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"YOGI’S GREAT ESCAPE" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Warner Archive Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This 1987 animated television movie opens with springtime dawning in Jellystone Park. Yogi Bear awakes from his winter nap hungry as can be. Fortunately for him, Jellystone Park is open for the season, which means plenty of pic-i-nic baskets will be arriving soon. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself in charge of a trio of bear cub triplets, who are as hungry as he is. To make things worse, Ranger Smith learns that Jellystone Park is in danger of closing. Yogi, Boo Boo and the triplets head out in search of a new home while Ranger Smith hires a rustic tracker to help bring the bears home.
WHAT I LIKED
With the release of the live-action/CGI “Yogi Bear” feature film, there has been a bit of a rediscovery of the original character, thanks to Warner Bros. With so many comparisons of the new movie to “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” it’s easy to lose sight of the charm and flavor of these older cartoons.
While I didn’t immediately think of a TV special from 1987 as being old (even though it’s been more than 30 years since it aired), I realize that this kind of show brings me back to my youth. And, like the recently released “Yogi’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper,” here’s a chance to bite your tongue about how silly the new movie is and realize that Yogi has always just been about silly shenanigans.
What I do like about these cartoons from the 80s is that Yogi and Boo Boo were already classic characters, and Hanna-Barbera has always been about cross-pollinating the stories. So, like “Yogi’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper,” there’s some cameos of other HB characters, including Quick-Draw McGraw and Wally Gator.
“Yogi’s Great Escape” plays out a bit like three different cartoons strung together, although there is a continuing story. It may not be the best the characters have to offer, but it’s a nice way to enjoy the silver age of Hanna-Barbera most famous bear, and share it with your kids.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The Hanna-Barbera cartoons have never been known for their high quality in terms of animation. In fact, the studio pioneered cheap made-for-Saturday-morning programming as far back as the 1960s. But by the time the shows reached the 80s, there was a change in style that isn’t as charming as the original low-rent properties. If you like the style and feel of series like “The Gummy Bears,” you’ll enjoy this episode. It’s not as good as “Yogi’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper” because of the era in which it was made, but it’s still cute to watch, and available on DVD from the Warner Archive vault.
DVD FEATURES
Sadly, like most of the titles in the Warner Archive collection, there are no special features on the disc, and only scene marker at every ten minutes.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Kids and Yogi Bear fans.
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"SID & MARTY KROFFT’S SATURDAY MORNING HITS" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Vivendi Entertainment Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Back in the 70s, one of the most prolific production teams was that of Sid & Marty Krofft. They produced multiple live-action shows for Saturday morning, and the result was cheap-looking but delightfully silly shows like “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “Bugaloos,” “Lidsville,” “Sigmund & The Sea Monsters,” “ElectraWoman & DynaGirl,” “Wonderbug” and “Bigfoot & Wildboy.” An episode of each of these series is presented on this 2 1/2 hour DVD, offering a sampling of “Sid & Marty Krofft’s Saturday Morning Hits.”
WHAT I LIKED
I often identify myself as a child of the 80s, which I was. But while my formative years were spent in the decade of excess, my earliest years were spent in the 1970s. So even though the memories are a bit fuzzy, I remember being younger than ten years old and watching Saturday morning programming each weekend.
The Sid & Marty Krofft shows are so identifiable from that era, and they are tons of fun to revisit now. The ridiculously low budgets and psychedelic production design is almost unbelievable today, but there’s a child-like appeal to these shows that still hold up. I showed these episodes to my kids, and while there were some they weren’t wild about (like “Lidsville”) and others they just didn’t get (like the era-specific musical elements and slang in “Bugaloos”), they enjoyed the shows as I did when I was their age.
Anyone who has heard about Sid & Marty Krofft or watched the “Mr. Show” sketch about “H.R. Pufnstuf” a while back owes it to themselves to check this DVD out. It’s the closest thing you’ll have to a bizarre time machine that will transfer you back to this wacky era of zany productions.
In particular, I enjoyed revisiting “Wonderbug” for it total 70s feel and knock-off of the “Speed Buggy” cartoon as well as “ElectraWoman & DynaGirl,” which stars “Days of Our Lives” diva Deirdre Hall before she was famous (and was really quite hot). During the decade that gave us the “Spider-Man” and “Wonder Woman” TV shows, this little Saturday morning ditty was actually quite impressive.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There’s plenty of stones that can be thrown at the Sid & Marty Krofft canon. But anything you’d complain about adds to its charm. They have shaky scripts, terrible acting and sometimes inappropriate innuendo, but that’s what makes them so fun to watch.
This particular release could have been better on the transfer, though I imaging the shows was mastered on 3/4” tape which has degraded a lot. Still, this DVD is barely VHS quality comparable to a bootleg of “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”
DVD FEATURES
The only bonus feature is an art gallery featuring 50 years of Krofft art.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Children of the 70s. And their kids, if they can handle it.
