When Spring arrives at Jellystone Park, Yogi Bear (Daws Butler) and his sidekick Boo-Boo (Don Messick) awaken from hibernation to once again engage in their usual antics of Yogi flaunting the park rules stealing "pic-a-nic" baskets while Boo-Boo impotently warns Yogi that Ranger Smith (Don Messick) won't like them. Following the latest round of Yogi's capers getting foiled by Ranger Smith, Yogi tries to get the park rules changed by pretending to be fed up with Jellystone and requesting a transfer but Ranger Smith by coincidence has a request for a bear from San Diego Zoo and assigns Yogi. While initially despondent over being transferred to the Zoo, opportunity presents itself as Yogi convinces another bear to go in his place which leaves Yogi ample opportunity to steal food as "The Brown Phantom". When Cindy Bear (Julie Bennett), learns of Yogi's being transferred to San Diego she takes credit for the Brown Phantom thefts in an attempt to get sent to San Diego, but unknowingly is sent to the St. Louis Zoo but is lost along the way after her cage falls off the train and winds up with a pair of unscrupulous circus owners. Yogi eventually learns of Cindy's disappearance and sets out to find her with Boo-Boo.
Hey There It's Yogi Bear! Is a feature film based off the character from the Yogi Bear Show. With the show's success leading to the character becoming ingrained in pop culture zeitgeist through commercials, merchandise, and syndication, Hanna-Barbera parlayed the character's success into a feature film (known as Whistle Your Way Back Home in development) and partnering with Columbia Pictures to release the film. The movie isn't much of stretch from the typical Yogi Bear shenanigans, but it is a step up from the animation quality seen on the show and does feel appropriately grand for a theatrical film.
Much like the TV show, the movie begins with Yogi doing antics that annoy Ranger Smith while Boo-Boo tries to talk him out of doing them. It's more or less the same type of shenanigans that were done on the TV show with Yogi attempting to steal food in various ways by posing as a Food Inspector, using a bow and arrow to swipe food into a shish kabob, or training picnic ants to steal food for him. While it's still the basic Hanna-Barbera animation, it does flow a lot smoother and is more dynamic than what you' see in the more minimalist TV show. In terms of TV-to-film adaptations it does what it should in keeping the characters connected to their original environment but eventually by the halfway point it does stretch away from Jellystone so it ca be a road movie with Yogi, Boo-Boo, and Cindy traveling the country and coming across con artists, trigger happy sheriffs, and an eventual climax in New York City. They're charming enough episodes and make for pleasant viewing with a few funny moments. The movie is also a musical with a number of songs including two from Ray Gilbert ("Like I Like You", "Ven-E, Ven-O, Ven-A") who had previously given audiences the Academy Award winning Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah from Song of the South. Gilbert's songs are very catch and charming, but others such as Ash Can Parade, Whistle Your Way Back Home, or St. Louis aren't especially noteworthy and just feel more like time filler than anything else.
Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! Delivers on what it promises and does a decent job of bringing the picnic basket stealing bear to the big screen. The movie more or less gives you what you expect from the TV show albeit with better animation and a few decent songs.
