Yogi Bear (2010) User Reviews (128)

Not smarter or dumber than the average family movie, Yogi Bear is perfectly good, clean and harmless fun that the whole family can enjoy

[moviexclusive · 6/10 · 22 December 2010]

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.

Substance Free Boo Boo Yippie

[jonnyhavey · 5/10 · 19 December 2010]

First of all if you are going to see this film you probably already know what you are getting yourself into. This is a really really really dumb movie featuring Yogi Bear and Boo Boo voiced by Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake respectively. There is no substance at all what so ever in this movie, therefore, sit back, relax, become a kid again and enjoy the antics of Yogi Bear and Boo Boo. The movie begins with the picnic basket nabbing antics of the renowned cartoon character Yogi Bear and his partner in crime Boo Boo at Jellystone Park. They are constantly messing with Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) who they call Mr. Ranger and scaring campers away. Documentary filmmaker Rachel (Anna Faris) arrives in order to shoot a project by attaching a camera to Boo Boo's bow-tie. All is normal until Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) decides to sell Jellystone Park to loggers in order to save the town from bankruptcy and help him with his campaign for governor. However, Yogi and Boo Boo have something to say about this and team up with Ranger Smith and Rachel in order to stop Mayor Brown plot and save the park.

The movie itself isn't very good nor is it supposed to be very good and the fact that the creators recognized this while making the film makes the film a lot of fun. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are the best part of the film and are laugh out loud hilarious. They aim for the ridiculous and do the craziest things that are very entertaining. Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake were perfect choices for the parts of Yogi Bear and Boo Boo. They help the film avoid any sappy emotional drama and just have some childhood fun. The film is also very short and therefore it does not overstay it's welcome. The film just tells the story and makes you laugh without really worrying about anything.

The film isn't worth paying fourteen dollars to see in 3D and is very forgettable because it lacks any originality what so ever. Also, all of the actors really do not add anything to the film except a small cliché romantic relationship between Ranger Smith and Rachel. The bad guys are very annoying as they usually are these kinds of movies. Also there really isn't a plot or at least a plot that you really care about. The writing is terrible, but yet again you aren't seeing the film for that.

This is a great kids movie that isn't scary at all and could probably even be rated G. I actually do recommend seeing the film, but you should probably wait to see it in the cheaper movie theaters or wait for DVD unless you want a really safe movie to take a kid to. (Save your money and do not see it in 3D)

Good for young children but sometimes irritating for parents

[LazySod · 5/10 · 23 March 2011]

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

A good 3D movie for the kids.

[JustAnEpicPerson · 16 June 2013]

Yogi Bear is about Jellystone Park about to get closed down because the town is bankrupt. Due to this, Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) throws a party for Jellystone so more visitors come in, more visitors, more money. But Yogi screws it up. So now they must save the park somehow before it gets closed. Yogi (Dan Aykroyd) and Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) do a good job at voice acting. Tom Cavanagh also does a good job, but everyone else does a bad job. ESPIALLY THE MAYOR (Andrew Daly) HE DOES NOT EVEN TRY. The 3D is pretty good, so if you have a Blu-ray 3D at home, try to rent this movie.

OVERALL: It's funny, great 3D, and pretty good. Go see it, you won't be disappointed.

it's for the kids...i guess

[buny101 · 4/10 · 27 December 2010]

Not an awful movie. Not one that I would take a date to go see, though. Odd...one of the jokes was talking about getting a date with a young woman, and Yogi mentions urinating on her. I was wondering why that had to be included. Really don't want to talk to my kids about urination. To throw that into a movie that is so obviously a kids movie seems out of place, like a sex scene in a Dr. Seuss book. Or day care advertisements in Penthouse. At the very least, it was odd. But the plot is predictable and easy on the mind. There is very little deviation or subplots that play out, and the ending is easy to guess. But, again, it's a kids movie. So, I took my 5 and 3 year old, and the 5 year old giggled, and the three year old played with my smartphone. I napped. I do have one other flaw for this movie...why do they think that using Dan Akroyd or Justin Timberlake increases the sales for this movie? Or any movie out there that uses big name stars for a cartoon? What's the point? Dan was just fine, and Timberlake was very good as boo-boo, but there are hundreds of voice actors in Hollywood. This could have been a huge film for one of them. Instead, the producers overpaid two big stars that could have literally phoned in their parts. Is that why I pay 20 bucks for popcorn? Because of overpaying big stars for parts like this? I think it might be...

Overall boring, unfunny, and plain unintelligent

[prestonsaccount · 1/10 · 17 December 2010]

I cant believe this movie. This is what you get when you mix a lazy, unoriginal idea with overall a boring plot. Im not going to say anything for you, but nearly every joke in the movie, you probably have heard a million times. This makes you not even smile. The movie is VERY immature, cracking a body joke every other minute, and has a very lame plot, which we have seen a million times, where they are trying to save the forest, blah blah. The mix of animation and real life characters just makes it embarrassing to look at. Also, the 3d is crude and doesn't have any interesting moments. Granted, the actors are talented, but this movie is a piece of filth.

Save yourself the trouble, and pick another movie. Even kids wont find this poor movie amusing.

Ruined by Tom Cavanagh

[DougF-2 · 3/10 · 24 January 2011]

My kids enjoyed this movie, but it was tough for me to sit through. The plot is disappointing, the actual jokes are few and far between, but all would have been forgiven had they cast a different male lead. Tom Cavanagh does his best not to act, emote, speak clearly, or do much more than look into the camera as a male model might. T.J. Miller is scarcely better as he mumbles most of his lines, but his character is small enough to ignore for much of the movie. Ana Faris does her best, but just can't get any chemistry with Tom Cavanagh, who looks and acts like he'd rather be anywhere else. Couldn't they have paid Justin Timberlake extra for donning the Ranger's outfit? I wanted to like this movie for my kids and for nostalgia's sake, but Tom Cavanagh bears the lion's share of the blame for ruining it.

Far from a "pic-a-nic". I'd say "pic-a-notha-flick".

[StevePulaski · 2/10 · 19 December 2010]

Between the 2010 horror film Bear, the creepy 2002 film The Country Bears, and this mess, I don't think I've seen one single decent bear movie in years. The three all have one common problem of being mediocre films, but they both can be excused because at least they don't use the dreaded CGI effects that this horrendous adaptation of the cartoon classic uses. I think I'd be complaining too if the film took The Country Bears route and used real bear suits, which only means this film couldn't win no matter which direction it took. Unless it used the classic style of animation the timeless cartoon did. Now that is some wishful thinking.

The voice acting is the thing that redeems the film a little bit. Yogi's voice isn't perfect, but I accepted it since it was Dan Akroyd. Boo Boo's voice wasn't too bad either surprisingly since JT was the voice. While the voices aren't that perfect, it's one of the few high points the film does have. Pretty much everything else is two dimensional, loud. and overly silly. Like all kids movies now.

The story takes place where it should, Jellystone Park. There inhabits some of finest scenery, the freshest of air, and the talking, pic-a-nic basket stealing Yogi Bear. Jellystone Park starts taking a beating when tourists are attracted to amusement parks more than the wilderness. Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) states that he will close Jellystone and sell the land. Yogi (Akroyd) and Boo Boo (Timberlake) make it their priority to team up with Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) and Rachel (Anna Faris), a documentary filmmaker filming some of her movie at the park, to save Jellystone and it's lovely scenery.

I just can't get over the fact that this is LIVE ACTION. If something started out as a cartoon, just leave it has one. I'm sure Hanna-Barbera didn't think in fifty years their beloved bear would be seen on the big screen complete in CGI and unnecessary 3D. This is the same execution taken during the film Alvin and the Chipmunks and the dreadful Scooby Doo movie. Make everything else live action, and leave the main star(s) for the CGI.

The one film where I can accept the fact it mixed live action with animation is Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Besides being a fun film, it was also new for the time. Nothing like that had been done, and it didn't go cartooning around with the audience. Plus it wasn't just kid orientated, it had a lot of crude humor to itself that many adults would find fun. I can say with a straight face that if Who Discovered Roger Rabbit? does get made, this could certainly see a remake too, done with CGI. Lord have some mercy.

It's also strange that the humans just cope with having a talking bear live in their park. If I was a ranger, and there were two talking bears living in my park that were stealing picnic baskets, and running around doing whatever they please. I think I'd either scream, or send them to a zoo. In the cartoon, the rangers didn't seem to care if the bear could talk or what. But that was a CARTOON, they were supposed to be used to it. In a cartoon, logic doesn't apply. There is such a thing as being overly cartoony, but back in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's it was part of the act. Now shows like Spongebob Squarepants and pretty much every PBS show takes the "cartooning" WAY too far.

While watching this film, I couldn't help but reflect on when I went to The Yogi Bear Campground many times during my childhood. The place was pretty much a traditional campground, but had various Yogi Bear themes. There was the Ranger Station, which served as the souvenir shop. It had a lake, similar to the one in the film, where people could go alone or with a friend out on the lake in a paddle boat. Plus it showed Friday night movies, and a Yogi cartoon frequently.

Besides having a lot to offer, it was miserable. Plain miserable for me. Me, my parents, and a lot of their friends with kids would get together and spend three days, two nights out there. Usually around Halloween weekend where a lot of events were held. No matter what year we went, it would be rainy and crappy. The campers were mediocre, very compressed, and somewhat unkempt, and being that we wouldn't stay too long, my parents and I would refrain from taking a shower. So were already dirty, and all the time we spent outside in the rain probably made up for our missed showers. There are a lot of other events I don't want to get into because I myself hate reflecting on them.

When I read in 2008 a CGI/live action adaptation of Yogi Bear was going to be made, I wasn't surprised and I wasn't happy. When the trailer premiered a few months ago I was ranting on it as well. I caved it and saw it to say I did, and came out sorry for my foolish actions. It will most likely keep the kid's entertained because of it's color, it's loud effects, and flat out goofy premise. But with it's lame jokes, abrupt, protruding CGI, and annoying human characters, Yogi Bear makes for an unnecessary and tedious trip to the theater.

Voices of: Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake. Starring: Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris, and T. J. Miller. Directed by: Eric Brevig.

Good film for youngsters and the adult won't be bored

[donut44 · 7/10 · 1 January 2011]

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.

What do you say when the lead actor says that he hopes you enjoy the film? Not an easy answer...

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 3/10 · 23 December 2010]

You know I'm going to feel really bad writing this review. Yogi Bear is a movie that was totally meant for kids and not to mention that I got to meet Dan Aykroyd during his promotion of the film and he said he hoped that everyone would enjoy the film and that this meant a lot to him. Now normally I say that if it's a kid's film, it's a kid's film, it was meant for a specific audience. But my problem is that this was too basic even for a kid's movie. I don't care if a kid's movie is predictable, but Yogi Bear seemed lazy and didn't want to try to be entertaining. All the adults in the film were total idiots, now granted this is a movie about a talking bear, but seriously, why can't we have normal people in movies like this? Remember Home Alone? Where the burglars were stupid but also could be intimidating at the same time and actually seemed real? We don't get that any more and the characters were just so lame and I felt like they were trying to teach a kindergarten class with their voices and body language. I think this movie was doomed from the get go because no one thought the film out and were only thinking of the money.

The city Mayor is losing money and he needs to find some place losing money so he can earn it, so he picks Jellystone Park. When he comes to visit Ranger Smith and Jones he says if they do not get enough money then Jellystone will be shut down. Ranger Smith then tells Yogi and Boo Boo about the closing of Jellystone. Yogi then tells Smith that he has an idea to raise money and that is a firework show. So the next day they are all putting up invitations so that everybody can enjoy how wonderful Jellystone is. The Mayor tells Ranger Jones that is he were to make this firework show turn into a nightmare then he would make him the head ranger of Jellystone. So Smith tells Yogi and Boo Boo but mostly Yogi to stay out of the way. So then Jones finds out that Yogi can mess things up and encourages him to do his own act. Then Yogi messes it up when hes water skiing and he lights himself on fire and hits the fireworks and making them go all over the crowd. Jellystone closes and Smith is relocated to a park the size of 3 cars. Yogi realizes what he did and leaves but then Boo Boo finds him and convinces him to find Smith and save the park.

Like I said I feel really bad giving this film a low rating, but this is not a family film in my opinion. This is totally 100% a kid's film and the age range I would say is very low, maybe for 6 or below. The animation was decent enough and Dan and Justin actually did the voices pretty well, I wouldn't deny the film that. But I used to watch the cartoon as a child on the Cartoon Network, there is a certain camp value with being hand drawn. I don't think Hannah Barbara meant for their cartoons to be turned into CGI. I think with the success of Alvin and the Chipmunks, a trend is starting with turning childhood classic cartoons into CGI adaptations with adult leads who are beyond stupid and villains who you wish were around in the real world because if they were, crime would be down very much considering how easily they could get caught. I apologize to Mr. Aykroyd because I know that he said he put his heart into this, but maybe he's the only one who did and that was the problem because this film really can't be enjoyed by everyone, I'd even say for my future kids, I would want them to watch something a little more intelligent.

3/10

Lovely and faithful to the original

[kaka-itu · 10/10 · 12 February 2011]

I am wondering why so many people come with criticism on this movie. First of all, this is a kids movie, based in a cartoon created in 1958. I watched that so many times, I am 24 years old and I still love watch it. I love the clear and simple jokes and how all the story goes around, well, I rather see Yogy Bear (movie or cartoon) than have to see aliens becoming children, robots, creatures that I never heard about. Because this is what keeps our kids on TV now days, when its not the video game. So, please, people that come to criticize, please, go find a movie where you find something interesting for yourselves. But don't come here with your awful words for something that makes so many kids laugh through decades. Its not fair, its not nice. Yogy bear will be in my memory forever and I am pleased that the movie made the best that could do.

Hardly any laughs, but adventurous at times.

[DarkVulcan29 · 7/10 · 22 December 2010]

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.

This version of Yogi Bear had some amusing moments and not much else

[tavm · 4/10 · 18 December 2010]

Before I start this review, let me say this: I'm only partially familiar with this iconic bear having seen clips of his '60s cartoon series on various Hanna-Barbera retrospectives. I know during the mid '80s, USA Network had aired that series on its weekday afternoon lineup but I was a teenager by then and was temporarily losing interest in animation. I have seen him on both "Scooby Doo's Laugh-a-Lympics" and "Yogi's Space Race" but neither of those really showcased his character. So it's with that that I'm saying that some of the visual humor concerning Yogi and his little buddy Boo-Boo (voices of Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake) vary from amusing to a little more than that (never completely hilarious) but the subplots concerning Ranger Smith's romance with a female nature filmmaker (Tom Cavanaugh and Anna Faris) not to mention the Mayor's attempts to close Jellystone Park down are just partially wasted time-filler to provide excuses to drive those gags. There were also some punchlines I liked. So I don't think this version of this "smarter than the average bear" was that good. Still, it's harmless and should provide some enjoyment for the kiddies and some of the 3-D imagery was impressive...

I could see myself directing this movie

[robyn-710-767167 · 11 August 2011]

This movie was definitely something. It wasn't a 10/10 5 stars type of movie, nor was it a horrible failure that shouldn't have been created. Rather, it was a simple, funny movie. It was predictable, there were a few spots where the male character becomes awkward with the female, a few references... a bad use of the WILLIAM SCREAM, a bit of bad acting for an adult, etc.

But then I ponder. As "bad" as cheesy as a movie it was, I could see myself directing something like that as my first "real" movie. It had enough good CGI work, there was a fairly interesting plot, there weren't too many characters, etc. It was interesting to see how the bad guys were trying to be comical, yet at the same time it seemed to be a little serious.

So I'll have to rate this 8/10... there was no swearing (that I could hear) which was impressive. And again, it's the type of movie which I could see myself directing some day.

Family fun that is better than your average film ...

[colin_coyne · 5/10 · 7 February 2011]

YOGI BEAR IN 3D is a new film from director Eric Brevig, is a tale about a documentary filmmaker Rachel Johnson (played by ANNA FARIS) who travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project for the parks 100th anniversary and soon crosses paths with Yogi Bear, his sidekick Boo-Boo, and Ranger Smith.

This is a 3D live action movie with added CGI characters for the bears -with the voices of the main characters Yogi Bear (DAN AYKROYD – Ghostbusters, The Blues Brothers) and Boo Boo (JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE – The Social Network).

The city is in financial trouble and smarmy Mayor Brown (ANDREW DALY) wants to close down the loss-making Jellystone Park and sell it off to logging companies to make a profit and to get himself re-elected …

Ranger Smith (TOM CAVANAGH) is told that he has just one week to raise the 30K that it will take to save Jellystone Park from being closed down Yogi Bear and Boo Boo now have to postpone their constant hunt for visitors picnic baskets in order to team up with Rachel and Ranger Smith in order to raise funds to save the park – and they start a campaign to advertise the 100th Anniversary of Jellystone Park with flyers and a Firework display ...

Meanwhile, the Mayor gets wind of the anniversary celebrations and has secretly promised the Chief Park Ranger job to the naive junior Ranger Jones – if only he were to prevent the festivities from being a success …

I would say that YOGI BEAR IN 3D is a good family film for all ages – especially appealing for the younger generation, and some of the 3D effects work very well ...

Try to get there early if you can, as there is another enjoyable 3D short film called "Rabid Rider" that precedes the main film and features Wile E Coyote and the Road Runner …

YOGI BEAR IN 3D is 80mins long, is rated a PG certificate and will be on general release from Fri 11th February 2011

Awful is an overstatement!

[cva280888 · 1/10 · 4 February 2011]

After cinematic excellence such as 'Avatar' and 'Inception', here comes a movie that puts Hollywood to shame. I dare say, this movie was an utter waste of money and time. Lets start with the mixture of real life characters and animation. It is an absolute embarrassment to the movie makers to even think of such concept. The blend of both worlds did not do any justice to the movie, nor would it to any other movies in the future. Let's assume the target audience were only children, the least they could do is to let the movie be in full animation. 'Megamind' comes as a good example.

The jokes on the other hand were boring. Children did not find any of the jokes funny, what else us adults? The cinema was in complete silence during the "funny" scenes and many even walked out form the cinema. Comedy might be a tough genre to tackle, however; look at 'Finding Nemo'. They definitely did a great job in entertaining the audience.

The only reason why this movie might do average in the box office would solely be related to the curiosity and hopes moviegoers have. Spread the word. Do not waste your time and money on this. This movie was truly a slob and showcased how the people responsible were only interested in making quick bucks without being bothered about quality.

What's next? The Adventures Of Daffy Duck?

Your sincerely,

~C~

Not nearly as bad as expected. Adults can stand it, kids will love it. Aykroyd was perfect choice. I say B-, my kids say A.

[cosmo_tiger · 5/10 · 20 March 2011]

An evil mayor wants to shut down Jellystone Park for his personal gain. Ranger Smith and Yogi come up with a plan to save the park. Going in I was expecting pretty much one of the lamest movies of the year. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Although this is geared toward kids and is extremely predictable it does have enough funny parts in it to keep adults entertained (an 80 min run-time helps). Much like "Garfield" the voice of Yogi (Aykroyd) is a strange choice at first, but after hearing it you can't think of anyone else doing the voice. As much as I don't want to say it Timberlake, as the voice of Boo-Boo, is actually a really good choice too. Adults will be able to stand most of it, kids will love it. I say B-, my kids say A.

Would I watch again? - I wouldn't, my kids did.

Smarter Than the Average Bear, Dumber Than the Average Movie

[RichardSRussell-1 · 3/10 · 25 December 2010]

Yogi Bear (1:20, PG, 3-D) — other: talking animals, 3rd string, crossover

If I'm going to rate this dog as high as 3, I should be able to find 3 good things about it, right? OK, here goes:

(1) It was a brilliant move to cast the immensely talented comic actress Anna Faris as nature documentarian Rachel Johnson. Regrettably, Director Eric Brevig utterly wastes her, as she spends most of her time grinning madly like an orangutan in the manic phase of bipolar disorder.

(2) There was a new wrinkle on how to use 3-D effectively. Instead of having stuff come out of the screen directly AT the audience, it often shoots off just to the sides, or to the top or bottom, so as to minimize the startle or flinch reaction (probably a good thing in a movie aimed at a really juvenile audience).

(3) Um, what else? I know there was something. Oh, yeah, there's a new Warner Brothers roadrunner cartoon, "Rabid Rider", that provides 3 minutes' worth of chuckles before the main feature starts. In it, the ever-optimistic Wile E. Coyote decides that maybe the Segway was just the ticket he'd been looking for. This, however, is the Acme knock-off version.

The tie-wearing talking bears from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series are brot to what passes for life by the voices of Dan Aykroyd as veracity-challenged Yogi and Justin Timberlake as his timid half-pint sidekick Booboo. Their antics are familiar to Jellystone Park rangers Smith and Jones (Tom Cavanagh and T. J. Miller) but sometimes alarm visitors, and park attendance is down. As a result of the negative balance sheet, it's now legally possible for the cash- strapped city to rezone the park and sell it off to lumbering interests, which oily, corrupt Mayor R. Brown (Andrew Daly) sets about doing.

Smith and Johnson set up a 100th-anniversary celebration for the park in hopes of selling lots of season passes to put the operation back in the black, but Yogi's hijinks scuttle the effort. In a final act of desperation, the park advocates try to bring to national attention the existence in Jellystone (as a pet in the bears' cave) of the frog-mouthed turtle, long thot to be extinct. The best time to do this, they figure, is during the mayor's announcement that he's running for governor based on his financial successes.

Lots of people who attend the film will fail to appreciate the resemblance to real-life Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who, like Mayor Brown, drove the county's finances into the ditch and started selling off the fruits of the previous century's labors and careful stewardship to balance the books. Unfortunately, nobody was able to find a vanishing species that Walker was trying to exterminate, or incriminating shots of him making an "it's all about power for me" statement in range of a video camera, so he will be Wisconsin's next governor.

However, while the movie's storyline might be snatched directly from yesterday's headlines, and while it has an admirably pro-environment underpinning, any goodwill established thereby is blown to smithereens by the relentlessly juvenile attempts at slapstick humor and the vapid dialog.

Most scenes are live action, with the bears animated in. This worked OK, but everything looked pretty cheap.

I was going to complain about the annoying and overused pronunciation "pic-a-nic basket", but I subsequently had the misfortune of watching professional sports announcers, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the express purpose of communicating effectively, using "words" like athalete and Wesconsin, so I guess I can hardly fault Yogi for being dumber than a human and grant that, since he can talk in more or less compete sentences, he really is smarter than the average bear.

Hey BooBoo..This movie is terrible

[Jackpollins · 1/10 · 23 December 2010]

Now, first off, let me preface my argument by saying the show Yogi Bear was not a big part of my childhood and I am not a little kid. So, going into the movie Yogi Bear, I expected to have a fun time, but nothing more. With all this talent, who wouldn't expect at least a good time? Dan Aykroyd, a talented actor who needs work so bad he's doing this film voices Yogi Bear. On the other side, Justin Timberlake, an actor who's been getting plenty of work has ruined his chance of being nominated for his fantastic performance in this year's The Social Network by voicing Boo Boo. The live action actors including Tom Cavanagh, so funny on Scrubs as JD's brother, bored out of his mind as Ranger Smith. Oh, did I mention the hilarious TJ Miller of She's Out of My League & Get Him To The Greek, two great films from earlier this year plays Ranger Smith. Anna Faris, hilarious in Observe And Report & The House Bunny plays Rachel, a documentary filmmaker who is filming Yogi and Boo Boo, and Andrew Daly, so funny as Terrence on Eastbound & Down plays the evil Mayor Brown. I know this review has just been a rant of who's playing who, but here's my actual critique. The animation is lifeless, the acting horrible, and the runtime that barely consisting of a feature length runtime. This movie is by far one of the worst films of 2010. Trust me, just skip it, unless you like to squirm.

"Yogi Bear" is an Old Friend with a New Look

[jgregg42 · 6/10 · 17 December 2010]

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.

Can't Tell a Turtle from a Tortoise

[shieldscallum · 1/10 · 3 July 2012]

Although it stays true to the source. I am not sure exactly how much research was put into this appalling movie. The fact that one of the key major parts of this is the endangered "Burping frog turtle". Is in fact a Tortoise shows the quality of of this movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ocwXC3UYw If you haven't seen the turtle yourself. Did no one at all in the whole of the making of this movie ever realize this or point it out. its not like its an easy mistake.Maybe our good friend parry can explain it to them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zptb9PlHiJc Turtle -- A large marine reptile families Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) with a bony or leathery shell and flippers

Wonderful Ride for Ages 7 and Up

[rannynm · 8/10 · 7 July 2011]

I really love this movie. It has a ton of action scenes and is hilarious! The best part of the movie is when the gang goes down the river rapids which is really cool to see in 3D. It feels like you are going to get splashed with the water.

My favorite characters in the film are Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Ranger Smith. I like them because they have a part in saving Yellowstone Park. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are the funniest characters in the movie. One part in the movie has Yogi Bear water skiing and Boo Boo is guiding the boat. Yogi Bear catches his cape on fire, falls in the water, and sets off the entire fireworks display! There are also some bad people in this movie. Mayor Brown and his chief of staff are always trying to sabotage Ranger Smith's efforts to save Yellowstone. They even try to make Ranger Jones turn against Ranger Smith. The actor that plays Ranger Jones is T.J. Miller, who played Tuffnut in "How to Train Your Dragon", which is one of my favorite movies.

In the movie Yellowstone Park is celebrating its 100 year anniversary however it may be its last because attendance to the park is down and Mayor Brown wants to close the park and use it for something that will make him more money. Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Ranger Smith, and Rachel team up to save the park. Yogi Bear really proves that he is "smarter than the average bear." I would recommend this film for ages seven and up. Parents will really like this movie because Yogi Bear was a TV show that was on when they were growing up. Go out and see it when it premieres in theaters on December 17th. For an extra treat see it in 3D; you will really feel like you are a part of the movie.

Reviewed by Anthony Aranda, age 8, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

My kid loved it, I rather enjoyed it myself

[veeckasinwreck · 7/10 · 10 January 2011]

I was expecting to hate this movie after reading the reviews, but my son had seen a lot of the publicity for it, and his friends liked it. So we sucked it up on a bitter winter day and went for the full-on 3D version. I'm not sure that the 3-D adds anything to it, but it was amusing and diverting. Dan Ackroyd and Timberlake were wonderful as the primary voices. People on this board complain about the plot. Come on--it's a kids cartoon! To expect a compelling plot would be like buying "Hustler" to read the articles. The plot, such as it is, keeps the film moving along and provides motivation for the pratfalls and physical humor, which are executed better than for most movies of this kind. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, and it is good at what it does. I'll sure take it over "Fantastic Mr. Fox".

it does have its moments

[mervclan · 5/10 · 22 March 2011]

Well I was not really of thinking seeing this film but a friend told me it was a good movie I went to see it with some friends its not the greatest live action movie I have seen but it does have some good moments. The story is about Yogi bear and his friend trying to get people's food at the park and always end up getting into trouble like they do in the cartoon I have not seen the cartoon before I hope its any better because this movie was a bit disappointing film but all Theo Tom Cavanagh had saved this film not a lot but he save some of it this is probably an underrated film but its an okay movie thats it I think IMDb was a bit harsh on this film because some of the moments give a lot of the time to think its an okay movie and to me its an okay kids movie because it was quit silly and a bit disappointing but okay This movie is probably an okay movie for kids but don't expect any thing great an okay it does have its moments I give it a 5 out of 10 okay.

Not smarter than your average animation

[JohnDeSando · 17 December 2010]

In the new animation Yogi Bear even the voices of Dan Aykroyd as Yogi and Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo aren't able to take a lumbering script and make it less than soporific for adults. But, then, this movie is for youngsters about 5 years old, no older, so it has found an audience that might be mildly amused, as mine was.

In this derivation from the once popular TV series, a documentary filmmaker, Rachel (Anna Farris), falls in love with Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) while she witnesses his struggle with nefarious forces that threaten the future and ecology of Jellystone National Park. Yogi and Boo are not a help even though they'd like to be because Yogi regularly disproves his boast that he's "smarter than the average bear." This comedy, magnified but not improved, by 3-D is not smarter than the average animation.