Genre: Animation / Comedy / Family

Release Date: April 22, 2011

Runtime: 81 min

Director: Eric Brevig

Writers: Jeffrey Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin, Brad Copeland

Cast: Dan Aykroyd (voice), Justin Timberlake (voice), Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh, T.J. Miller, Andrew Daly

 

Rating: 2.5 / 5

 

As a throwback to the early sixties, the semi-animated film Yogi Bear recreates the picnic-basket pilfering bear and his sidekick Boo-Boo. As a resident of Jellystone Park, Yogi Bear considers himself “smarter than the average bear” and is a walking contradiction (remember the Green Day song?), causing mayhem with his harebrained schemes to steal food from picnickers and campers. Meanwhile, Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) decides to convert Jellystone Park into a logging site and it’s left to Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) and documentary filmmaker Rachel (Anna Faris) to save the park.

 

One can’t argue with the fact that the original Yogi Bear show wasn’t the wittiest production of its times. The big screen adaptation however, has dumbed down even further, making this one suitable for small kids. There’s plenty of slapstick comedy and the repartee between Yogi and Boo-Boo has a few fine moments and some very funny action montages – Yogi trying to swallow a worm, Yogi trying to fly, Yogi trying to waterski. However, the dialogue between the humans is lacklustre and predictable. 

 

Adults may not find enough depth to keep them engaged, especially after the recent releases of Rango and Rio. Yogi Bear definitely lacks the slickness, pop cultural references and layered characters of several animation films produced in the last decade or so. It’s almost retro-cultural in many ways, unlike Alvin and the Chipmunks, who were funked up beyond repair. The 3D effects have little impact on the visual experience. 

 

All said and done, it’s likely that Yogi Bear is going to be a laugh riot for everyone below the age of fourteen. It’s a simple film with a simple plot and two cute bears. Leave your intellectual faculty at home if you want to enjoy this one.