We Baby Bears reminds me of an underrated show from the mid-2000's called "All Grown Up!" To showcase how really old I really am, it's a spin-off of Rugrats that imagines the cast as pre-teen kids. While I had good memories of watching the show, All Grown Up wouldn't ever top it's predecessor. And that reflects perfectly on how I feel about We Baby Bears.
We Baby Bears is an inverse of that concept. Instead of following the Bears as adults, they are now orphaned babies who is looking for a home via a Star-touched cardboard box that can traverse time and space. High jinx to follow.
For some positives, the Baby Bears are probably the best part of this show. They're insanely cute, expressive, and their designs translate very well within the Western-Eastern hybrid art style. The child actors playing the trio are actually really good in their roles, which is a rare feat on its own. The backgrounds are gorgeous, some shots taking a page out of Steven Universe's color palette. The fantastical worlds they visit have unique concepts (like a world of vegetable people based loosely on Arthurian legend), and WbB have interesting ideas...with clumsy execution.
Despite the limitless potential of the ideas WbB introduces, the series itself feels constrained and formulaic. The worlds the Bears explore have cool concepts, but are hindered by the short runtime. As such, a lot of the episodes half-reach their potential, and feel predictable or badly rushed at points. And while I love the art style for the Bears, some of the designs of the characters they encounter can be jarring and out-of-place.
Yet despite these issues, I still slightly recommend this show. Just go with expectations that We Baby Bears is not going to overshadow it's seasoned predecessor.
