Cartoon Christmas specials come and go, and most series have more than one in their repertoire if they last more than 5 years (which in cartoon years can be anywhere between 5 to 9 seasons worth of content). They’re traditionally laced with sentiments of selflessness and goodwill towards men, as the festive season they celebrate dictates. The Hanna-Barbera roster of classic cartoons spanned a couple of generations and sprinkled in the midst of it all we saw a variety of specials to celebrate all the various holidays as they came along. And so we have the brief, easy but enjoyable Yogi Bear’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper which, while having the bear’s name in its title, is really about bringing all the classic Hanna-Barbera characters (save for the gang of Mystery Inc.) together in a quick adventure.
The so-called caper begins with a mix-up as Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, and the rest head to Jellystone to have a party “that will last until Groundhog’s Day” with Yogi, only to find that Yogi and Booboo thought they were meeting them in the big city, so they stow away with the last campers leaving the park. When the bear duo reach the city they fall in with a little girl who runs away and just wants to keep having fun with them, as the Park Ranger alerts city officials that Yogi needs to be brought back to the park. The bear and human trio wander about the city enjoying themselves and running into random friends (like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, whom Yogi aptly points out are a few eons away from home). It’s warm, it’s fluffy, and it’d be a Christmas staple if there was more to it. As is, the simple, generic holiday story and less than amusing antics of Yogi and Booboo makes it all rather forgettable.
The other episode on the disc isn’t seasonal but instead sees Jellystone Park celebrating Yogi’s birthday and attempting to do so without letting the bear know what the party will be. The Park Ranger, knowing it’s nigh impossible to keep a secret from Yogi yet under pressure from “the sponsors” to do so, tells Yogi that the bear will be performing a huge spectacular in front of a huge audience and thus must practice many different forms of showmanship. Misled, Yogi practices dancing, singing and other entertainment styles only to discover he genuinely has two left feet and that his penchant for rhyming doesn’t come with the ability to carry a tune. Yogi goes into panic mode when the day arrives only to receive the welcome revelation that there’s no pressure to perform and that he can sit back and enjoy the party.
The disc release was timed to coincide with the release of Yogi Bear and the Christmas season (obviously), but it’s unfortunately cynical in its make-up. The birthday episode is the disc’s “Bonus Features” yet it plays back-to-back with the Christmas Caper – this is good for parents who want to slip in a disc and have 48 minutes to themselves, but it detracts from the “extra” being an extra at all, instead it’s just part of the basic presentation. What should have been done is the inclusion of maybe 3 or 4 additional Yogi or Hanna-Barbera cartoons (Christmas-themed or otherwise) to make it feel like this disc wasn’t just a shameless grab at the few scraps of cash left in the parent’s Christmas-strained coffers.
When all is said and done, I’d easily wish for this to gain popularity over some of the lousy 3D animation messes that the ABC or Fox Family channels parade about every year. Even if the Christmas Caper lacks any sort of original charm beyond the warmth we get from seeing classic cartoon characters on the screen, it at least has that warmth and doesn’t feel cold and exploitative. It’s akin to putting on one of the Peanuts Christmas specials, though not as good it still has heart, and that’s what makes a Christmas special great.
"Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper" is on sale December 7, 2010 and is not rated. Biopic, Children & Family, Comedy. Starring Daws Butler, Don Messick.
