Loved Yogi Bear as a child, and still have a soft spot for it now. It is a funny and charming show with appealing, funny and smart humour and likable characters, plus the characters are well voiced.
'Yogi's First Christmas' is entertaining and charming with enough of what makes me like Yogi Bear in the first place and what makes me love Christmas. As far as Yogi Bear television specials/films go, 'Yogi's First Christmas' generally is among the better ones (the only bad one of the ones seen is 'Yogi's Great Escape'), though with its limitations.
The limitations are particularly apparent in some of the animation. Some very nice vibrant colours and some details are well done, but generally the drawing lacks finesse and the backgrounds are a bit sparse and incomplete. Would have toned down the sound effects and the music is too 80s, pretty cheap and doesn't fit.
Also felt that the villains didn't add an awful lot and the conflict convolutes the story a little, a shame because the story was fine as it was elsewhere.
On the other hand, there is a lot of amusing writing that is true in spirit to the Yogi Bear show and what made it so appealing in the first place. A lot of the lines have a little corn but will garner several laughs and even more smiles. There is a real sense of fun and nostalgia, it's heart-warming and has a festive charm.
As said, there are some nice colours that elevates the animation to a slightly better level. 'Yogi's First Christmas' is never dull, pretty lively actually, and it is hard not to feel warm, cosy, amused and touched seeing the story unfold and the characters interact. The spirit of Christmas is evoked perfectly.
Characters mostly are great, with Yogi and Boo Boo likable characters. The voice acting is very good, with Daws Butler giving a bravura performance in multiple roles.
In summary, not quite magical but fun. Die-hard fans will like it and so would those not demanding too much. 7/10 Bethany Cox
