Yogi's First Christmas

Yogi's First Christmas is a 1980 animated television film starring Yogi Bear and produced by Hanna-Barbera which first aired in syndication through Operation Prime Time on November 22, 1980.[1] Throughout the 1980s it was offered to U.S. television stations split up one episode per day for four days as a one-week strip syndicated program, generally showing the week of Christmas. The film was written by Willie Gilbert and directed by Ray Patterson.[2]

Yogi's First Christmas
GenreFamily
Animation
Written byWillie Gilbert
Directed byRay Patterson
Voices ofDaws Butler
Don Messick
Janet Waldo
Marilyn Schreffler
Hal Smith
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
Production
Executive producer(s)William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Producer(s)Lew Marshall
Running time98 minutes
Production company(s)Hanna-Barbera Productions
DistributorOperation Prime Time
Release
Original networkSyndication
Original release
  • November 22, 1980 (1980-11-22)

Two songs from Casper's First Christmas ("Comin' Up Christmas Time" and "Making A Big To-Do") were featured in this film, in new re-recorded versions. Additionally, Boo Boo's song "Hope" was previously heard in two previous Christmas specials, A Christmas Story (1972) and A Flintstone Christmas (1977).

In keeping with Hanna-Barbera's limited animation techniques, the film didn't have the full animation of a theatrical feature like 1964's Hey There, It's Yogi Bear, but was more detailed and elaborate than their standard TV work.[3]

Plot

Yogi and his little pal, Boo Boo, are usually hibernating during the Christmas season, but this year they are awakened when Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy come to Jellystone Lodge for the holiday. They are joined by Ranger Smith, hotel manager Mr. Dingwell, Otto the chef, and lodge owner Sophie Throckmorton and her spoiled brat of a nephew, Snively. The gang is obsessed with keeping Mrs. Throckmorton happy to keep her from closing down the lodge, which has become unpopular due to activity caused by Herman the Hermit, a grumpy Christmas-hating hermit who just wants to be left alone.

Yogi and Boo Boo are put to work as employees of the lodge. Yogi is first ordered to operate the snowplow, to which he saves Mrs. Throckmorton on the road from an avalanche caused by Herman. Later, Yogi is working as a bellboy, where he is tasked by Ranger Smith to stay on Mrs. Throckmorton's good side. Though Snively tries to embarrass Yogi with his pranks, Yogi comes out on top. In another attempt to degrade Yogi, Snively tricks him into entering a figure skating contest, which Snively is also a participant. Although Snively earns high marks, Mrs. Throckmorton covertly wishes Snively would lose in order to tame his poor attitude. Yogi, the last contestant, manages to impress the judges well enough to earn the highest marks and win. Snively is a sore loser and enraged that Yogi beat him at his own game, but his aunt Sophie says that Yogi won fair and square and losing is a lesson of life. Fed up with Snively's antics, Yogi gets revenge on him during an ice fishing contest, with Mrs. Throckmorton agreeing that he needed to be taught a lesson. Furious, Snively runs away and meets up with Herman, and the two team up to ruin Christmas.

However, Yogi manages to thwart them every time. Cindy Bear also awakens from her hibernation, to help Yogi out (due to her love and concern for him). Eventually, Herman and Snively are forgiven, invited to the Christmas celebrations and they have a profound change of heart at such generosity of spirit. Then in the midst of the festivities, Santa Claus plummets down the chimney bearing a picnic basket full of food for Yogi. Yogi, however, falls asleep, due to his natural instincts of hibernation. Santa then says that Yogi and Boo Boo can have the basket when they wake up in the spring. With that, the partiers return Yogi, Boo Boo and Cindy to their caves for the rest of their hibernation.[4]

Cast

Credits
  • Executive Producers: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
  • Producer: Lew Marshall
  • Director: Ray Patterson
  • Story: Willie Gilbert
  • Story Direction: Lew Marshall, Gary Hoffman
  • Recording Director: Alex Lovy
  • Voices: Sue Allen, John Richard Bolks, Daws Butler, Paul DeKorte, Darlene Lawrence, Edie Lehman, Ida Sue McCune, Don Messick, Michael Redman, Andrea Robinson, Marilyn Schreffler, Hal Smith, John Stephenson, Janet Waldo
  • Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
  • Musical Supervisor: Paul DeKorte
  • Character Design: Sandra Young
  • Layout: Jaime Diaz, Dave Hanan
  • Animation Supervision: Don Patterson, Tom Ray, Rudy Cataldi
  • Animation: Dwayne Labbe
  • Cel Painter: Michelle Urbano
  • Graphics: Iraj Paran, Tom Wogatzke
  • Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Joe Citarella
  • Camera: Bob Marples, Kieren Mulgrew, Gary Smith, Donna Wilson
  • Supervising Film Editor: Larry C. Cowan
  • Dubbing Supervisor: Pat Foley
  • Music Editor: Joe Sandusky
  • Effects Editors: Kerry Williams, Michael Bradley
  • Dialogue Editor: Mary Gleason
  • Show Editor: Gil Iverson
  • Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
  • Post Production Manager: Joed Eaton
  • Production Manager: Steven Hahn
  • Executives in Charge of Production: Jayne Barbera and Margaret Loesch
  • A Hanna-Barbera Production
  • This Picture Made Under the Jurisdiction of IATSE-IA Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.
  • © 1980 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.

Home media

The holiday TV movie was first released on VHS via Worldvision Home Video (now called CBS Home Entertainment) in 1983, and later re-released in association with Kids Klassics Home Video in 1986. It was then released on DVD as part of the manufactured-on-demand Warner Archive Collection on November 17, 2009.

See also

Follow-up film

Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper was released in 1982.

References
  1. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 349. ISBN 9781476672939.
  2. Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 465–467. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  3. Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 67. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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