Le vol magique de Yogi et ses amis

Loved Yogi Bear as a child, and still have a soft spot for it now. It is a funny and charming show with appealing, funny and smart humour and likable characters, plus the characters are well voiced.

Very like 'Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper', 'Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose' has a lot of what is appealing about Yogi in the first place and is enjoyable fun in its own right. It is not quite as good as that special, but as far as the Yogi specials go it's one of the better ones and much better than 'Yogi's Great Escape'. It also fares well in ranking the "Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10" series of TV specials made in the 80s.

It does go on for a little too long, occasionally momentum is lost in scenes that are less eventful. It could easily have been half an hour shorter and things would have felt consistently tighter. The story is a very neat idea, mostly done well, but it is pretty standard for Yogi, meaning some scenes having somewhat of a formulaic nature, and at times episodic.

While it was a delight to see Yogi's friends, some of them could have had more to do with some of them not being in it quite long enough. At least they were true to character.

Best thing about 'Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose' is the titular aircraft itself, it looks great, gives the special a little magic that wasn't quite there in some of the storytelling and like a character of its own. The brief black and white clip of the plane being flown by Howard Hughes himself was a lovely touch.

Much of the animation is well done, especially in the meticulously detailed backgrounds. Lots of vibrant colour too. The music is luckily not cheap-sounding and isn't heavy in repetition.

'Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose' has some amusing writing that is true in spirit to the Yogi Bear show and what made it so appealing in the first place. There is a real sense of fun and nostalgia, though perhaps 'Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose' just lacks the heart of 'Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper', which had a sincere and heartfelt representation of Christmas.

Characters mostly are great, with Yogi and Boo Boo likable characters and Dread Baron and Mumbley suitably dastardly villains. Who cannot help love seeing Quick Draw in his old El Kabong costume? The voice acting is very good, with Daws Butler giving a bravura performance in multiple roles.

In summary, not quite magical but fun. Die-hard fans will like it and so would those not demanding too much. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Yogi Bear & his Holiday Jolliday Tours, takes himself, Boo Boo, Quick Draw McGraw, Augie Dogie & his dad Doggie, Snagglepuss, & Huckleberry Hound to Long Beach, CA to see the Spruce Goose - the largest plane ever built, of wood, by Howard Hughes. Yogi's always getting lost & takes them to an, "Off Limits," part of the plane & it closes & they can't get out. Yogi presses all the buttons on the control panel. The plane starts up & leaves the hanger & Yogi thinks it's all part if the show, until he has to fly it - it's a magical plane. Meanwhile, two aliens, Firkin & Merkin come to invade Earth & are scared when they see the Spruce Goose & leave to another part of our planet. Animals in the South Pole are trapped & can't get to food so Yogi takes the gang & the Goose there to help. They discover Bernice - she was trapped in the cargo area - she's a mean tomboy. They save the animals. Then, an ocean liner's adrift with animals aboard and their poachers abandoned them. They go to save them too just as the aliens also come & once more are scared away by the Goose. Quick Draw changes into his alter hero; El Cabong - to help. Yogi takes the animals to an island but someone's on it... Dread Baron & his sidekick Mumbly. They've been marooned there since Dread crashed his plane. They want off the island but Yogi & gang don't trust him. He promises to reform - hah! They take him onto the Goose but Dread traps them to go to the island of Moolah Moolah. On Moolah there's a statue that resembles Dread & the natives now worship him. He has them load lots & lots of gold onto the Goose. A volcano erupts & they must leave. Once up in the air they must throw the gold out because the plane's too heavy - Dread & Mumbley follow the gold - & now the natives worship Mumbley. Yogi somehow ends up back in Long Beach (remember the Goose is magical). Bernice is reunited with her mother & Yogi takes the gang back to Jellystone Park. Cute movie for kids of any age.

There have been many combinations of cartoon characters, but "Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose" puts a neat spin on it. In this case, Yogi, Boo Boo, Quick Draw McGraw, Huckleberry Finn, and some others take Howard Hughes' famous airplane on a trip around the world and have to fight off the dastardly Dread Baron.

In some ways, maybe this is just a cartoon, but it's pretty interesting. And I think that we can all agree: this is a cartoon, so we need to accept it for what it is. Maybe it's just fantasy, but they've got some impressive stuff here. You're sure to like it. I guarantee it.

I absolutely loved this movie when I watched it as a child! The magical ride on the Spruce Goose will send you to a place where only the imagination can go. The characters include some of the best and most familiar, including Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Quick Draw McGraw, Droopy, Pink Panther, and more! A little tomboyish girl called Bernice is also in on the ride, although reluctantly at first (she was a stowaway on the plane before it accidentally lifted off). The places they visit and the people (er, animals) that they meet are such wonderful and growing experiences. You'll feel as if you're riding along with them! Definitely a must see, very highly recommended.