Yogi Bear

Yogi Bear made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character for other Hannah-Barbera production, The Huckleberry Hound Show before having his own series. Yogi Bear was not the type of cartoon that I watch on TV during my childhood. But Yogi Bear was the most popular of all the Hannah-Barbera gang as the "Smarter than the average bear" that lives in Jellystone Park(a fictional natural park based on Yellowstone Park) and makes contraptions to get picnic baskets from the park's patrons and a thorn to Park Ranger Smith.

Hannah-Barbera ceased to make cartoon flicks but had reruns when Warner Bros. bought rights of all characters including Scooby Doo, that previously bought into life with computer graphic imagery wen it was made into a live-action movie that Yogi Bear followed suit in this new live-action movie. For the characters, they made a good choice for Dan Aykroyd. As a comedian, he made numerous impersonations and voice over. Yogi Bear was originally voiced by Daws Butler, who last voiced Yogi in 1988 and died the same year. Yogi's voiced was then lent by Greg Burson, whom Butler taught personally how to do Yogi's voice. Burson died in 2008. In Seth Green's stop motion sketch comedy show, Robo Chicken, Yogi was voiced by Dan Milano.

Justin Timberlake was also a revelation. I still can't believe he voiced for Boo Boo, Yogi's smaller bear pal and accomplice. I knew he was doing voice acting in Shrek the 3rd but it was first time he was doing a voice character impersonation. As for Ranger Smith, Tom Cavanagh is much younger and more handsome than his cartoon counterpart and he doesn't appear grumpy like in the cartoons. In the old Yogi bear cartoons, Yogi was on the same level of height as Ranger Smith or any human but the live action movie made Yogi Bear bigger and taller like an average bear. The grizzly bear kind that is. As for the 3D, it was never wasted. The 3D was very smooth that you could almost feel the screen within your reach and react to it. The movie was targeting the younger audience since they are not familiar with this cartoon genre and the generation that is familiar with the Yogi Bear. Yogi Bear opens in cinemas on January 26 and distributed by Warner Bros. Phils.

LIFE’S A PIC-A-NIC FOR “YOGI BEAR”

For people the world over, the name Yogi Bear sparks the distinctive image of a certain pear-shaped gourmand in a jaunty hat and tie—a lovably larcenous pie-eating rebel who believed he was smarter than the average bear, and whose outrageous antics put Jellystone Park on the cartoon map of the world. 

            Speaking with affection about the “star” of his new 3D film “Yogi Bear” from Warner Bros., director Eric Brevig says, “I’ve always loved Yogi.  He does things his own way.  He means well, but he just can’t stop listening to his stomach, and those impulses that tell him if he grabs a pie off that table fast enough maybe he’ll get away with it.  He’s like a big kid, and I think he represents that part of all of us.  He may be a bear, but so much of what he does is pure human nature.” 

            “People smile when they think of Yogi,” says producer Donald De Line.  “He’s such a timeless character.  I can hear his voice in my head the instant I think of him.”

             “The original cartoon was written as much for adults as for children to enjoy, and I’m happy to continue that with a big, fun, family film I believe parents will be able to share with their kids and feel that there’s something there for them, too,” Brevig adds. 

            “Yogi Bear” updates the classic property by respecting those elements that make it timeless—the personalities, irreverent humor and Yogi’s endless conflict with authority—while introducing a contemporary tone and storyline.  “We took care to avoid things that would identify a time period,” Brevig states. “There’s modern clothing and cars, but you won’t see Yogi using any electronic devices that would date it.  I think kids meeting Yogi for the first time will just see him as an awesome, crazy bear who builds airplanes out of campsite junk, while others can reconnect with characters they know and love.”

                Yogi and his sidekick Boo Boo exist as fully animated CG characters and interact with a human cast in the largely live-action movie.  The intention, Brevig offers, was to present “a Yogi and Boo Boo who appear almost as physically real as the actors, with twinkling eyes and wet noses and all the warmth and subtleties, rather than as mere cartoon images.  Our cinematographer, Peter James, lit them as he lit all the actors.  I wanted them to be living, breathing, fully dimensional beings.”

            “What I’ve always liked about Yogi is that he’s both a physical and poetic comedian, which makes him perfect for movie stardom,” says Brad Copeland, one of the “Yogi Bear” screenwriters and another longtime fan.  “He can be funny whether smacking into a tree or delivering a punch line.”            

                “Yogi Bear,” the movie, gives him ample opportunity for both.

“YOGI BEAR” TEASER TRAILER, POSTER, BANNERS HERE!

Warner Bros. has just unveiled the teaser trailer of its live-action/CG animated adventure in 3D, “Yogi Bear”!

            This new adaptation of Hanna-Barbera’s classic cartoon will star Academy Award® nominee Dan Aykroyd (“Driving Miss Daisy”) as the voice of Jellystone Park’s most famous troublemaker, Yogi Bear.  Two-time Emmy Award winner (“Saturday Night Live”) and six-time Grammy Award winner Justin Timberlake, previously starring as Artie in “Shrek the Third,” will star as the voice of Boo Boo, Yogi’s faithful pal and co-conspirator in his tireless schemes to separate Jellystone Park patrons from their lunches.

In the film, Jellystone Park has been losing business, so Mayor Brown has decided to shut it down and sell the land.  That means families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors—and, even worse, Yogi and his pal Boo Boo will be tossed out of the only home they’ve ever known.  Faced with his biggest challenge ever, Yogi must prove that he really is “smarter than the average bear” as he and Boo Boo join forces with Ranger Smith to find a way to save the park from closing forever.

            Opening soon across the Philippines, “Yogi Bear” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.