CAUTION: CONTAINS SPOILERS
It’s Yogi’s birthday, and Ranger Smith has promised to throw him the biggest and bestest, ‘Not Your Average Bear’ celebration. To make Yogi’s party extra special, Ranger Smith has even promised to be the official party clown. But days before the party Ranger Smith gets a call from his boss, The Supreme Commissioner. Smokey the Bear is coming to Jellystone Park to do a forest fire safety demonstration and he is asking Ranger Smith to supervise. This visit is so important that the Supreme Commissioner even promises to give Ranger Smith a promotion to Chief Ranger if everything goes off without a hitch. Ranger Smith is beside himself! This is the promotion he has been working towards for years…but there is one problem, it’s on the same day as Yogi’s birthday celebration.
On the actual day, Ranger Smith tries to do the impossible and hosts both events at the same time without anyone noticing. But as the film progresses it’s a downhill affair with a massive crash landing when Yogi catches Ranger Smith lighting the birthday cake candles in a Sparky the Fire Dog costume. Yogi storms out of the cabin and Ranger Smith chases after him leaving the cake and lit candles unattended. After searching for Yogi to no avail Ranger Smith returns to his cabin only to find it on fire and with the party guests trapped inside. Luckily Smokey is already there and with Yogi’s help the fire is quickly extinguished and everyone is saved!
Aside from the near-death experience for Yogi’s party guests, generally, this film was enjoyable to watch. The juxtaposition of a serious and grownup Smokey Bear versus a playful and kid-like Yogi Bear was whimsical and amusing. Putting Ranger Smith in a parent-like role with a “work-life balance” situation was all too relatable to any parent in the audience who has ever had to take a work call during family dinner or their kid’s soccer game. The ridiculousness of this scene was even more enjoyable because of the obvious nod to Mrs. Doubtfire and her restaurant scene. This part of the film worked because it was done in a way that paid homage to the beloved original rather than being a straight up rip-off. The rest of the cast, on the other hand, comes off very flat and one dimensional. These characters are just relevant enough to move the story along from scene to scene and because of this, the film ends up feeling more like an extended episode of the classic Yogi Bear cartoon rather than a proper theatrical film.
As for the film’s message, it is ‘all-ages’ friendly. There is nothing cryptic or complex for the audience to decipher. Friendship, honesty, and understanding have been broken down to their most basic forms such that even the youngest member of the audience can enjoy. If Ranger Smith had been honest with Yogi from the start, Yogi’s feelings would have not gotten hurt, he would not have run away, and ultimately the ranger cabin would not have caught on fire. For the parents in the audience, the lesson also teaches that trying to do everything all alone is an impossible task that can end up causing more harm than good. For such a simple film, the third act does deliver on suspense and emotion bringing the whole story to an epic climax.
At only sixty-five minutes long, one would expect the story to fly by. However, in that short amount of time, this film tugs at the heartstrings of parents with a beautiful nostalgic look through Yogi and friends, introduces a new generation of children to Smokey the Bear, and teaches audiences several important lessons that hold true in both a fantasy world, with anthropomorphic animals, and in real life. Because of all of these good aspects, this film has earned a rating of (3) out of 4 fire extinguishers on the fire prevention scale.
Disclaimer: This film was funded in part by the National Wildfire Protection Association
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Heissell Ramirez is originally from a small town in Nicaragua and moved to the United States at the age of 6. She is a TV and Film media professional of over 17 years. Ramirez started writing during the COVID-19 lockdown as a way to cope with the madness.
Her previous works have been previously published in Writing in a Woman’s Voice and The Gorko Gazette.
Artwork created by Heissell Ramirez
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