If Yogi Bear could ever have worked as a film, that time was around 1962 when the original The Yogi Bear show had just stopped producing new episodes. It wouldn’t have been a particularly polished film, but it would have stayed true to its roots in both tone, cast, and style. Daws Butler and Don Messick were the original bear duo and their voices in the roles are as iconic as the famous catchphrases; because of this, the announcement that Dan Aykroyd would take on the role of Yogi in the Yogi Bear movie and that he wouldn’t be studying Butler’s method put a lot of Hanna-Barbera traditionalists on edge. Were they right to worry? Yes, but not about him.
First, the things Yogi Bear did right. Do Yogi (Aykroyd) and Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) like to steal picnic baskets? Yes. Does Yogi hatch stupid plans that Boo Boo warns him against? Yes. Can a kid watch Yogi Bear and laugh? Mostly, which is probably more than can be said for how a modern kid would react to classic Yogi cartoons.
And there it is, it took the basic elements of Yogi and included them into a movie. Unfortunately, it then went further and missed with every subsequent swing, maybe because the premise of Yogi Bear is too simple for a feature presentation. As it turns out, not every time-tested franchise is ripe for the feature film treatment.
As always, Yogi and Boo Boo are terrorizing the campers and picnickers of Jellystone Park, whose well-being is looked after by Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) and his hapless assistant, Ranger Jones (T.J. Miller). The Ranger’s job has never been easy, but he finds some relief in the arrival of zoologist Rachel (Anna Faris), who was attracted by the bearly duo’s weekly new schemes and contraptions to steal picnic baskets. Consequently, the park’s attendance has been down and after a disastrous attempt at raising funds and annual memberships is ruined by Yogi’s antics and Ranger Jones’s meddling, the Mayor (Andrew Daly) transfers Ranger Smith out and leaves Ranger Smith in charge. Unbeknownst to Ranger Smith, the Mayor plans on opening the park up for logging and it’s up to Yogi, Boo Boo, Rachel, and the Rangers to stop it all.
The story becomes a ridiculous, over-the-top contrivance that children will struggle to follow along with. The sense of humor, save for a few instances of slapstick, shoots safely over the heads of children and well beneath the level that will keep adults interested. The story is like a dozen that have come before it, safely infused with the new breed of environmentally conscious morals that are becoming increasingly common in children’s films. Sadly, no matter how hard the writers try to resuscitate the long-retired cartoon bear’s spirit, Yogi Bear lands with a deafening thud, devoid of any real imagination or sense of fun. This is what happens when a studio assembles a film from formula with no other intention than profit: it fizzles.
Frankly, if there’s anything you could list as being the least wrong with this, it’s Dan Aykroyd. His take on the Yogi Bear voice isn’t pitch perfect, but he does it well enough, and with enough energy to make it feel right. Timberlake, by contrast, seems to try too hard. It’s half the writing, but the other half is Timberlake insisting with every breath that his lines are funny. It never feels right, even if the impression isn’t half bad.
The animation used to bring Yogi and Boo Boo (and their pet turtle) to life isn’t awful, but it never feels right. It might look halfway decent in HD, but compared to good old fashioned animation, this feels lifeless and stodgy.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
There’s more on the Blu-ray disc than first meets the eye. After you burn through the mashup of new and classic Yogi Bear moments and a set of puzzle games for the kids, click on the “Day in Jellystone Park” and it launches to a virtual map of the park with different sections each housing 3-4 featurettes on either the making of the film or little skits starring a character from the film. Of particular interest, especially for the Daws Butler fans that were initially hesitant about Aykroyd’s portrayal of the bear, is the portion dedicated to Aykroyd and Timberlake and their take on their roles. There’s also a full version of the park’s tourism value and Tom Cavanagh’s love song for Rachel with Anna Faris walking around and him dancing about…it’s remarkably goofy.
Sadly the incredibly well-rendered alternate ending didn’t make it onto the disc, or if it did…it’s really well hidden.
"Yogi Bear" is on sale March 22, 2011 and is rated PG. Adventure, Comedy. Directed by Eric Brevig. Written by Jeffrey Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin. Starring Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, T J Miller, Andrew Daly.
