Yogi's Great Escape (1987)

 

A charming little made-for-TV movie. 

In this movie Yogi and Boo-Boo wake up after hibernation and find a basket outside their cave. They open it and find three little bears. The little bears are always hungry, and Yogi and Boo-Boo do the best they can to keep them fed. Meanwhile Ranger Smith learns that the park is going overbudget, and they will have to close. Because of this he has to tell the bears that they all have to go to the zoo. Yogi is not happy about this, and he plans a big escape for him and the four other bears. They escape but everywhere they go, the ranger is on their trail.

There is quite a bit to enjoy about this movie. Yogi and Boo-Boo are just as likable here as they ever were. Even Ranger Smith is very likable here. He is the antagonist, but he is not the villain. Though he is trying to stop Yogi and the other bears, he still does not hate them and has times where he feels sorry for them. He is simply a guy doing his job. This is why I have always liked this character and this film captures this perfectly. He The story is a very charming one. It fits the characters perfectly. It also feels like a classic Yogi Bear story but still perfectly fits the longer length. This movie never really drags and remains charming for the whole runtime. The 93 minute (or two hours with commercials) goes by incredibly quickly. Since the movie is inspired by the classic shorter length cartoons, the more episodic storyline fits perfectly and all the little fun adventures are very enjoyable. The film also benefits from some very handsome background art and some fun cameos from other Hanna-Barbera. 

The comedy in this film is the type that will make you smile but rarely laugh out loud. While there is no problem with comedy that is charming rather than hilarious, it is easy to miss the real laughs that the classic Yogi cartoons have. Still there are no jokes here that ever fall flat and it is hard not to appreciate that.

The biggest flaw of this movie is that the little bear cubs don't really add anything. You could do this story just as well with just Yogi and Boo-Boo and the film wouldn't be missing anything. Another problem is that the little girl bear cub feels like the filmmakers trying too hard to be cute. She is never as cute as the filmmakers think she is. The songs in this film are also quite forgettable. The ending is incredibly rushed and forced. 

This film is part of Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10, a series of 10 made for TV movies starring Hanna-Barbera characters. The supervising director was Ray Patterson and the writer was Neal Barbera (the son of Joseph Barbera), both of whom also made Yogi & the Invasion of the Space Bears (1988), another one of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 movies.