Classic cartoon character goes 3D

By Hayley Woodin [entertainment bureau chief]

TV’s beloved and smarter than average bear is finally returning to the big screen.

Hanna Barbera’s classic cartoon character Yogi bear, along with his loyal pal Boo Boo, will star in a 3D film produced by Warner Bros.

The cast will include Jellystone Park’s two most troublesome bears, as well as Ranger Smith and his deputy Ranger Jones, nature documentary filmmaker Rachel Johnson and the scheming Mayor Brown.

The voices of the memorable characters will be acted by academy award nominee Dan Akroyd (Yogi bear), Justin Timberlake (Boo Boo), Tom Cavanagh (Smith), TJ Miller (Jones), Anna Faris (Johnson) and Andrew Daly (Brown).

Unlike the preoccupations Yogi Bear had in his 1961 television show, which mostly revolved around him and his sidekick trying to figure out how to swipe the lunches of Jellystone Park’s patrons, the bear is set to face bigger problems in this movie. Mayor Brown has decided to close down Jellystone Park and sell the land because the park has been losing business, meaning Yogi and Boo Boo will lose their home, and families will have to go elsewhere to have their picnics.

The two bears, with the help of their former frenemy Ranger Smith, are forced to put their minds together to find a way to save the park from being permanently shut down.

Yogi is no stranger to the big screen. In 1964, he was the first Hanna Barbera cartoon character to make it to theatres with the release of “Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear.”