Movie Info
Movie Name: The Care Bears Movie
Studio: Nelvana Limited
Genre(s): Animated/Musical/Family
Release Date(s): March 24, 1985
MPAA Rating: G
We’re too adorable to go on!!!
The Care Bears are out to bring loving and caring to a couple of orphan children named Kim and Jason. When Kim and Jason learn they might be adopted, their chances are threatened when a young apprentice named Nicholas releases a spirit vowing to take all the caring from the world. Now the Care Bears must stop the spirit, but find themselves separated when their Rainbow Rescue Beam goes array. The Care Bears with Jason and Kim begin to search for means to stop the spirit to restore caring and find new help in the Care Bear Cousins Lotsa Heart Elephant, Gentle Heart Lamb, Brave Heart Lion, Bright Heart Raccoon, Playful Heart Monkey, Swift Heart Rabbit, Cozy Heart Penguin, and Treat Heart Pig.
Directed by Arna Selznick, The Care Bears Movie was one of the first major films based on a product. The movie was also a big money maker for a non-Disney animated feature. The movie was met with moderate reviews but the success helped spawn sequel films and more television shows.
We don’t have the cool stomach things…we suck!!!
The Care Bears Movie was the start of a series of movie that spun off of products and/or spun out of TV shows. The Care Bears were created for a series of greeting cards by American Greetings in 1981, but soon became stuffed animals…each of course with their own abilities and strengths (aka a good lesson for children). The Care Bears had two specials in The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings in 1983 and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine in 1984.
The movie is very kid friendly and leads into the Care Bears TV series. The animation is very basic (and by Nelvana…the same company behind Inspector Gadget). It is not to the level of a Disney film, but it is better quality than a standard cartoon of the time. Other TV series reversed this process and spun off the TV series including Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, and The Transformers.
Care Bear Stare!!!
I do think the Care Bears Cousins do help bring in a bit more dimension to the story (and make the movie better for fans). It is an extremely smart marketing idea. If a kid doesn’t like the Care Bears, he or she will like one of the overly cute Cousins. The cousins span a big range of animals…a kid is going to like a lion or a rabbit. I know with a bit of a resurgence of Care Bears in recent years that if a kid sees this movie today, that some of the toys could still be found.
The Care Bears Movie is for kids. Unlike a Disney film which usually excels with multiple layers, The Care Bears Movie is what it is…a bunch of bears and some random animals helping kids care. Even as a kid, The Care Bear Movie was too saccharine for me, but now with time, it has even grown more sugary. The Care Bears Movie was followed by Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation in 1986.
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