Yogi Bear, larger-than-life in 3D

Posted by Sai

Yogi Bear

Shot entirely in 3D with the latest generation and ultimate system of stereo photography, Warner Bros.' new adventure comedy “Yogi Bear” delivers this blend of elements in a way, director Eric Brevig declares, “audiences have not seen before.

“This level of technology didn’t exist a year ago,” Brevig adds. “The resolution, crispness and detail we can capture with the new 3D cameras is excellent. We took this camera system into places it has never been: into the treetops and down white water rapids. We flew it from a construction crane 200 feet above the forest to get Yogi’s point of view from his makeshift glider as he swoops down to grab a picnic basket, and everyone comes along for the ride.”

In the film, Yogi and his sidekick Boo Boo exist as fully animated CG characters and interact with a human cast in the largely live-action movie. The intention, Brevig offers, was to present “a Yogi and Boo Boo who appear almost as physically real as the actors, with twinkling eyes and wet noses and all the warmth and subtleties, rather than as mere cartoon images. I wanted them to be living, breathing, fully dimensional beings.”

“The technique has gotten so sophisticated and refined, we thought, ‘Let’s take all the visual opportunities this story offers—the action and the comedy, this beautiful setting with all its depth and huge vistas—and take it up a notch. Make people feel as though they’re really inside Jellystone Park,’” says producer Donald De Line.

Brevig, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2008 hit family adventure “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D,” has a wealth of experience in visual effects, working for the past 20 years alongside some of the most influential filmmakers in the industry and earning, among other honors, a Special Achievement Oscar® for his artistry on “Total Recall.” Working in 3D is second nature to him. Still, he emphasizes, “We never want the technology to get in the way. What matters is making these characters real and engaging, and telling a story.”

Yogi Bear and Boo boo

And the stakes have never been higher for Yogi and Boo Boo. It’s more than Yogi’s latest pic-a-nic basket caper that’s giving Ranger Smith a headache: it’s the fate of the park itself. Corrupt Mayor Brown has been squandering the city’s cash and now plans to cover his financial indiscretions and bankroll his bid for the governor’s office by selling Jellystone to loggers for a nice fat check. This means foreclosing on Yogi and Boo Boo’s “Cave, Sweet Cave” and displacing all their animal friends, not to mention Ranger Smith, while depriving local families of the unspoiled beauty the park provides.

It’s enough to make a bear lose his appetite. For a minute.

The good news is that saving Jellystone Park will showcase every bit of Yogi’s bold inventiveness, style and derring-do, not to mention a healthy dose of self-promotion, as well as Boo Boo’s characteristic charm, good humor and keen eye for damage control. Together they will face this new challenge like they live every day of their lives: as a team.

“What I’ve always liked about Yogi is that he’s both a physical and poetic comedian, which makes him perfect for movie stardom,” says Brad Copeland, one of the “Yogi Bear” screenwriters and another longtime fan. “He can be funny whether smacking into a tree or delivering a punch line.”

“Yogi Bear,” the movie, gives him ample opportunity for both.

Opening across the Philippines on Jan. 26, in Digital 3D and regular format, “Yogi Bear” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.