Yogi Bear

Rating**1/2

In this age of media activism,brave would be a mayor running for governor who conceives a plan to open up for logging a pristine park housing no less than a talking bear. But no,the problem with Yogi Bear the film is that it hardly celebrates Yogi Bear the animal. The furry brown thing that walks upright and is known to steal picnic baskets of visitors to the Jellystone Park hardly invites a glance even during his brief walk down city streets.

Yogi Bear (Aykroyd) dances,swings,water-skis,even fashions inventions such as a glider to steal those picnic baskets,but apparently nobody cares about this Hanna-Barbera character in the fictional state the “much-loved” park is located in.

If Yogi Bear suffers that fate,his cautious sidekick Boo Boo (Timberlake) gets even lesser attention. Even the fact that Boo Boo wears a camera in his collar that records everything from his point of view is just a side plot involving a documentary filmmaker,Rachel (Faris). Rachel obviously is the perfect soul-mate for the park’s hard-working,nature-loving Ranger,Smith (Cavanagh).

So when it comes to saving the Park,an integral part of the plan that Rachel and Smith conjure is that Yogi Bear,known to goof up with his belief in being “smarter than the average bear”,be kept as far away as possible. Their alternative is ‘fireworks’.

Even as you are willing the filmmakers to play closer attention to these two loving bears with the adorable eyes,the film putters,along predictable,unfunny lines,and repetitive antics. What saves it are the inherent innocence of the two bears,the beauty of the park,the harmless,straight story that should be extremely easy for kids of any age to follow,and the fact that there are no falsely upbeat songs to fill in the gaps.

Aykroyd and Timberlake lead a cast that fits in very well with the simplicity of this film,especially Timberlake who is hard to place in the character of the timid Boo Boo. The film also does well in seamlessly integrating the computer-generated bears with live-action humans.

shalini.langer@expressindia.com