The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie

Last updated

Care Bears' Big Wish Movie
Big wish poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed byLarry Jacobs
Ron Pitts
Written by Jeffrey Alan Schechter
Produced byCynthia Taylor
Starring Sugar Lyn Beard
Robert Tinkler
Julie Lemieux
Linda Ballantyne
Stephen Ouimette
Tracey Hoyt
Ron Rubin
Elizabeth Hanna
Edited byJason Cohen
Music by Ian Thomas
Production
companies
Distributed by Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 7, 2005 (2005-09-07)(TIFF)
  • October 18, 2005 (2005-10-18)(North America)
Running time
75 minutes
CountriesCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$3–5 million [1]

The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie is a 2005 direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film, produced by Nelvana Limited and released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment. Directed by Larry Jacobs and Ron Pitts, and written by Jeffrey Alan Schechter, the film is a follow-up to the Care Bears' previous efforts in 2004's Journey to Joke-a-lot. It was the fifth film to feature the Bears, and the second to be computer-animated.

Contents

The Big Wish Movie centers on Wish Bear, a Care Bear who can make and grant wishes. After some of them do not work, she feels worried that the other bears have overlooked her abilities, and wishes for a few new friends who care more than she does. Those three—Messy Bear, Me Bear and Too Loud Bear—cause further trouble for Wish Bear, her wishing star Twinkers, and all of Care-a-lot.

As with Journey to Joke-a-lot, Toronto's Nelvana produced and self-financed the Big Wish Movie; additional work was handled by India's Crest Animation Productions. Production involved various personnel from the previous film, among them Ron Pitts, composer Ian Thomas and various voice actors including Stephanie Beard, Stevie Vallance and Julie Lemieux. The Big Wish Movie was released on DVD by Lions Gate on October 18, 2005; prior to this, it premiered on U.S. and Canadian television, and was accompanied by a tie-in book from Scholastic Press. It subsequently received favourable reviews from Parenting magazine and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . This was Nelvana's final production with the Care Bears, before SD Entertainment of California assumed responsibility for future installments in the franchise.

Plot

This movie starts when, atop the roof of an observatory at their cloud-filled home of Care-a-lot, the Care Bears hear Wish Bear's story of how she (as a cub) found her new friend, a wishing star named Twinkers. The Care Bears are touched by this tale, but are a bit worried when she uses Twinkers' inherent power to wish them all some popcorn. Cheer Bear raises concern that this may be a frivolous use of Twinkers' power. Wish Bear, however, assures everyone that she is a trained professional.

The next day, Wish Bear uses the wishing power to help her friends. She wishes for plenty of rainbow sap for Share Bear, and for Grumpy Bear's rocket to have "zoom", but the wishes backfire when the sap overflows and the rocket spins out of control.

A monthly meeting of Care-a-lot's steering committee (with Champ Bear presiding) reveals a problem with the Caring Meter. The machine, which measures how much caring there is in Care-a-lot, has moved towards the rain-cloud side. Wish Bear suggests using her wishes, but is rejected since not all of them work as intended; they didn't like their wishes ("I Wish"). Disappointed, she decides to wish for other bears who like wishing as much as she does. This causes three new bears to arrive in Care-a-lot: Too Loud Bear, Me Bear, and Messy Bear.

Everyone is pleased to welcome the new neighbors at first, but things soon get out of control. The new bears unwittingly make a huge mess of everything (especially when the huge mansion they asked for causes pollution). Then, during another meeting, the bears decide to have a picnic to teach the new bears how thing really work in Care-a-lot. It turns out however they've already got the wrong idea ("Get a Lot") and the picnic in a mess. After confessing that she's the reason there are new bears, Wish Bear confronts them but they don't listen, causing Wish Bear to accidentally wish Twinkers away to them. They promise to return him the afternoon the next day, but once Funshine Bear talks to Wish Bear about how empty she is without Twinkers, she decides to go back early. When she gets there, the new bears have abused the star's power with the mansion becoming a castle, a huge noisy motorcycle for Too Loud Bear, an amusement park focusing on Me Bear, and making a mud pie for Messy Bear. Once the new bears finally realize their problem, Messy Bear, being less caring, tries to fix it with more wishes, but to no avail. Care-a-lot becomes a blank white space (wishing that all of this was gone), the bears begin to glow in color (wishing for everything to be back how it was, but with more color), Grumpy Bear turns black and white (wishing for less color), and Messy turns himself into a cub (wishing for everything to be like it used to be). When he tries to wish Twinkers back to Wish Bear, the star ultimately loses his power from exhaustion (because they had been pushing him much too hard). Wish Bear uses Grumpy Bear's rocket to bring him to the Big Wish, a grandmother star, in the sky with Messy bear joining them as an atonement. Big Wish restores his power, but not before Wish Bear assures her that she has learned her lesson, which is wishing is fun, but it is far more important to work hard to achieve your dreams.

Wish Bear tells them that wishes are not an effective solution any more, and everyone works together to make their home beautiful again ("It Takes You and Me"). At the end, Me Bear, Messy Bear, and Too Loud Bear, having seen the error of their ways, apologize and ask if they can still live in Care-a-lot. The rest of the bears agree and decide to go on a road trip.

Cast

Production

As with 2004's Journey to Joke-a-lot, The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie was self-financed by the Nelvana studios in Toronto, Ontario. [1] The second computer-animated production with the Care Bears, [2] it is also the franchise's fifth feature installment. Director Larry Jacobs had previously worked on another Nelvana venture, a public television series entitled Cyberchase . [1] Mike Fallows, the director of Joke-a-lot, [3] served as the supervising director. [4] The film featured various voices from Joke-a-lot, among them Stephanie Beard, Julie Lemieux, Stevie Vallance, Robert Tinkler, Andrew Sabiston and Scott McCord. [4] [3] Animation was handled by Nelvana in Canada, and Crest Animation Productions in India. [4] Big Wish marked the last time Nelvana embarked on a Care Bears project; from 2006 onward, the California-based SD Entertainment was responsible for future animated fare with these characters, starting with Oopsy Does It! in 2007. [5]

Release

The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie first aired on Canadian television on October 3, 2005; [6] in the United States, it premiered on cable television's Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney on October 17. [nb 1] The day before the U.S. premiere, [2] it became one of Lions Gate Home Entertainment's five direct-to-DVD "marquee" offerings for young viewers; [8] [nb 2] restaurant chain Burger King served as the promotional partner. [2] Twice during 2005, Stephanie Beard (the voice of Wish Bear) promoted the film in the Toronto Star under the alias Suga Baybee; [9] [10] in October, she proclaimed that it "is going to be a classic". [10] The film charted on Video Business' Top Kids Rentals list for January 23, 2006, where it ranked 20th. [11] On August 11, 2007, it placed seventh on Billboard's Top Kid DVD Sales chart. [12] Jeffrey Alan Schechter, the film's writer, was nominated for a Writers Guild of Canada Award. [13] The film is known under two French-language titles: À vos souhaits les Calinours ! (in Canada's Quebec province) [14] and De Nouveaux Arrivants chez les Bisounours (in France). [15]

Days before the release of the Big Wish Movie, [16] Scholastic Press published a Care Bears storybook based on the film; it was written by Sonia Sander and illustrated by Jay Johnson. [17] One scene in the book involves Wish Bear and the three new Bears grocery shopping; this does not appear in the film. [4] [18] Later in the book, when Messy Bear wishes for everything to be like it used to be, it causes the Bears to travel back to the age of the dinosaurs; in the film, Twinkers just turns Messy Bear into Messy Cub. [4] [18]

Bruce Kluger of Parenting magazine referred to the Big Wish Movie as "Cute stuff, if a tad sticky-sweet: Heart-shaped toothbrushes, toasters, and waffles abound." [19] Cristina Rouvalis of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave it three stars out of four, and said that "Young Care Bear fanatics will wish for more." [20] In April 2010's Journal of Aging Studies , Sylvia Henneberg commented that Big Wish, the grandmother star, served as "a poor substitute for a truly three-dimensional maternal figure". [21]

Music

The music for the Big Wish Movie was composed by Ian Thomas (also from Journey to Joke-a-lot), and conducted and orchestrated by Peter Cardinali. [4] At his studio, Thomas worked with the Hamilton Children's Choir [22] on the film's opening theme. [4] In February 2005, Stephanie Beard said that "I Wish", a track she performed, "is my favorite cartoon song yet. It's so cute; I can't wait for the world to hear it." [9]

SongWriterPerformer(s)Producer(s)Notes
"Big Wish Theme"—Members of The Hamilton Children's Choir—Conducted by Zimfira Poloz; choir recorded by Bob Doidge; assisted by Amy King at Grant Avenue Studio, Hamilton, Ontario
"I Wish" Creighton Doane; Daniel Gerrard LeblancStephanie BeardCreighton Doane; Daniel Gerrard LeblancSong animation by Ron Pitts
"Get a Lot"Noah Shilkin and Amos Carlen; The Brumby BrothersCastNoah Shilkin and Amos Carlen; The Brumby Brothers
"It Takes You and Me"Creighton Doane; Daniel Gerrard LeblancMichael BorkoskyCreighton Doane; Daniel Gerrard Leblanc
"The Power of Wishing"Anthony Vanderburgh; Don Breithaupt Daniel Galessierre—

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Animation services.
  1. ↑ Listed as "FILM 226388" on The New York Times' television schedule at the time. [7]
  2. ↑ During late 2005, Lions Gate's other "marquee" titles were Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus , Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends and Pinocchio 3000 . [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelvana</span> Canadian animation studio and entertainment company

Nelvana Limited is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment since 2000. Founded in July 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at Polaris, the North Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Care Bears</span> Fictional character group

Care Bears are multi-colored bears, painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. They were turned into plush teddy bears and featured in The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine (1984) before headlining their own television series called Care Bears from 1985 to 1988. They also had multiple feature films including: The Care Bears Movie (1985), Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986), and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987).

<i>The Care Bears Movie</i> 1985 animated feature film, based on the Care Bears toy line

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 from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana 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. The voice cast includes Mickey Rooney, Georgia Engel, Jackie Burroughs and Cree Summer. In the film, an orphanage owner tells a story about the Care Bears, who live in a cloud-filled land called Care-a-Lot. While traveling across Earth, the Bears help two lonely children named Kim and Jason, who lost their parents in a car accident, and also save Nicholas, a young magician's apprentice, from an evil spirit's influence. Deep within a place called the Forest of Feelings, Kim, Jason and their friends soon meet another group of creatures known as the Care Bear Cousins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Roman</span> Canadian voice actress

Susan Roman is a Canadian and American television and voice actress and voice director, best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the Canada DiC dub of the anime Sailor Moon. She is one of the few voice actors to remain throughout the entire run of the Sailor Moon series.

<i>Care Bears</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Care Bears is an animated fantasy adventure television series based on the franchise of the same name. After two specials in 1983, the main series began in 1985. The series was produced by DIC Audiovisuel's American branch DIC Enterprises and aired on syndication a while after the theatrical release of the first movie in the series.

<i>Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation</i> 1986 animated film by Dale Schott

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 animated musical fantasy film produced by LBS Communications and Nelvana, and released by Columbia Pictures. It is the third animated feature from Nelvana and the second film based on the Care Bears franchise. It was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder, and produced by Nelvana's three founders; Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. It stars the voices of Alyson Court, Cree Summer, Maxine Miller and Hadley Kay. In the story, The Great Wishing Star tells the origins of the Care Bears and the story of their first Caring Mission. True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse lead the other Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins in aiding Christy, a young camper who is tempted by the evil shape-shifting Dark Heart. This is also the first appearance of the Care Bear Cubs, who also had their own line of toys.

<i>The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland</i> 1987 film

The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland is a 1987 animated musical fantasy film and the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987, by Cineplex Odeon Films, and is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. The fourth feature film made at Toronto's studio Nelvana Limited, it was directed by staff member Raymond Jafelice and produced by the firm's founders. It starred the voices of Keith Knight, Bob Dermer, Jim Henshaw, Tracey Moore and Elizabeth Hanna. In the film, the Care Bears must rescue the Princess of Wonderland from the Evil Wizard and his assistants, Dim and Dumb. After the White Rabbit shows them her photo, the Bears and Cousins search around the Earth for her before enlisting an unlikely replacement, an ordinary girl named Alice, to save her true look-alike. Venturing into Wonderland, the group encounters a host of strange characters, among them a rapping Cheshire Cat and the Jabberwocky.

<i>Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot</i> 2004 Canadian film

Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot is a 2004 animated musical adventure film, co-produced by Nelvana Limited and released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment. It was the first Nelvana Limited co-production featuring the Care Bears in the last 24 years, since the Care Bears Nutcracker Suite television film in 1988. Directed by Mike Fallows and written by Jeffrey Alan Schecter, this was the fourth film to star the Care Bears and their first in 17 years. This was also the first one in the franchise to be computer-animated.

Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd. is one of the oldest and most prolific Taiwanese-American animation studios since 1978. The company, based in Xindian, Taipei and Los Angeles, California, has done traditional hand-drawn 2D animation/ink and paint for various TV shows and films for studios across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

<i>The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings</i> 1983 Canadian TV series or program

The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings is the first animated television special to feature the Care Bears characters. It was made by Ottawa's Atkinson Film-Arts studio, and premiered in syndication on April 22, 1983. The special features the ten original Bears, along with the Cloud-Keeper and the villain Professor Coldheart; they would return in 1984's The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine.

<i>The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine</i> 1984 Canadian TV series or program

The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine is the second animated television special to feature the Care Bears characters. It was made by Ottawa's Atkinson Film-Arts studios, and premiered in syndication in April 1984. The special introduces three new Care Bears characters; Grams Bear, Hugs, and Tugs.

<i>Care Bears Nutcracker Suite</i> 1988 film

Care Bears Nutcracker Suite is an animated television film featuring the Care Bears characters. Produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana in 1988, it is loosely based on the 1892 Nutcracker ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The film was directed by Joseph Sherman and Laura Shepherd, and produced by Nelvana's founders: Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith. It serves as the series finale to the The Care Bears Family animated series.

<i>Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!</i> 2007 American film

Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! is a 2007 American animated fantasy film released on August 4, 2007 by Kidtoon Films. It was developed by American Greetings as part of the Care Bears' 25th anniversary, and produced by SD Entertainment. Oopsy is the first Care Bears film to not be produced by Nelvana, the Canadian company responsible for the previous feature-length installments and most of the television episodes. The movie was released on DVD on October 23, 2007. This film serves as a pilot episode of Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot.

<i>Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot</i> 2007 American TV series or program

Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot is an American animated television series based on the Care Bears franchise produced by American Greetings with animation provided by SD Entertainment. The series functions as part of the fourth incarnation of the franchise, and centers on the adventures and escapades of the titular Care Bears - Cheer, Share, Grumpy, Funshine, and Oopsy, as they help their fellow Care Bear friends and battle against the main antagonist Grizzle.

Arna Selznick is a Canadian animator, best known for directing Nelvana's 1985 animated film The Care Bears Movie. Arna owns and operates a studio called Dancingmonkeys with her husband/partner John van Bruggen.

<i>Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot</i> 2012 American animated TV series

Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot is an American animated television series based on the Care Bears franchise for The Hub. Produced by American Greetings and animated by MoonScoop Entertainment, the series centers on seven colorful teddy bear characters named "Care Bears" who go on adventures throughout the magical land of Care-a-Lot, as well as helping children who have issues they need to solve.

<i>Care Bears & Cousins</i> American animated television series

Care Bears & Cousins is an American animated adventure television series released on November 6, 2015, on Netflix. The series, a continuation of the previous series Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot, re-introduces four of the Care Bear cousins - Brave Heart Lion, Bright Heart Raccoon, Lotsa Heart Elephant and Cozy Heart Penguin.

The Care Bears Family is an animated series produced by Nelvana based on the American franchise of the same name, and is the successor series to the series produced by DIC Entertainment. It was originally broadcast from September 13, 1986 on ABC to November 25, 1988 on the Global Television Network in Canada. In the United States, the first two seasons were broadcast on ABC and the third was aired on the Global Television Network.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Davidson, Sean (April 25, 2005). "Youth: Care Bears out of hibernation". Playback . Brunico Communications: 15.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kids' disc premieres deliver more wallop". Variety . 287 (51). Reed Business Information: S13. June 13, 2005.
  3. 1 2 Fallows, Mike (director) (2004). Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot (Animated film). Lions Gate Home Entertainment (distributor) / Nelvana Limited.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jacobs, Larry; Pitts, Ron (directors) (2005). The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie (Animated film). Lions Gate Home Entertainment (distributor) / Nelvana Limited.
  5. ↑ Ball, Ryan (September 28, 2006). "AG Properties Makes MIPCOM Debut". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  6. ↑ "Movies on TV, Today & Tonight". Leader-Post . Postmedia Network Inc. October 3, 2005. p. A9 (Arts & Life).
  7. ↑ "Television Listings: Monday/October 17". The New York Times . October 16, 2005. p. M13.
  8. 1 2 Arnold, Thomas K. (August 4, 2005). "Lions Gate Entertainment building new family ties; expands reach with DVDs, films". The Hollywood Reporter . Vol. 390, no. 17. VNU/Nielsen Business Media. p. 15.
  9. 1 2 Beard, Stephanie (February 17, 2005). "Will the real Suga Baybee please stand up?". Toronto Star . Torstar Corporation. p. 11 (Planet). Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2010. By far, my solo in the soon-to-be-released sequel to the latest Care Bears movie is my favourite cartoon song yet. It's so cute; I can't wait for the world to hear it.
  10. 1 2 Beard, Stephanie (October 20, 2005). "How to spot a big-screen winner". Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. p. 14 (Planet). Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Top Kids Rentals". Video Business. Reed Business Information: F. January 23, 2006.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Charts (August 11, 2007)". VNU Entertainment News Wire (Online). VNU/Nielsen Business Media. August 1, 2007. BB Charts; Pack.
  13. ↑ Schechter, Jeffrey Alan (November 22, 2007). "About Me". Contour at the Movies. Jeffrey Alan Schechter and Contour at the Movies. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Joyeuses fêtes à l'antenne de Radio-Canada: Une programmation chaleureuse pour le temps des fètes à la Télévision de Radio-Canada" (PDF) (in French). Sociète Radio-Canada. December 9, 2005. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  15. ↑ "De Nouveaux Arrivants chez les Bisounours". Première.fr (in French). Lagardère Group . Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  16. ↑ Sander, Sonia (2005). Product information for The Care Bears' Big Wish. Scholastic. ISBN   978-0439744164.
  17. ↑ Catalogue information for The Care Bears' Big Wish. Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC). OCLC   61680526 – via WorldCat.
  18. 1 2 Sander, Sonia (2005). The Care Bears' Big Wish. Scholastic Press. ISBN   978-0-439-74416-4.
  19. ↑ Marcus, Leonard S.; Milvy, Erica; Kluger, Bruce; Reeks, Anne (November 1, 2005). "Parenting Picks: Best books, music, DVDs/videos, and software". Parenting . 19 (10). Time Inc./Bonnier Group: 231.
  20. ↑ Eberson, Sharon; Mervis, Scott; Rouvalis, Cristina (December 8, 2005). "Formidable fighter; Crowe has another Oscar-worthy turn in 'Cinderella Man'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . p. W-36.
  21. ↑ Henneberg, Sylvia (April 2010). "Moms do badly, but grandmas do worse: The nexus of sexism and ageism in children's classics". Journal of Aging Studies. 24 (2). Elsevier B.V.: 125–134. doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2008.10.003. ISSN   0890-4065.
  22. ↑ Turnevicious, Leonard (May 20, 2010). "A time for song and celebration". The Hamilton Spectator Met Edition. Metroland Media Group Ltd. p. Go 18.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.