Yogi & the Invasion of the Space Bears

Even with the various Hanna Barbera cartoon shows at an end. The cartoon characters lived on in these made for television films.

Yogi & the Invasion of the Space Bears is too long at ninety minutes. There is enough to keep nostalgia buffs happy. Even though the animation is so-so and so is the plot.

Yogi Bear is still up to his old tricks to take camper's picnic baskets. This time by checking for the food visitors being in to Jellystone Park.

Ranger Smith plans to get rid off Yogi Bear once and for all. Just freeze him out.

Only Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo are abducted by aliens, Zor 1 and Zor 2 and taken to Planet Daxson. Where their robotic clones are created and sent over to Jellystone Park.

Now Ranger Smith is having a nightmare, he has three pairs of Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo.

Meanwhile the real Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo have to escape from Planet Daxson and their crazed leader.

Seeing Yogi Bear in space was good. The story was simplistic but youngsters would had liked it more at the time. Nowadays I'm not so sure.

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.

'Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears' may not quite be as good as the very good 'Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper', which is not part of the Hanna Barbera "Superstar 10" series of film specials made in the 80s. This said, out of the three Yogi films as part of the "Superstar 10" films it is by far the best, the others being the fun if patchy 'Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose' and especially the less than great and pretty bland 'Yogi's Great Escape'.

Perhaps 'Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears' goes on a touch too long and a couple of parts are a little too corny. Otherwise, there is very little to complain about, those nostalgic for Yogi Bear, children and those who don't demand too much will enjoy it thoroughly and even the most cynical may find much to like.

The animation is well done, especially in the meticulously detailed backgrounds. Lots of vibrant colour too and imaginative details. The music is luckily not cheap-sounding and isn't heavy in repetition, unlike 'Yogi's Great Escape'.

Most of the gags and humour work very well and in spirit of the original Yogi Bear series, corny at times but mostly fun and smart. What makes 'Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears' the best of the three Yogi films in the "Superstar 10" series is that it has the best story of the three and is more focused in characterisation.

While episodic and thin on the ground in particularly 'Yogi's Great Escape', the story is tighter and more eventful and actually more complex than one would think without being confusing. Really liked that it was centred mainly only around Yogi and Boo Boo with some amusing supporting characters, rather than having appearances from other Hanna-Barbera characters that were fun to watch but were in some cases too short and with their material not as strong as it could have been.

Boo Boo and Yogi are very likable characters and they have a great chemistry together. The villains are also pretty cool. The voice acting from Don Messick and particularly Daws Butler is terrific.

Overall, surprisingly very good, the best of the three Yogi films that are part of the "Superstar 10" series and one of the better films of that series too. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Mostly, "Yogi & the Invasion of the Space Bears" is another attempt to extend the supremely clever ursine's longevity just a little bit more. There is, however, one really interesting aspect. When Yogi and Bobo first meet their clones, the clones repeat everything said by Yogi and Bobo. This is similar to a condition called incipient echolalia (referenced in Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Breakfast of Champions"). A person with this condition repeats the last two or three words that s/he hears. Obviously, the duploids repeat the entire sentence, but it seems to be the same idea.

OK, too much analysis. The movie is nice, brief entertainment. It must suck to be the Ranger. Starring Daws Butler (in his final role), Don Messick, Maggie Roswell (now a "Simpsons" cast member) and Frank Welker.