Yogi's Great Escape

Last updated
Yogi's Great Escape
Written byNeal Barbera
Story bySteven Banks (artist)
Directed byBob Goe
Paul Sommer
Rudy Zamora
Voices of Daws Butler
Don Messick
Frank Welker
Allan Melvin
Scott Menville
Susan Blu
Hamilton Camp
Eden Gross
Josh Rodine
Dustin Diamond
Pat Fraley
Tress MacNeille
Music by Sven Libaek
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
ProducerKay Wright
Running time93 minutes
Production company Hanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
Network Syndication
ReleaseSeptember 20, 1987 (1987-09-20) [1]

Yogi's Great Escape is a 1987 animated made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera as part of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series. [2] The two-hour film aired in syndication. [3]

Contents

Plot

One spring, Yogi and Boo-Boo Bear awake from hibernation to discover three orphaned bear cubs named Bopper, Buzzy, and Bitsy left at the front door of their cave. Despite their initial reservations, Yogi and Boo Boo take the bear cubs into their home and take care of them.

Meanwhile, Jellystone Park has gone over budget and the park commissioner orders Ranger Smith to close it down. This means that Yogi, along with the other bears at the park, must be sent to a zoo. Because Yogi can't stand the thought of being cooped up in a zoo for the rest of his life, he hatches an elaborate escape plan. Salvaging car parts from a failed fishing expedition, he constructs a getaway "Supercar," complete with a picnic basket rumble seat for the three orphaned cubs. Together they make their escape from the park to find a new home.

After Ranger Smith initially fails to capture Yogi, he hires a professional trapper named Trapper and his hound Yapper. However, it turns out that Trapper and Yapper are more of a hindrance to Ranger Smith's efforts rather than a help. Yogi and his friends go through several adventures along their journey. Their first stop is at a watermelon patch. After eating their fill of watermelons, the bears retire to a seemingly abandoned tree house. It turns out to be the secret clubhouse of the Bike Brigade, three boys who ride bicycles and operate a shortwave radio. When the boys return, they believe the bears are alien invaders and attack them with their squirt guns. After Yogi surrenders, they recognize him and decide to help him in his escape. Using their radio, the boys call ahead to their cohorts in other clubs around the country to watch for Yogi and help him in his getaway.

Next they find themselves in a western ghost town. Apparently the only remaining resident is the sheriff, Quick Draw McGraw, who mistakes Yogi and Boo Boo for bank robbers Bandit Bear and Li'l Brother Bear and throws them in jail (since Quick Draw didn't know it was Yogi and Boo Boo after only identifying them by their appearances instead of their voices) along with the three cubs. The Lone Raiders, another club in league with the Bike Brigade, help spring Yogi from jail and capture the real robbers, who turn out to be close look-alikes to Yogi and Boo Boo.

Yogi and his friends then find themselves on the bayou. Wally Gator, another zoo fugitive, inhabits a spooky steamboat, complete with ghostly illusions intended to scare away zookeepers. He takes in Yogi and his friends and serves them a fabulous dinner. When Ranger Smith, Trapper, and Yapper show up, Wally and the bears attempt to scare them away. However, the sudden appearance of a real ghost makes everyone run for their lives. While the anonymous ghost pursues the hunters, Yogi and his friends are rescued by another club, the Swamp Foxes.

The Supercar next stops at a carnival where the bears meet up with Yogi's old friend Snagglepuss. Snagglepuss hides the bears from Ranger Smith by disguising them in his stage show of Egyptian dancers. When Ranger Smith sees through the disguises, the bears escape to a hot air balloon and take off.

As the balloon floats across the country, Ranger Smith and his cohorts follow in hot pursuit. After the Trapper and Yapper attempt to grapple the balloon from the top of Mount Rushmore, they fall and are not seen again. The balloon finally snags on the antenna of the Empire State Building in a dense fog. Ranger Smith approaches the balloon in a helicopter and hands Yogi a telephone; the President of the United States tells Yogi that he is not going to let Jellystone Park close after all, and that Yogi and his friends may return to their home.

Cast

Computer game

A platform video game based on the movie was released in 1990. It consists of six levels where Yogi has to dodge dogs, hunters, and Ranger Smith. It was published by Hi-Tec Software.

Home media

Yogi's Great Escape was released on VHS by Worldvision Home Video on November 19, 1987.

On December 7, 2010, Warner Bros. released Yogi's Great Escape on DVD in NTSC picture format with all region encoding, via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. [4]

The film was released on Blu-ray as part of a Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 boxset through Warner Archive on February 20, 2024. [5] The film was remastered in HD.

Related Research Articles

Scott Innes is an American voice actor, author, songwriter and radio personality. He is best known for his voice over work in various Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera animated films, television shows, video games and commercials, most notably as Scooby-Doo, Shaggy Rogers, Scrappy-Doo, Popeye the Sailor, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Foghorn Leghorn, Muttley, Bugs Bunny, Yogi Bear and Captain Caveman. He has also provided the voice of Fred Jones, Boo-Boo Bear, Snagglepuss, Papa Smurf, Elroy Jetson, Astro, Quick Draw McGraw, Baba Looey, Elmer Fudd, Spike Bulldog and Ranger Smith in various commercials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snagglepuss</span> Hanna-Barbera cartoon character

Snagglepuss is a fictional cartoon character who debuted in prototype form on The Quick Draw McGraw Show in 1959 and was established as a studio regular by 1961. A light pink anthropomorphic puma sporting an upturned collar, shirt cuffs, and bow tie, Snagglepuss enjoys the finer things in life and shows a particular affinity for the theatre. His stories routinely break the fourth wall as the character addresses the audience in self-narration, soliloquy, and asides. As originally voiced by Daws Butler, Snagglepuss seeks quasi-Shakespearean turns of phrase. Some of his campy verbal mannerisms became catchphrases: "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", "Exit, stage left!", and using emphatic "even" at the end of sentences.

<i>The Funky Phantom</i> Australian animated television series

The Funky Phantom is a Saturday morning animated television series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, in association with Australian production company Air Programs International for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The show was a clone of Hanna-Barbera's popular Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, with a trio of teenage detectives driving around the country and solving crimes. In this case, the "Scooby-Doo" role was taken by a Revolutionary War-era ghost, voiced by Daws Butler in a manner almost identical to that of Snagglepuss.

<i>Yo Yogi!</i> American animated television series

Yo Yogi! is an American animated television series, and the seventh entry in the Yogi Bear franchise, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired from September 14 to December 7, 1991, on NBC for 13 episodes.

<i>Hey There, Its Yogi Bear!</i> 1964 film by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! is a 1964 American animated musical comedy film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. The film stars the voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, Julie Bennett, Mel Blanc, and J. Pat O'Malley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Bear</span> Fictional cartoon character

Cindy Bear is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. She is one of the primary supporting characters of the Yogi Bear franchise as well as a regular in the stable of frequently appearing Hanna-Barbera animated personalities. Cindy was originally portrayed by voice actress Julie Bennett, who reprised the part for most of the character's appearances from the 1960s through the 1980s.

<i>Caspers First Christmas</i> 1979 American Christmas animated TV special

Casper's First Christmas is a 1979 American animated Christmas television special and crossover produced by Hanna-Barbera. It features Casper the Friendly Ghost and his friend Hairy Scarey from the animated series Casper and the Angels. The special features guest stars Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, and Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. It aired on NBC on December 18, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranger Smith</span> Hanna-Barbera cartoon character

John Francis Smith, more commonly referred to as Ranger Smith, is a fictional park ranger first appearing in the 1958 Yogi Bear cartoon series. The character is Yogi's main antagonist, and appears in other Yogi Bear series, including Yogi's Gang (1973), Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985), and Yo Yogi! (1991), as well as the 2010 live-action Yogi Bear film. The cartoon character has been primarily voiced by Don Messick and Greg Burson.

<i>The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound</i> 1988 animated Western TV film

The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound is a 1988 animated Western television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series. This film marks the final time Daws Butler voiced Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey, Snagglepuss, Hokey Wolf, and Peter Potamus, as he died a couple weeks after its telecast from a heart attack.

<i>Yogis First Christmas</i> 1980 American animated musical television film

Yogi's First Christmas is a 1980 American animated musical television film starring Yogi Bear and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It first aired in syndication through Operation Prime Time on November 22, 1980. Throughout the 1980s, it was offered to U.S. television stations split up one episode per day for four days as a one-week strip syndicated program, generally during the week of Christmas. The film was written by Willie Gilbert and directed by Ray Patterson.

Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears is a 1988 animated made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series. This Hanna-Barbera production was the last to feature Daws Butler as the voice of Yogi Bear and Julie Bennett as Cindy Bear. Yogi and Boo-Boo go on an out-of-this-world voyage. When they are kidnapped by spacemen, the duo are cloned, and the clone bears soon invade Jellystone Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boo-Boo Bear</span> American animated television and film character

Boo-Boo Bear is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character on The Yogi Bear Show. Boo-Boo is a shorter anthropomorphic bear who wears a blue bowtie. Boo-Boo is Yogi Bear's constant companion, and often acts as his conscience. He tries to keep Yogi from doing things he should not do, and also to keep Yogi from getting into trouble with Ranger Smith – often saying, "Mr. Ranger isn't gonna like this, Yogi." It is not readily apparent whether Boo-Boo is a juvenile bear with a precocious intellect, or simply an adult bear who is short of stature.

<i>Yogis Ark Lark</i> 1972 American animated television special

Yogi's Ark Lark is a 1972 American animated television special produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, intended to raise ecological awareness. Written by Bob Ogle and Dick Robbins and directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, it was broadcast on ABC on September 16, 1972, as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie and served as the two-part episode for Yogi's Gang.

<i>Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose</i> 1987 American TV series or program

Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose is a 1987 animated made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera as part of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series. This film aired in syndication.

William Callaway is an American retired voice actor. He is also known as Bill Callaway and Bill Calloway. He is known for playing Aquaman in Super Friends.

<i>Yogi Bears All Star Comedy Christmas Caper</i> 1982 American animated Christmas television special

Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper is a 1982 American animated Christmas television special starring Yogi Bear. It is the third and final Yogi Christmas special. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, it first aired on December 21, 1982 on CBS. Along with Yogi's traditional cast, the characters also met up with many other Hanna-Barbera characters, including Magilla Gorilla and Fred Flintstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huckleberry Hound</span> American animated television character

Huckleberry "Huck" Hound is a fictional cartoon character, a blue anthropomorphic coonhound dog that speaks with a North Carolina Southern drawl. He first appeared in the series The Huckleberry Hound Show. The cartoon was one of six TV shows to win an Emmy Award in 1960 as an "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming"; the first animated series to receive such an award.

The Yogi Bear Show is an American comedy animated television series, and the first entry of the Yogi Bear franchise, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. A spin-off of The Huckleberry Hound Show, the show centers on the adventures of forest-dwelling Yogi Bear in Jellystone Park. The show debuted in syndication on January 30, 1961, and ran for 33 episodes until January 6, 1962. Two other segments for the show were Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle. The show had a two-year production run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogi Bear</span> American animated television and film character

Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows, and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show.

<i>Laff-A-Lympics</i> American animated television series

Laff-A-Lympics is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, which consists of 24 episodes, on ABC on September 10, 1977. The show is a spoof of the Olympics and the ABC primetime series Battle of the Network Stars, which debuted one year earlier. It featured 45 Hanna-Barbera characters organized into teams which competed each week for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In each episode, the Really Rottens would try in each event to cheat only to get caught by Snagglepuss each time. One season of 16 episodes was produced in 1977–78, and eight new episodes combined with reruns for the 1978–79 season as Scooby's All-Stars. Unlike most cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, Laff-A-Lympics did not contain a laugh track. Scooby’s Laff-a-Lympics was originally owned by Taft Broadcasting; Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution currently owns the series through its two in-name-only units, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment and Turner Entertainment.

References

  1. ↑ "Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on September 20, 1987 · Page 313". 20 September 1987.
  2. ↑ Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 69. ISBN   978-0670829781 . Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 350. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Yogi Bear Show DVD news: Yogi's Great Escape and Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose and Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  5. ↑ "Hanna-Barbera's Superstars 10: The Complete Film Collection Blu-ray (Yogi's Great Escape / Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers / The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones / Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose / Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats / The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound / Rockin' with Judy Jetson / Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School / Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf / Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears | Warner Archive Collection)".
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.