Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!

Theatrical poster
Directed by Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
Produced by Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
Written by Joseph Barbera
Warren Foster
William Hanna
Based on The Yogi Bear Show
Starring Daws Butler
Don Messick
Julie Bennett
Mel Blanc
Music by Marty Paich
Ray Gilbert
Doug Goodwin
Editing by Larry C. Cowan
Douglas A. Douglas
Warner E. Leighton
Anthony Milch
Ken Spears
Greg Watson
Studio Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures (original)
Clubhouse Pictures (1986 reissue)
Warner Bros. (1998-present)
Release date(s) United States/Canada
June 3, 1964
Japan
July 3, 1965
United Kingdom
August 12, 1966
Running time 89 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! is a 1964 American animated feature film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. The film stars the voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, Julie Bennett, and Mel Blanc. Based upon Hanna-Barbera's syndicated animated television show The Yogi Bear Show, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! was the first theatrical feature produced by Hanna-Barbera, and the first feature-length theatrical animated film based on a television program.[1][2]

Contents

Plot

It starts with Boo-Boo Bear waking up to Spring. He wakes up Yogi Bear, but he only cares about finding food to eat. Cindy Bear however tries to woo Yogi into marrying her. Time after time Yogi tries to trick people, but Ranger Smith outsmarts him at everything. Yogi gets angry and decides to transfer out of Jellystone National park. Ranger Smith is first reluctant to do so until Yogi tries to make a deal. So Smith prepares Yogi to be sent over to the San Diego Zoo along with an identification tag. Yogi first says goodbye to everything, but tricks another bear named Cornbone into going to California instead of him. Soon Yogi is stealing food from all over the park, but Smith believes it to be another bear. He threatens whoever does it to be sent to the zoo. Cindy, believing Yogi to be at the zoo, angers Smith into sending Cindy away. However, The San Diego Zoo didn't need anymore bears, and sent Cindy to the St. Louis Zoo without telling her. But on the train she finds out from the other bears that she's being sent to St. Louis. She then cries herself to sleep. In the middle of the night, Cindy falls out of the train and becomes lost. Next, a circus who is losing customers is thinking about quiting unless they can find a good act. Soon their dog runs off and scares Cindy into walking on the telephone wires, prompting the circus to use it as their new act. Soon Yogi and Boo-Boo escape from Jellystone and try to bring Cindy home. They break her out of the circus and try to get back to Jellystone before anybody finds out, while Ranger Smith decides to let them find their way home by themselves so not to get fired. Soon

Cast

Production

The animated musical film was produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with a story by Hanna, Barbera, and former Warner Bros. Cartoons storyman Warren Foster. When the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio closed in May 1963, several of its animators, including Gerry Chiniquy, Friz Freleng and Ken Harris, joined Hanna-Barbera to work on this film.

Release and reception

A review from the May 27, 1964 issue of Variety pointed out that the scarcity of theatrically released feature animated films made Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! highly marketable. The review called the film "artistically accomplished in all departments". The review commented that the script was a bit redundant, but that the songs were "pleasant, if not especially distinguished".[3]

After its mildly successful 1964 release, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! found extended life as a popular summer matinée feature. The film was reissued on January 17, 1986,[4][5] as part of Atlantic Releasing's short-lived Clubhouse Pictures program.

DVD release

On December 2, 2008, Warner Home Video released the film on DVD in Region 1 (The United States, Canada, and Japan). [1] A R2 DVD was released in the UK on January 31st, 2011.

Credits

References

  1. ^ Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 113. ISBN 1-55652-591-5. 
  2. ^ Heitmueller, Karl (2007-04-10). "Rewind: Will Big-Screen 'Aqua Teen' Be Next 'South Park' — Or 'Scooby-Doo'?". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1556645/20070409/story.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
  3. ^ "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear (film review)". Variety. May 27, 1964. 
  4. ^ Solomon, Charles (1989). Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 277. ISBN 0-394-54684-9. 
  5. ^ "Hey There, It's Yogi bear (Re-issue)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=heythereitsyogibear86.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-16. 
  6. ^ Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons. New York: Oxford University Press.. Pg. 562-563. ISBN 0-19-516729-5.

External links