Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

The Cartoon

Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper

The Plot

Yogi Bear leaves Jellystone Park to spend Christmas with his friends when he runs into a little girl who has run away from home. Now Yogi must help her get back home.

Starring

Daws Butler, Don Messick, John Stephenson, Georgi Irene, and more.

The Review

Yogi and Boo Boo leave Jellystone Park to visit his friends in the "Big City". But what they don't know is that their friends (Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, et all) have left the city to visit them at the park.

When Yogi's friends arrive at Jellystone, the Ranger discovers Yogi has "escaped" and calls the city zoo to capture and detain Yogi.

When Yogi and Boo Boo arrive in the city, they are chased by the zoo keepers with big nets. Determined to "not be captured", Yogi disguises himself as Santa Claus and Boo Boo as an elf, then hides in a nearby department store.

Meanwhile, a little girl named Judy is dropped off (alone, I might add) at the department store by her millionaire father. Disappointed that her father once again doesn't have time for her, and thinking Yogi is the real Santa, Judy approaches Yogi for help in finding a "father" for Christmas.

Yogi, Boo Boo, and Judy leave the department store and run into Yogi's friends—all of whom agree to help Yogi figure out where Judy lives and return her before her parents know she is missing.

As the gang searches for Judy's parents, Yogi is captured and thrown in jail for kidnapping. As Judy's father yells at Yogi for kidnapping his daughter, Yogi helps him realize that although he gave his daughter "everything", the one thing he didn't give her—and the one thing she wanted the most—was his time.

No sooner does the father realize Yogi is right, does he drop all charges and invites the gang back to his place to celebrate Christmas.

Ultimately, it's a cute storyline.

It's perfect for children between the ages of two and six. But for older children, or adults for that matter, it goes by way too fast! It's only 23 minute long so there isn't much depth to the storyline. You don't have a chance to get to know the characters, to feel Judy's pain, or to feel the father's anguish over the disappearance of his daughter so you aren't able to truly appreciate his revelation… which, of course, means that you don't get emotional over their reunion. And isn't that what makes Christmas specials so much fun… watching everyone get all sentimental and sappy?

But who am I to argue about a 1982 remake of a cartoon that appeared back in the early 60s? After all, the cartoonists followed Yogi Bear's original formula to a tee! And that, my dear friends, is what children like in a Yogi Bear cartoon… a simple storyline in which Yogi develops a plan, gets into mischief, and then somehow finds a way out of trouble and into a happy ending.

The DVD itself doesn't have much to offer; except a 1962 cartoon celebrating Yogi's birthday so unless you really like collecting holiday films (as I do), you might not find this a good value for the dollar.

In truth, it would've been much more economically friendly, and much more exciting, to have this Christmas special bundled with a few other Hanna-Barbera holiday cartoons. Still, Yogi fans will be pleased with the image and sound quality; which is great!

Your Task

Don't overanalyze the simplicity of this film. Watch it through the eyes of a child and just enjoy your time together. When it's over, spend some one-on-one with children—bake some cookies, make paper snowflakes for the windows, or dance to Christmas music. Whatever you do, just have a little quality fun with your children.