Yogi Bear (film)

Yogi Bear
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Eric Brevig
Produced by
Written by
  • Brad Copeland
  • Joshua Sternin
  • Jeffrey Ventimilia
Based on The Yogi Bear Show
Characters
by William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Starring Dan Aykroyd
Justin Timberlake
Anna Faris
Tom Cavanagh
T.J. Miller
Nate Corddry
Andrew Daly
Narrated by Josh Robert Thompson
Music by John Debney
Cinematography Peter James
Edited by Kent Beyda
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • December 11, 2010 (2010-12-11) (Westwood premiere)
  • December 17, 2010 (2010-12-17) (United States)
Running time
 80 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $80 million[1]
Box office $201.6 million[2]

Yogi Bear is a 2010 American 3D live-action/computer-animated family comedy film directed by Eric Brevig and written by Brad Copeland, Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia. Based on the animated television series The Yogi Bear Show and the character created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera[3], the film stars Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh, T.J. Miller, Nate Corddry and Andrew Daly. The film tells the story of Yogi Bear as he tries to save his park from being logged. Principal photography began in November 2009. It was preceded by the cartoon short Rabid Rider, starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.[4]

The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $201.6 million worldwide on a $80 million budget. The film premiered at Westwood on December 11, 2010 and was theatrically released on December 17, 2010 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Yogi Bear won the Top Box Office Films at the ASCAP Awards and the Feature Film at the EMA Awards in 2011 and also received a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Animated Movie: Voice.

Plot

Yogi (Aykroyd) and Boo Boo (Timberlake) are two brown bears who like stealing picnic baskets from visitors to Jellystone Park, while park rangers Smith (Cavanagh) and Jones (Miller) try to prevent the thefts. Meanwhile, Mayor R. Brown (Daly) realizes that Franklin City is facing bankruptcy due to profligate spending on his part. Brown plots with his Chief of Staff (Corddry) to raise money for the town budget (and his upcoming governatorial campaign) by shutting down Jellystone Park and opening the land to logging.

To save the park, Smith and his love interest Rachel hold a Centennial Festival and fireworks show in an attempt to sell season passes. To sabotage the effort, Brown promises Jones the position of head ranger if the funds are not raised. Yogi and Boo Boo had promised Smith to stay out of sight during the festival, but Jones convinces them otherwise. The bears try to please the crowd with a waterskiing performance, but Yogi inadvertently sets his cape on fire, causing fireworks to be launched into the crowd, who flee in panic.

After Jellystone is shut down, Smith is forced to stay in Evergreen Park, a small urban enclave choked with litter and pollution. Seeing that their home is in danger of being destroyed, Yogi and Boo Boo travel to Evergreen Park, where they and Smith figure out Brown's plan. They all return to Jellystone with Rachel, where they learn that Boo Boo's pet turtle is a rare and endangered species known as a "Frog-Mouthed" turtle.

The Chief of Staff learns about the turtle and, since the park cannot be destroyed if the turtle is living there because it would be home to an endangered species, sends Jones to kidnap it. On the day that Brown is planning a press conference to begin the destruction of the park, Smith, Rachel, and the bears rescue the turtle and try to bring it to the media's attention. Jones, learning that he had been deceived by Mayor Brown, has a change of heart and helps the team bring the turtle to the press conference.

At the press conference, Rachel reveals that she had installed a hidden camera in Boo Boo's bow tie which had captured Brown admitting to his plan. Smith hooks up the camera to the big screen Brown is using for his press conference and shows the video. When the turtle is revealed to the citizens as an endangered species, the police arrest Brown.

Jellystone Park is reopened and becomes a great success. Smith is reappointed head ranger and he and Rachel admit their feelings for each other. As they kiss, they discover Yogi and Boo Boo are back to stealing picnic baskets once again.

Cast

Live-action cast

  • Tom Cavanagh as Ranger Smith, the head ranger of Jellystone Park.
  • Anna Faris as Rachel Johnson, a nature documentary filmmaker, and Ranger Smith's love interest. She is called "Miss Movie Lady" or "Miss Moviemaker Lady" by Yogi and Boo Boo. She has spent time with the animals that she makes a documentary on learning a gorilla's rage and pinning down people like a snow leopard.
  • T.J. Miller as Ranger Jones, a park ranger who is tricked by Mayor Brown into getting Jellystone shut down, making the excuse that Jones will be the head ranger of the park.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
  • Andrew Daly as Mayor R. Brown, the main antagonist of the film. He is the Mayor of Franklin City who wants to shut Jellystone Park down so that he can make money for his city and become governor.
  • Nate Corddry as the Chief of Staff, Mayor Brown's assistant.

Voice cast

Production

On October 2, 2008, it was confirmed that a live-action/CGI Yogi Bear movie was in the works.[3][11] Ash Brannon was originally scheduled to direct the film but was replaced by Eric Brevig (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D) when it was decided that the film would be produced as a 3-D project. Filming took place on the Lake Whakamaru Reserve, Waikato, New Zealand, as it was winter in the northern hemisphere and to wait for summer would put the production end time to be six months longer than if in southern hemisphere.

Like many Hanna-Barbera characters, in the original cartoon, Yogi's personality and mannerisms were based on a popular celebrity of the time. Art Carney's Ed Norton character on The Honeymooners was said to be Yogi's inspiration;[12][13] his voice mannerisms broadly mimic Carney as Norton.[14] Norton, in turn, received influence from Borscht Belt and comedians of vaudeville.[13]

Dan Aykroyd, the voice actor of Yogi Bear, stated that he is trying to evoke the influences that shaped the original Yogi Bear's voice. Aykroyd said, "It's about hitting certain notes, going back to those old Lower East Side rhythms, the Catskills, Jersey, Upstate New York. It's the Yiddish language, essentially, being spoken in English. It's the 'setup, delivery, punch' that sitcoms live on today. That's where the origin of American humor is."[13]

Aykroyd has stated that he grew up watching Yogi Bear on the long, cold, dark afternoons in his native Ottawa: "As a kid growing up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where the sky turns dark in the winter at about 3:30, Yogi Bear was my fire, my hearth, when I would come home. I would immediately turn on the TV while I thawed out."[15]

Justin Timberlake came in with a prepared Boo-Boo voice; when he was learning to sing when he was younger, he imitated various cartoon characters. Eric Brevig said that he intended to make a film that did not want parents who remembered watching Yogi Bear cartoons to feel marginalized and displaced by the contemporary rendition of Yogi Bear.[13] Rhythm and Hues provided CGI character animation for Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear and the Frog-Mouthed Turtle in the film. The company had previously worked with Hanna-Barbera on past theatrical productions: The Flintstones (1994), its prequel Viva Rock Vegas (2000), Scooby-Doo (2002), and its sequel Monsters Unleashed (2004).

Release

The film was originally slated for release on June 25, 2010, but was pushed back to December 17, 2010, to avoid competition with Grown Ups.[3]

Marketing

The film's first trailer was released online on July 28, 2010. It was also attached with Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Alpha and Omega.[16] A second trailer premiered with Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, and a third trailer premiered with Megamind, Tangled, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. One of the trailers was also attached with showings of Tron: Legacy in the United Kingdom.

Home media

Warner Home Video released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on March 22, 2011 in four versions:

  • DVD (single disc edition)
  • Blu-ray (single disc edition)
  • Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy combo pack
  • Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy combo pack

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 13% based on 101 reviews with an average rating of 3.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Yogi Bear's 3D effects and all-star voice cast are cold comfort for its aggressively mediocre screenplay."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 35 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[18] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[19]

Common Sense Media gave the film one star, saying "Dumber-than-average family comedy won't even impress kids." IGN gave the film 4.0/10, and summed up their review by saying "Of course, Yogi Bear is meant as a kids movie. And one supposes that it works on that level (the little ones at the press screening I attended seemed mildly amused). But we learned long ago that kids movies can operate on more than one level, and that's not something that director Eric Brevig (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D) or his screenwriters are interested in. The result is a movie that's dumber than the average bear. Though at least it has a pee joke in it."[20][21]

One of the few positive reviews came from film critics at Spill.com, who appreciated the film staying true to its original source material, and not trying to "hip it up", comparing the film Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). The critics also praised Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake's performances, along with the 3D and visual effects.

Box office

Yogi Bear debuted at the America and Canadian box office at #2, behind Tron: Legacy, with an under-performing $16,411,322[2] compared to Tron Legacy's $44,026,211. The opening weekend was lower than Warner Bros. expected, but executives believed that the film would hold well throughout the holiday season.[22] The film earned $28 million in its first seven days, becoming Warner Bros.' top grossing start for a family film for that year. In its second weekend, the film fell 53% to $7.8 million, falling to fifth place.

This number was a much harder fall than Warner Bros. had hoped for, but it blamed the drop on Christmas Eve landing on a Friday and a big snowstorm in the eastern United States during that period. On Monday, that blame seemed justified, as the film jumped up 11% from Sunday to $3.6 million, which was altogether a 33% jump from its previous Monday.

In its third weekend, the film jumped up 66% to $13 million and ranking fourth. The next weekend, it dropped 46% and ranked eighth with $6.8 million. Over the Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, it was able to pick up $7.4 million for the four day, jumping up 12% from the previous weekend. The film has picked up $100,246,011 in the United States and Canada and also has a worldwide total of $201,584,141. Against an $80 million budget, the film has become a surprise box office hit.

Awards

Award Category Nominee Result
Teen Choice AwardChoice Movie: VoiceJustin TimberlakeNominated
ASCAP AwardTop Box Office FilmsJohn DebneyWon
EMA AwardFeature FilmYogi BearWon

Soundtrack

Video game

A video game titled Yogi Bear: The Video Game which was based on the film was released for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

Proposed sequel

In 2012, a sequel was in the works, and Jay Chandrasekhar was chosen to direct.[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ Fritz, Ben (December 16, 2010). "Movie projector: 'Tron: Legacy' will dominate 'Yogi Bear' and weak 'How Do You Know'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Yogi Bear". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. December 19, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Zeitchik, Steven (October 1, 2008). "Yogi, Boo-Boo headed to big time". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  4. ↑ News: Looney Tunes Shorts Attached To Upcoming Family Films. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  5. ↑ Justin Chang, "Yogi Bear," Variety, December 12, 2010. Found at Variety website. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  6. ↑ Melinda Miller, "'Yogi Bear' spoils the picnic: Film with potential winds up being mostly unbearable," Buffalo News, December 17, 2010. Found at Buffalo News.com website. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ Kirk Honeycutt, "Film Review: 'Yogi Bear' May Send Viewers Into Hibernation," The Hollywood Reporter, December 13, 2010. Found at Hollywood Reporter website, accessed January 10, 2011.
  8. ↑ Jacob, "TJ Miller Cast as Ranger Jones Thanks to Bizarre Audition," November 22, 2009, Beyond Hollywood website. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  9. ↑ Kristy Mangel, "T.J. Miller Cast in 'Yogi Bear'," November 18, 2009, The Apiary website. Accessed January 10, 2011.
  10. ↑ Yogi Bear Interview - T.J. Miller, December 4, 2010. Found at TV Guide website. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  11. ↑ Kimball, Trevor (December 5, 2008). "The Yogi Bear Show: Yogi and Boo Boo Coming to Movie Theaters". TV Series Finale. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  12. ↑ Sennett, p. 60.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Breznican, Anthony (August 24, 2010). "Yogi Bear gets a digital makeover". USA Today. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  14. ↑ Sennett, p. 59.
  15. ↑ Hoffman, Liz (December 17, 2010). "Interview with Dan Aykroyd". Chicago Parent.
  16. ↑ Hartog, Kelly (July 30, 2010). "Sneak peek: Sixties favourite Yogi Bear returns to screens in 3D... but critics aren't impressed". Daily Mail. London.
  17. ↑ "Yogi Bear Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Yogi Bear Reviews". Metacritic. Flixster. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  19. ↑ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
  20. ↑ Scott Collura (December 17, 2010). "Yogi Bear Review".
  21. ↑ "Yogi Bear Review". IGN.
  22. ↑ "`Tron: Legacy' uploads at No. 1 with $43.6M debut". The Washington Times. AP. December 19, 2010.
  23. ↑ Silas Lesnick (October 2, 2012). "Jay Chandrasekhar to Direct Yogi Bear Sequel". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline.
  24. ↑ "Yes, There Will Be A Yogi Bear 2". Empire. October 2, 2012.
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