El oso Yogi

Another classic cartoon character comes to the big screen, there was Popeye, Scooby Doo, Garfield, and now there is the mischievous picnic basket stealing bear named Yogi.

Now the CGI animation of Yogi and Boo Boo is pretty good, and the voice talents of Dan Ackroyd and Justin Timberlake is also good. But Tom Cavanagh as Ranger Smith is not funny, he comes across trying way to hard, it looked like he was telling the audience "I'm funny, please laugh at me". Anna Faris starts out as a dull character at the beginning, but she gets better as the movie goes on. And T.J. Miller is just wasting his talent here. But it does have good share of adventure at times. But I think the little kids will enjoy more than adults.

Not that a review should be about ME, but it seems to help with the review a little. I haven't reviewed a film in a long time, probably because I have been busy getting married and having kids. With that being said, I don't really see too many movies anymore and needless to say, this was NOT tops of my list. If I finally get to see a movie, I prefer an adult film, but alas, I have children. I got on here before hand and was even less than ecstatic about Yogi given the reviews and the star rating.

However, so many of them were so far off, that I felt inclined to write this review the same night after seeing this movie. First off, for those that review and/or rate a movie like this without having seen it is quite silly and hinders the reasoning behind the rating itself. Ratings are to help people, not skew them.

OK, on to the film. This is a legitimate PG moving for children, i.e. under 10, so take that into consideration. Someone in a rating said it was not a movie they would take a date on . . . really? I mean, I would hope not. Anyway, I have seen lots of kids and young adult movies with far less plot and acting than this movie.

I thought it was perfect for the age bracket and while yes, there is a mention about urination and about Boo Boo having trouble with baked beans, other than that, I was actually quite impressed that the movie survived without a bunch of potty humor. I thought it was a lightly funny film that stuck to the entire Yogi Bear theme of trying to save the park. I thought while some of the adults were silly to stupid, many of them were again, lightly funny and silly but not over the top stupid. Mentioning the word "stupid" also brings me to another thought that the movie wasn't filled with boring dialog of people calling each other silly names that make kids laugh, but irk parents knowing now after the film their kids are going to be calling each other those names and we will be left with trying to tell them why that is inappropriate.

I actually laughed quite a bit and enjoyed seeing Yogi. I am 34 years old and my daughter is 3 that was with me and we liked it. I could even watch it again. I've seen bad films of all ages and genres and this is NOT one of them. Is it academy award material? Not even close, but you won't be disappointed in an entertaining film for children.

Again about the silly reviewers,if you don't like it, no biggie and it is your perogrative to also write a review, they are needed, but why the lies in writing a review? Bored to tears in 10 minutes? Yogi getting hurt all the time? keep it lighthearted? How about paying attention. If there is any major complaint, it should be that this movie was nothing more than a glorified version of the cartoon, but that is what one would expect. Have you never seen the Yogi Christmas special. You know, the one where Ranger Smith tells Yogi to stay away and where the place is going to be forced to close and all the animals are sad? Sound familiar, hmm.

Now, for my final soap box that does make me mad. This dumb 3D is not all that impressive and given the extra added cost to go see one, it is NOT worth it. While there is a non-3D version, the theaters don't really want to play that one too much, because they can't charge the exuberant fee. I will for a fact plan ahead next time better and NOT do the 3D film and make sure I send a statement, although minimal it is.

Yogi bear, a piece of ancient history comes to life in a film that like the first Garfield film combines real life acting with computer animated action. The story is easy enough: living in a park with his friend Booboo his only "work" is attempting to steal food from people coming there for a picnic. His idyllic life is threatened though - first there's the ranger that is on their tail and then there is the governor who wants to tear down the forest to make money for the city. But Yogi is a versatile bear, and solutions are in the making.

This is a typical kids film, designed for kids of all ages with a bias towards kids around 4 to 8 years old. The story is light and even the most dark spots are sweetened with enough sugar to make a layer cake or two.

For the parents it is endurable. It's not quite as fun as some of the other films in the same age group out there as it lacks any of the harmless innuendo that makes such films so much better, but it is endurable. The worst would probably be having to see the scenes that combine the real actors with the animated ones - the interaction shows all too clearly that they were blue-screen acted with the actors looking into the distance or somewhere different altogether while the animation should be happening right in front of their noses.

5 out of 10 misshapen attempts at resurrection childhood heroes

It's easy to slam a movie like "Yogi Bear"- just talk about how simplistic the script written by no less than three writers; or how childish the antics are of the titular character and his cautious sidekick, Boo-Boo; or even how repetitive pic-a-nic basket stealing gets. Yes, they are all fair observations of this live-action adaptation of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon, but I wouldn't go so far as to criticise the movie for these very traits.

If you've seen the Saturday morning cartoons, you'll find that this film actually stays extremely faithful to its source. In them, Yogi goes around doing perhaps one thing and one thing only- that's right, stealing pic-a-nic baskets and thinking to himself how he's "smarter than the average bear"- together with Boo-Boo, occasionally running into Jellystone National Park's head ranger Smith who yells at him for disturbing the peace.

We used to laugh at Yogi's foolish schemes (or at least I remember I did), so why is it so difficult to laugh at the same things all over again? Sure many of us who have enjoyed those cartoons may have grown up, but that's not a fault of the film, especially when those in the audience who were of the age when we were watching the cartoons were obviously having a great time.

Around the regular pic-a-nic stealing, writers Jeffrey Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin and Brad Copeland have spun an eco-friendly story of the unscrupulous town mayor (Andrew Daly) who aims to sell off Jellystone to the loggers to cover the city's deficit. Needless to say, it will be up to Ranger Smith, his love interest the nature documentarian Rachel (Anna Faris), and of course Yogi and Boo-Boo to save the day. Yes it's simple but the plot is just serviceable enough to be the glue this live-action treatment needs.

Ultimately, the stars of the show were always Yogi and Boo-Boo, and in this regard, both the voice actors and the animators have done a wonderful job. Dan Aykroyd does his best Daws Butler impersonation for Yogi Bear, most impressive for nailing his character's distinctive speech patterns. Just as outstanding is Justin Timberlake, clearly relishing the opportunity to disappear into the role of Boo-Boo, complete with the trademark nasal delivery. It's especially interesting to think how Timberlake sounds so uncannily like the classic Don Messick.

Director Eric Brevig (of 2008's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth") keeps the gags flying fast and furious, so even if some of the supposed verbal punchlines fall flat, there is always something visually appealing to hold your attention. An Oscar-nominated effects specialist, Brevig makes great use of the stereoscopy to deliver all sorts of visual gimmicks- whether something flying in your face or hurling you along- but it adds nicely to the fun.

And that's one word that sums up what it's all meant to be about- "fun", good clean harmless fun like how the cartoons were 40 years ago, and a trip down memory lane for those who have seen the originals. There'll be many tempted to ride the wave of criticism surrounding this movie, but if you know what you're in for, then "Yogi Bear" should just be the perfect family entertainment this holiday season.

To bring the younger viewers up to speed - Yogi Bear has been around since the 1960s, he started as a cartoon "pick-a-nic" basket-stealing bear in Jellystone Park. He had a good run for several years and eventually faded into the background with a few television reboots along the way. Thanks to 3D live-action/ CGI wizardry, Yogi is back on the big screen. In the new "Yogi Bear" movie, he appears brand new in all of his CGI magnificence yet he maintains his familiar look and catch phrases at the same time. He's hasn't come back alone, he brought his old side kick Boo Boo, also in CGI, and his friendly nemesis Park Ranger Smith.

Yogi (voiced by Dan Aykroyd) starts the movie with what he is known for - stealing picnic baskets from visitors of Jellystone Park. In Aykroyd's best Ed Norton impersonation (for the younger viewers that is a character from the 1950s television series "The Honeymooners") he self narrates his strategies so not to lose the audience along the way. Yogi and his accomplice in petty thievery, Boo Boo (voiced by Justin Timberlake) are continually devising new methods to steal food from the tourists to Jellystone Park. Yogi is the da Vinci mastermind while Boo Boo is the rational voice of conscientiousness. They opt for stealing because the alternative is to resort to foraging for food like the "average bear." Word about Yogi's pilfering gets back to Ranger Smith (played by Tom Cavanagh) who has a long history of battling with Yogi. Instead of just shooting Yogi full of tranquilizer darts and dragging his body to another park (that's my idea, it's not in the movie), Ranger Smith uses his sternness to reprimand Yogi therefore upholding law and order within Jellystone. Yogi soon goes back to his cave and Ranger Smith goes back to his cabin and the cycle of picnic basket pilfering continues.

Meanwhile, back in Franklin City, Mayor Brown (played by Andrew Daly) is making plans to sell off Jellystone. He needs the money to bring his city out of debt and with a coy evilness, he rationalizes that each resident of Franklin City will make money off the deal. Daly was a fresh enjoyment to watch as the nemesis; delivering his role so both children and adults could pick up on the humor of a fun yet despicable character.

A three-way conflict soon begins with Ranger Smith stuck in the middle. Yogi is disrupting the tourists and the mayor is trying to close Jellystone Park. Then, in steps Rachel (played by Anna Farris) who is filming a nature documentary. On top of that Ranger Jones (played by TJ Miller) is gunning for the job of top ranger (it's funny because there are only two rangers for the entire park). It seems like a multi-level story line but the director, Eric Brevig, presents the smaller stories in a clear-cut linear format where even the youngest viewer can pick up on what is happening.

While tension is building between Mayor Brown and Ranger Smith, the 100th anniversary of Jellystone is upon them. At the celebration, Yogi (who was only trying to help) ruins everything and the park closes. At Ranger Smith's lowest point, he loses not only the park and his job, but also a chance with Rachel too. Knowing that his intelligence is also a hindrance, Yogi tries a life of being an "average bear" but that doesn't suit him. He and Boo Boo soon devise a scheme to rescue the park and to stop Mayor Brown from becoming Governor Brown.

Should you see this movie? Yes, it's simple yet charming. There were a lot of jokes for an older and younger audience. You didn't have to grow up with the cartoon to enjoy this newer version of an old classic, just be a fan of clean humor.