Yogi Bear

Director: Eric Brevig

Like most television programs, cartoons tend to have a limited lifespan. One generation will grow up with a certain program but as they move into their teens a new cartoon will come along to captivate a new audience before it too will ultimately be forgotten about. However alongside Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry, one other cartoon that has seamlessly beamed into the living rooms of any number of generations is Yogi Bear – the face of Hanna-Barbera studios.

Following the closure of Hanna-Barbera studios the picnic basket loving Yogi Bear has endured a period of life in exile but now he, his sidekick Boo Boo and Ranger Smith are finally back in live-action 3D; in other words the actors are humans while Yogi (voiced by Dan Akroyd) and Boo Boo (voiced by Justin Timberlake) are computer animated (think Roger Rabbit, Space Jam) with everything placed into a 3D format to keep with the latest Hollywood trend.

In this escapade Yogi and Boo Boo must find a way to save their beloved Jellystone Park from the evil Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) who intends to sell the park to developers in an attempt to pay off city debt and fund his up and coming election campaign. Although he is self proclaimed as being “smarter than the average bear” anything Yogi touches tends to go wrong making him a hindrance rather than a help, much to the angst of Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh).

While this film may lack the same wow factor of the films being churned out by Dreamworks (Shrek) and Pixar (Toy Story, Cars, Shrek) this film delivers on what helped make Yogi Bear such a success in the first place – being fast paced with a simple storyline with plenty of basic humor to appeal to young audiences. Parents who accompany their children to the film will be pleased to know that the characters, catchphrases and settings of the original Yogi Bear are retained in this latest installment. The 3D format also makes it worthwhile going along to the cinema to see rather than waiting for the DVD.

Now showing  in all three countries.