Don’t Be Afraid to Admit You Loved ‘Yogi Bear’

In terms of what 3-D adds to “Yogi Bear,” the movie’s best shot comes when Yogi feasts on a worm, one he doesn’t find especially appetizing and winds up discharging through his nostril, right toward the screen. Even if his big-screen debut isn’t exactly Shakespeare, Yogi’s always too much fun not to love, and with Dan Aykroyd on hand to give his voice the naïve charm it needs, you can’t accuse a film this simple of not living up to its potential. It might not be smarter than the average blockbuster, but at least it delivers what it promises: a talking, computer-generated bear who isn’t above waterskiing to get a laugh.

Any plot that would require a bear to get on skis probably doesn’t have many hairpin twists to offer, and for as charming as this film is, you’ve got to admit the story’s kind of stale. Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh), who’d been Yogi’s enemy in the reruns but is his pal here, gets some distressing news about Jellystone Park: Since it’s costing the city too much to maintain, Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) wants to save money by felling all the trees. You’d think the attraction of a talking bear would amortize the park’s deficit, but it seems patrons don’t like the idea of one who steals picnic baskets.

As if Yogi’s appetite weren’t trouble enough, he’s also got a partner in crime named Boo Boo (voiced by Justin Timberlake), the faithful sidekick whose voice of reason doesn’t get through as often as it should. Still, he makes a better sidekick than Ranger Jones (T.J. Miller), whose misguided admiration for Ranger Smith’s title allows the mayor to convert him to the dark side. The only human Ranger Smith can trust is Rachel (Anna Faris), a documentarian whose worship of nature is such that she knows almost as much about Jellystone Park as he does.

This might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Spoiler alerts don’t seem necessary here – you already know if the mayor will succeed, if Ranger Jones will come around before it’s too late, if Ranger Smith will kiss Rachel. “Yogi Bear” isn’t as stupid as it looks, though, and the actors know how to play to its strong points. Timberlake’s upbeat Boo Boo steals the show, and Daly’s mayor comes off as such a heel that he’s funny before he even opens his mouth. You might not think something this routine can be entertaining, but pay attention to what happens to Wile E. Coyote during his pursuit of Road Runner in the bonus cartoon, “Rabid Rider.”

Even though you know what happens when these two get together, do you really think it’ll be a chore to see it again?

This article originally appeared on AllMediaNY.com