons from the heart" about the "value of friendship"—or so says the box. Divided into eight stories, each episode provides a heartfelt life lesson about what it means to be a true bear buddy. The extremely original themes include learning to like yourself before others can like you, working together, trust, and sharing.
I've never before been exposed to such nauseating cartoon do-goodery. I got about four minutes in before I was ready to tear my eyeballs out. There was one blind moment of good comedic timing, when Oopsy makes a joke and is met with blank stares (the moment's ruined when they all laugh at it).
I sort of wish that I had watched the show when I was little, so I could be indignant about the path it's taken. I'm pretty sure this wouldn't even feed a soul hungry for nostalgia. For instance—the robot? Introduced in 2007 (I did a little research), Wingnut is an affable little helper-bot who basically does the bears' bidding.
In the second episode, "All You Need Is..." we see a whole robotic world hovering above Care-a-Lot, where what appears to be a rogue bear/android named Grizzle plots against the Care Bears. He hates the Care Bears and their unwavering cheer and goodwill; one wonders, though, why he doesn't just take his rock a few hundred miles away.
I kept waiting for the bears to pull out their iPhones and start texting each other.
In episode four, "Whose Friend Is Who" a real live human visits Care-a-Lot (I got the impression she'd been there before, but still -- what place do humans have in Care-a-Lot, am I right?). This broad, McKenna, has learned many a lesson from the Care Bears; on this disc she learns about working together and friendship.
The characters are one-dimensional and contrived, which is really all anyone can ask for from the Care Bears, I suppose. The show is made for children, yes, obviously, but were I a parent, I would never subject my kid to this. If you're a parent and you want to teach your kids basic morals and common sense, buy them the Little Critter or Henry and Mudge books.
DVD Bonus Features
Though resolved to never again laying eyes on another Care Bears episode, I found the experience worth it -- one of the special features is a bonus episode of "Sushi Pack," a show about living pieces of super-sushi that go around trying to save the world (or maybe just their city). Hilarious with surprising political undertones, "Sushi Pack" is everything I wish Care Bears had been.
Also included is the Trailer Gallery, which is exactly what it sounds like. On top of the previews that automatically showed before the feature, the gallery includes a preview of The Care Bears Big Wish Movie, the upcoming computer animated chapter in the Care Bears' story.
Best thing about this DVD: it came with a wee squishy care bear toy that has proven its worth as a great stress ball.
"Care Bears: Bear Buddies" is on sale October 22, 2009 and is rated NR. Animation, Children & Family. Directed by Larry Houston. Starring Ashleigh Ball, Ian James Corlett, Scott McNeil, Tabitha St Germain, Tracey Moore.
