The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. It was the second feature film made by the Canada-based studio Nelvana Limited after the 1983 film Rock & Rule, in addition to being one of the first films based directly on a toy line and the first based on Care Bears. It introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins. another Nelvana film, Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins, was released alongside it. It received mixed reviews from critics, who raised concern over its potential as a full-length advertisement for the title characters, among other aspects. It went on to earn $23 million domestically, making it the highest-grossing Canadian film during 1985 (with C$1.845 million), in addition to winning a Golden Reel Award. With over $34 million in worldwide sales, it set a box-office record for Canadian and non-Disney animation and has remained one of Goldwyn's largest-earning releases. The film's success, which saved Nelvana from closing, helped revive films aimed at children in the US market. It has since been cited as inspiring a spate of toy-based animated and live-action features; the film was later followed by two sequels, A New Generation (1986) and Adventure in Wonderland (1987), neither surpassing the original financially or critically.

Plot

<!-- PER WP:FILMPLOT, PLOT SUMMARIES FOR FEATURE FILMS SHOULD BE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 WORDS. -->

The Cherrywoods are a middle-aged couple who run an orphanage. Mr. Cherrywood tells the orphans a story about the Care Bears and Care-a-Lot, their home in the clouds. In the story, Friend Bear and Secret Bear search for people to cheer up. They meet Kim and Jason, two lonely youngsters who recently lost their parents in a car accident. Introducing themselves, Friend Bear and Secret Bear remind the kids of their ambitions...yet neither sibling acts interested.

At an amusement park, Tenderheart Bear spots a magician's apprentice named Nicholas. While unloading a trunk of goods for his master, the "Great Fetuccini", Nicholas finds an old book with a diary-style lock. When he unlocks it, an evil spirit appears as a woman's face and corrupts him. With his help, it lays waste to the park and quests to remove all caring from the world.

Back at Care-a-Lot, the other bears work on their new invention: the Rainbow Rescue Beam, a portal that can send any bear to Earth and back. Two Care Bear cubs, Hugs and Tugs, interfere with the Rainbow Rescue Beam. They bring forth unexpected visitors: Friend Bear, Secret Bear, Kim, and Jason. The bears introduce themselves to the children, and give them a tour of their home. Tenderheart Bear returns on his now-out-of-control Rainbow Roller...just before a "Cloud-Quake", caused by the spirit, ruins Care-a-Lot. Tenderheart informs the others of Nicholas' troubles on Earth. Using the Rainbow Rescue Beam, he sends Kim and Jason to the park...along with Friend Bear and Secret Bear. They end up in the Forest of Feelings when the portal malfunctions. From a nearby river, the other bears search for them aboard the Cloud Clipper. Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Grams Bear, and the cubs stay behind in Care-a-Lot.

Within the Forest, the children and their friends meet Brave Heart Lion and Playful Heart Monkey. Later on, more of these creatures are discovered: Cozy Heart Penguin, Lotsa Heart Elephant, Swift Heart Rabbit, and Bright Heart Raccoon. During their stay, the spirit attacks them in several disguises: a pike, a tree, and an eagle. After the Care Bears and their new friends defeat it, they venture back to Earth with more—Loyal Heart Dog, Proud Heart Cat, Gentle Heart Lamb, and Treat Heart Pig—to save Nicholas from the spirit's influence.

At the park, Nicholas obtains the ingredients for his spell against the children and the creatures. After he casts it, the Care Bears and company engage in a long battle. The bears shoot beams of bright light on him, forming their "Stare"; the Cousins help with their "Call". Good Luck Bear and Grumpy Bear arrive in time to help after fixing the Rainbow Rescue Beam. As the creatures' power drains away, Nicholas and the spirit briefly regain control. Kim and Jason assist Nicholas, who finally realizes his misdeeds; with Secret Bear's help, he re-traps the spirit in the book...saving himself, the park, and the world. He thanks the group and reunites with Fetuccini. Tenderheart Bear inducts the Care Bear Cousins into the Care Bear Family and gives them their own tummy symbols. Kim and Jason find new parents, who take them to one of Nicholas' shows.

As Mr. Cherrywood finishes his story, it is revealed that he is actually Nicholas, and that his wife is actually Kim. Tenderheart Bear, who has been listening from outside a window, returns to Care-a-Lot in his Cloudmobile.

Voice cast

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 6px;"

|-

! style="background:darkGrey; width:300px;"|Name

! style="background:darkGrey; width:350px;"|Character(s)

! style="background:darkGrey; width:60px;"|Source

|-

| Mickey Rooney || Nicholas Cherrywood (adult) ||

|-

| Jackie Burroughs || The Evil Spirit || rowspan="3" |

|-

| Patricia Black || Share Bear/Funshine Bear || rowspan="2" |

|-

| Dan Hennessey || Brave Heart Lion (speaking voice/singing voice; movie version) || rowspan="6" |

|-

| Brent Titcomb || Additional voices || while American Greetings began to develop a feature-length film using the characters. Kucharik, along with Linda Denham, Linda Edwards, Muriel Fahrion, Dave Polter, Tom Schneider, Ralph Shaffer, and Clark Wiley, created the original characters. Early in their tenure, the Bears appeared as toys from the Kenner company, and starred in two syndicated television specials from another Canadian animation studio, Atkinson Film-Arts of Ottawa: The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine (1984).

Production of the first feature took place at another Canadian outlet, Toronto's Nelvana studio. This came in a period in the company's history which Nelvana co-founder Michael Hirsh refers to as its "dark years". prior to this, she worked on several Nelvana productions, including Strawberry Shortcake and the Baby Without a Name. Nelvana's founders—Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith—participated as the main producers. Dale Schott, who served as a storyboard artist,

Four employees of the film's financiers served as executive producers: Jack Chojnacki, co-president of TCFC; Carole MacGillvray, who became president of General Mills' M.A.D. (Marketing and Design) division in February 1984; and Robert Unkel, LBS' senior vice-president of programming. A fifth producer, American Greetings staffer W. Ray Peterson, went uncredited. Three associate producers worked on the film: John Bohach, who later became LBS' executive vice-president; and Harvey Levin. was the supervising producer. and the newly established Hanho Heung-Up and Mihahn studios in South Korea. Nelvana faced several problems with their Korean contractors, among them the language barrier between the Canadian crew and the overseas staff, and the unwieldy processes through which the film reels were shipped to the West. At one point, Loubert, Smith, and fellow staffer David Altman spent three days trying to persuade several unpaid animators to return important layout sketches. In exchange for the layouts, Nelvana gave them US$20,000 in South Korean won. By then, the production was falling behind schedule, and an opening date was already set; Loubert sent half of the work to Taiwan (where Lenora Hume supervised), while the remainder stayed in South Korea under Loubert's and Smith's watch.

Back in Canada, Hirsh tried to promote the unfinished feature before its deadline; unable to get available footage, he instead managed to show potential marketers some Leica reels and a few moments of completed colour animation. According to him, it was the first time an animated "work in progress" was screened to exhibitors; this ploy has since been used by Disney, particularly in the case of Beauty and the Beast (at the 1991 New York Film Festival). "People loved the movie anyway," he said of this experiment. "I was told it was considered great salesmanship. It made [them] feel that they were part of the process because they were seeing unfinished work."

Music

The music for The Care Bears Movie was composed by Patricia Cullen.<!-- DAR-3901-LP --> Six songs were performed by Carole King, John Sebastian, NRBQ, and the Tower of Power, When asked to compose three tracks for the film, he learned about the characters since he was unfamiliar with the franchise. Despite his misgivings on the marketing aspects, Sebastian said in April 1985, "I think their central theme—being candid about your feelings, sharing your feelings—is a very positive message for children."

Adele Freedman of Toronto's The Globe and Mail wrote positively about the music in the film:

this made it the highest-grossing animated feature film to come from Canada, and the highest grossing animated film of 1985. It also became the highest-grossing animated film not produced by the Disney company, As of 2023, that title is held by Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo's The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), with US$1.288 billion. The film virtually saved a fledgling Nelvana from going out of business, and was the company's highest-grossing venture. It is also among the highest-grossing releases from either incarnation of Samuel Goldwyn.

Reception and legacy

Critical analysis

The Care Bears Movie received mixed reviews. During its original release, The Care Bears Movie had varying degrees of success with critics. The New York Times<nowiki>'</nowiki> Richard Grenier wrote, "[The film] recalls vintage Walt Disney, both in substance and in the style of hand animation." Rick Lyman of Knight Ridder News Services said in his review: "Any movie—even an animated one—that has characters with names such as Funshine Bear, Love-a-lot Bear, and Lotsa Heart Elephant is obviously going to rank quite high on the cute meter. And this one sends the needle right off the chart. You've never seen such cuteness." Adele Freedman also gave it a positive review, commenting: "[It] has a lot going for it if you can tolerate the Bears." The Deseret News of Utah gave it three stars out of four (a "Good" grade) with this comment: "Sticky sweet, but a nice message."

Michael Blowen began his review of the film by stating that "[it] satisfies the primary obligation of a bedtime story—before it's half over the children will be fast asleep." He added that "this sugar-coated trifle could only satisfy the most ardent Care Bears fan", and that "the characters themselves lack definition". Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post wrote, "The best cartoons recognize the dark side of kids, their penchant for violence, their fearful fantasies. [This movie] just patronizes them. It even has a child chortling, 'Aren't parents great!' Well, they are and they aren't, and kids know that."

The animation in the film received mixed reviews as well. Adele Freedman praised the style and backgrounds, and called the special effects "stunning". While complimenting it as "a harmless film diversion", Stephen Hunter said that "the movie has the lustrous, glossy look of the very best in children's book illustrations". "On the other hand," he added, "the producers obviously couldn't afford an expensive [[multiplane camera|[multiplane] camera]], the staple of the Disney product, and so the scenes have a depressing flatness to them. And the backgrounds, so brilliantly developed in Disney, tend to be blurry and hastily done." The staff at Variety magazine stated that the "style ... tends towards a primer reading level." Halliwell's Film Guide called it "sluggishly animated and narrated". As with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,

The Los Angeles Times Charles Solomon (in his 1989 book Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation), faulted the plot. The Evening Independents Moorhead and Jim Davidson of the Pittsburgh Press noticed at least two parallel storylines in the film, one of which involved the magician Nicholas. The National Coalition on Television Violence counted at least 20 acts of violence throughout the picture.

Critics questioned its purpose as a feature-length advertisement for Care Bears merchandise; among them were Charles Solomon, and Bill Cosford of The Miami Herald. The Boca Raton News Skip Sheffield commented, "I couldn't help being bothered by the blatant commercialism of this whole venture." The British magazine Films and Filming remarked: "The purpose of the film is presumably to sell more toys as it unashamedly pushes the message that without at least one Care Bear around life can be very lonely." Stoffman observed, "one of the youngest target audiences of any animated movie", as did the Halliwell's staff; and Henry Herx (in his Family Guide to Movies on Video).

The 1986 International Film Guide called it "an elementary piece of animation lacking colour and character, with not much humour, quite lacking in charm, and indifferently scored". Maltin gave it two stars out of four in his Movie Guide; According to Derek Owen of Time Out Film Guide, "Adults forced to accompany three-year-olds to the movie would have had a little moment of satisfaction when the time came to shovel the Care Bears toys out of the house into landfill sites."

The mixed reception carried on in the years ahead: in her 1995 book Inside Kidvid, Loretta MacAlpine said of the film and its subsequent follow-ups, "If you can hack the sugarcoated attitudes of this group of cuddly bears, more power to you! There's nothing insidious about the Care Bears, but their overbearing sweetness may not appeal to all viewers." She cautioned parents of the merchandising aspect behind the tapes. Dave Gathman of Illinois' Courier-News wrote in 1998, "One Care Bears Movie ... can give all G-rated entertainment a bad name." In 2003 the Erie Times-News acknowledged its financial success, but commented on its "lack of a creative title". Animation expert Jerry Beck wrote in his 2005 book, The Animated Movie Guide, "It's a simple, serviceable adventure with several standout sequences. ... There's no doubt about it, this is a children's film aimed at the under-seven crowd. But it's one of the better animated children's films produced during this period."

Common Sense Media gave this movie some average reviews, as the group stated "The Care Bears Movie was made for young kids, but this movie's plot has some dark scenes and parents will want to be close at hand to comfort young viewers."

The Care Bears Movie holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews.

In the words of Jerry Beck, "[The Care Bears Movies] box-office gross signalled to Hollywood a renewed interest in animated features, albeit for children. This is something The Secret of NIMH tried to accomplish but failed to do." A plethora of children's and family film entertainment followed in its wake, such as Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird from Warner Bros., and a re-issue of Universal Studios' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Atlantic Releasing joined this movement by establishing Clubhouse Pictures, which showed G-rated films during 1986. Nelvana's film helped to bring back matinee engagements to prominence across North America. He spoke to Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones, who replied: "I feel that it's proper—after all, that's the way Alice in Wonderland was written: the dolls were all made first, then they made the picture about the dolls, right?" UPI's Vernon Scott (in 1985), observed how the merchandising arrived in advance of the film's release. In forthcoming years, several media adaptations based on established toy lines would follow a similar marketing tactic. Examples included films based on Hasbro's Transformers (in 1986 and 2007) and My Little Pony (in 1986, 2017, and 2021); Tonka's GoBots (Battle of the Rock Lords) and Pound Puppies (Legend of Big Paw); and a television series and feature with Hallmark's Rainbow Brite.

The Care Bears Movie was parodied in "At the Movies", a 1991 episode of Nickelodeon and Klasky Csupo's animated series Rugrats. In that episode, the Pickles family goes to see The Land Without Smiles, starring the Dummi Bears (although Grandpa Lou, while disgruntingly viewing said feature, would later call it "Land Without Brains").

Allusions

thumb|alt=A green face, resembling that of a woman, is resting upon a book; the pages on either side are marked with Runic-like inscriptions. A cunning smile runs across her face, and her yellow eyes are looking upward.|Critics of the film compared the Spirit (voiced by [[Jackie Burroughs) and The Queen from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Blowen wrote that the two children both get turned "from cynics to idealists". Blowen commented that in this place, "altruism is king". According to Tom Ogden (in his 1997 book Wizards and Sorcerers: From Abracabadra to Zoroaster), the Bears' Stare against the Spirit serves as a kind of white magic. Bruce Bailey wrote in The Montreal Gazette, "Such a non-violent solution, should sit well with peace lobbyists". According to a 2005 article in The Times of London, an Internet reviewer called The Care Bears Movie "a fine example of Christian socialism".

Accolades

At the 1985 Genie Awards in its native Canada, The Care Bears Movie won the Golden Reel Award for being the country's highest-grossing film of the year. John Sebastian's "Nobody Cares Like a Bear" received a Genie nomination for Best Original Song; his performance was part of CBC's live telecast of the ceremony on March 20, 1986. The film received a Young Artist Award nomination for "Best Family Animation Series or Special", but lost to the CBS series The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. During its 21st annual award ceremony on October 17, 1985, Nashville's performance rights organization SESAC honoured Woodward and Bird for their songwriting efforts.

Follow-ups

After the release of The Care Bears Movie, DIC Entertainment produced a syndicated 11-episode television series featuring the title characters. Another series, Nelvana's The Care Bears Family, premiered on ABC in the US and Canada's Global in September 1986, and was subsequently broadcast in 140 countries. Nelvana followed the first film with another two theatrical installments, Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987); neither made as much of a critical or commercial impact. A New Generation, released by Columbia Pictures, made over US$8.5 million in North America and US$12 million worldwide and grossed US$2.608 million domestically, The franchise's next feature film, 2004's Journey to Joke-a-lot, also premiered on video (via Lionsgate and Family Home Entertainment).

See also

  • Canadian films of the 1980s
  • List of Nelvana franchises
  • List of animated feature-length films

Notes

References

Specific

Works cited

  • Official site at MGM