The Tangerine Bear

This movie was initially a made for TV special, so the animation is not Disney quality the way "adults" like cartoons to be. My three year old son LOVES this movie. The songs, and the characters. We have watched the movie just about every day since we brought it home (about a month ago). It was a clearance VHS tape that he is wearing out. I am going to have to buy it on DVD. I only let him watch an hour of TV a day, so he is forgoing Dragon Tales and Bob the Builder to watch this every day. As an adult, I have to say that I have seen much better movies in my life. But, since it is a story geared towards children, and my son loves this movie, I have to give this move a high rating. The only reason it isn't a ten is because I am sick and tired of watching it all the time.

If you are purchasing this movie for yourself, you are probably not going to like it. If you are purchasing this movie for a child, he/she will love it. His/her parents will probably place a curse on you for purchasing this addictive movie. (Too much of a good thing is usually bad).

The storyline is cheerful and upbeat and it has some moral value in it. It teaches about family and helping your neighbor even when your neighbor isn't always the nicest to you. There is no violence in the movie.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Howie Mandel, David Hyde Pierce, Jenna Elfman, Marlon Wayans and Tom Bosley make up the cast of "The Tangerine Bear," a decent family film that features a fine cast and "okay" animation.

Tangy is a teddy bear who has tragically been created with an upside-down smile. In this film he basically sits in a toy shop and is a good samaritan to other toys, and of course the sentimental ending is included.

The animation may not be great, the story may be a bit dry, but "The Tangerine Bear" isn't that bad. Just decent. It's clean entertainment to be enjoyed around the holiday, which as I write this, is coming up very soon.

2.5/5 stars--

John Ulmer

Who would want a stuffed bear that has an upside down smile and whose fur is tanned to a tangerine color? In this delightful holiday special, find out what happens when an ordinary teddy bear with a smile that was stitched upside down by mistake ends up in an emporium window with some other odd toys waiting for someone to buy them in time for Christmas.

There are several voices in this holiday video you should have no trouble recognizing. One of which is none other than Howie Mandel (the voice of Jack), who is known for his work on Bobby's World and before he hosted Deal or No Deal. Two other familiar voices include Country singer Trisha Yearwood who narrated the story, and Johnathon Tailor Thomas who voiced the main character.

Will Tanggy find a home in time for Christmas? Watch this heart-warming favorite holiday video and find out.

I'm not sure why most people aren't familiar with this special. In fact, I didn't know about this until quite a while later. No matter what your age is, I believe that you will enjoy this. While toys coming to life when people aren't looking is a very common premise, I have yet to see it fail to create something good. The story is very sweet all the way through. You'll probably like this, even if your first time seeing it is as an adult. You may find yourself watching this even when it isn't Christmas because it could actually work for any part of the year, they just chose Christmas for this particular story. But whether you have a kid who likes nice stories or you are a kid yourself, I highly recommend this movie to watch all the time.

As a commercial break started, my son looked back at me very serously and told me, "It'll be right back, Daddy. Please don't change the channel!". The story was nice, the animation was reasonable, and the overall message was very positive. I'm usually pretty good at picking out voices, but I wasn't able to tell who was who during the show. The cast of voices is excellent and fit the show very well. I think children will love this for many years.