Voices of Bob Dermer, Tracey Moore, Jim Henshaw, and Dan Hennessey
Directed by Raymond Jafelice
Music and Lyrics by John Sebastian and Maribeth Solomon
By 1987, the Care Bears were a world-wide phenomenon. A cartoon series based after Care Bears II: A New Generation debuted on ABC in the fall of 1986 and was almost as big of a success as the first movie. The second film did well enough on video and cable for Nelvana to go ahead with a third film, which was in development as early as June 1986. This one adapts classic literature, letting the Care Bears interact with characters from the beloved novels Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. How does their third theatrical go-around look today? Let's begin in Care-a-Lot as the Care Bears start their day and find out...
The Story: The White Rabbit (Keith Knight) comes to Care-a-Lot to seek his niece Swift Heart Rabbit's (Eva Almos) help in finding the Princess of Wonderland (Alyson Court). If she doesn't turn up, the evil Wizard (Colin Fox) will take over Wonderland and strip it of its craziness. The Care Bears and Cousins discover that Alice (Moore), an ordinary little girl who laments her dull life and not being "special" enough, is a dead ringer for the missing Princess. Half of the group searches for the elusive Mad Hatter (Keith Hampshire), who went to rescue the Princess from the grumpy Jabberwocky (Hampshire), while the others help the White Rabbit and the Queen of Hearts (Elizabeth Hanna) teach Alice all about being a princess.
The wizard and his two henchmen Dim (John Stocker) and Dum (Hennessey) do anything they can to keep Alice from becoming queen, including sending her on a "princess test" to prove she's worthy of royalty.
The Animation: Pretty much what was on the Care Bears Family TV show at this point. To give it credit, with fewer characters to focus on, there's far fewer continuity bobbles and characters who are in scenes they shouldn't be. While the animation is occasionally stiff, it's also colorful, with some truly unique designs on the ever-evolving Cheshire Cat and the other wacky citizens of Wonderland.
The Song and Dance: Nelvana's first of two cracks at adapting a famous fantasy story (the other would be the Christmas special The Care Bears Nutcracker Suite) definitely has some enjoyable moments. Dim and Dum can be hilarious, especially when controlling the Big Red Rotten Robots on the checkerboard and their freak-outs over spiders. Alice herself is a lot tougher than most of the earlier kids in these shows. She knows better than to buy the Wizard's ridiculous and obnoxious plot from the get-go and proves to be a lot tougher and funnier than you'd think at first, especially during the Tea and Croquet Game and while getting battered on the side of the mountain during the Princess Test.
Favorite Number: We kick off with the irrelevant but catchy "Rise and Shine," as the Care Bears go about their usual morning rituals and duties. John Sebastian, who wrote the remaining songs, performs "Has Anybody Seen This Girl?" as the Bears and Cousins go around the world and out of this world - literally - in search of the Princess and their introduction to the wild, zany, anything-goes world of "Wonderland," where bees look like Bs and caterpillars are traffic cops. The Cheshire Cat plays with funky neons and the then-new hip hop scene with his surreal raps "Don't Forget to Use Your Head" and "Remember to Use Your Heart." The Mad Hatter is "Mad About Hats" as he shows off his collection of hats big, small, and everywhere in between for the Bears and Cousins.
What I Don't Like: The big disappointment here are the villains. Other than a few gags from Dim and Dum, the Wizard and his henchmen aren't nearly as memorable or scary as the Spirit in the Book from Care Bears Movie or Dark Heart from Care Bears II. The Queen might have made a better (and more book-relevant) villain, but she's played more as a sweet older woman.
In fact, other than a few references and characters like the Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter, this doesn't really have much to do with the original Alice books...or with the Care Bears, for that matter. The Bears and Cousins react to the lunacy around them, use the Care Bear Stare at the end, and have a few jokes with the Mad Hatter's hat collection. Any kiddie characters from 80's young kids' cartoons probably could have been substituted to similar effect. In fact, most of the Bears and Cousins are only seen during the opening "Rise and Shine" number and are never seen or heard from again.
The Big Finale: Pleasant enough hour if you or your kids are Care Bears or Alice fans; casual viewers will want to seek out the Family show or the easier-to-find first two movies instead.
Home Media: Not on DVD in North America (though it can be found in Europe and Australia). YouTube is currently the only way to find this on this side of the pond.
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