Voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, John Stephenson, and Janet Waldo
Directed by Ray Patterson
Music and Lyrics by various
We kick off this year's holiday reviews with Hanna-Barbara's second Yogi Bear movie. This became the first of four feature-length Yogi movies to debut in syndication, and their first movie with the character since Hey There, It's Yogi Bear in 1964. By this point, Hanna Barbara's comic animal characters were an institution on TV. There were three short-lived shows during the 70's that featured crossovers between Yogi and the other characters, but this would be the first film to do so. How well does Yogi's first Christmas awake look nowadays? Let's begin as Snagglepuss (Butler), Huckleberry Hound (Butler), Augie Doggy (Butler) and his Doggy Daddy (Stephenson) arrive at Jellystone Lodge and find out...
The Story: To their horror, the lodge's owner Mrs. Throckmorton (Waldo) intends to sell the lodge to developers building a highway over the mountain. She's coming for the big Christmas Festival and tree-trimming party with her nephew Snively (Marilyn Schreffer). Yogi (Butler) is woken up by the music they all made. He and Boo Boo (Messick) are hired by the Otto, the lodge's chef (Hal Smith), as bakers. Ranger Smith (Messick) intends to take them back to their caves to finish their hibernation, but Yogi inadvertently rescues Mrs. Throckmorton and Snively from an avalanche.
The avalanche was caused by Herman the Hermit (Messick), a nasty old grump who hates Christmas and wants to be left alone. The accidents Herman's been causing to get rid of the noise are the reason Mrs. Throckmorton wants to sell the lodge. To Herman's frustration, Yogi keeps rescuing Mrs. Throckmorton from every situation he throws at the lodge. Spoiled and obnoxious little Snively isn't happy that Yogi keeps beating him at every sports competition. Not only does his aunt approve and think Snively needs to be taught a lesson, she keeps promoting Yogi at every turn. It's not until Snively gets lost and finds Herman's cave that the two realize they have a lot in common and come together to try to take down Yogi's very first Christmas for good.
The Animation: Only slightly above their animated series at the time. There's a little more detail in the characters and their movements. The skiing and skating scenes in particular look decent for the time. Some of the backgrounds are also fairly well-done, particularly in the lodge and towards the end during the tree-trimming party.
The Song and Dance: If you're a fan of Yogi or the other Hanna-Barbara funny animal characters, you'll probably find something to love here. There's some great gags with how Yogi keeps rescuing Mrs. Throckmorton when Herman tries to get rid of her, or how he manages to best Snively at every game. Cindy Bear (Waldo) also gets a few amusing moments later in the movie when she tries to get Yogi under the mistletoe, but Yogi's having none of it. I'm also impressed with how much of a musical this is, with 8 songs including reprises.
Favorite Number: We open with "Comin' Up Christmas Time," performed by the Hanna Barbara animals and the chorus over the credits as they drive to the lodge. They also tell Yogi and Boo about the wonders of the holiday season. After all, "It's Your First Christmas." Boo Boo reminds his best friend that "Hope" is one of the most important parts of the holiday season. Yogi's attempt to get everyone singing "Carols" goes badly, until Mrs. Throckmorton requests another female voice and Boo Boo brings out Cindy. Cindy hopes "The Mistletoe Song" will finally get her under one with her sweetheart.
Herman and Snively are proud to be "Mean, Sour, Nasty, and Cruel." They want to ruin Christmas for everyone because they can, and because Herman just wants peace and quiet. The Hanna-Barbara animals are happier "Making a Big To-Do" over the tree-trimming party. Cindy's ecstatic when "I've Been Kissed" by her beloved Yogi. The big finale, "Christmas Is Here," has everyone holding torches as they ski up the mountain to return the bears to their caves and let them finish their hibernation.
Trivia: This is the first of three holiday TV specials featuring Yogi. The more traditional half-hour Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper came out in 1982, followed by Yogi the Easter Bear in 1994.
"Comin' Up Christmas Time" and "Making a Big To-Do" were originally heard in Casper's First Christmas. "Hope" was written for A Christmas Story in 1972 and was also used in A Flintstones Christmas.
What I Don't Like: How much you enjoy this movie will depend entirely on how big of a Hanna-Barbara fan you are. If you love Yogi and the rest of the funny animal crew, you'll probably get a kick out of this. If you're not into Yogi and/or the Hanna Barbara funny animals. this is absolutely not the place for you. The save-the-lodge plot is cliched and silly, the songs are mostly cribbed from older specials, and the animation is nothing to write home about.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Yogi or the Hanna-Barbara funny animals, this is worth checking out for some fairly amusing gags alone.
Home Media: One of the earliest Warner Archive titles. It can also easily be found on streaming. It's currently free at Tubi with commercials.
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