DVD Review: Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures
Filed under: — Cartoon, DVD
Written by: Dominick at 4:14 PM
Produced by: DIC Entertainment
Cast: Ashleigh Ball, Ian James Corlett, Richard Ian Cox, Scott McNeil, Tracey Moore, Tabitha St. Germain, Mark Oliver
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: February 5, 2008
I grew up with the original Care Bears television show. I was between 4 and 5 years old when it first aired on television; the perfect age to enjoy the Care Bears. Now, it’s fun to see a new generation of children getting excited about the Care Bears, both the toys and the TV show; the way I was when I was there age. My son had Care Bears when he was little and our nephew, Lil B, who is three years old, loves the Care Bears now. It’s hard not to like those adorable little bears with the message to care, share and love. The world could use more cartoons like the Care Bears.
When I heard CBS would be airing a new Care Bears cartoon on their Saturday morning lineup, I was concerned. I am not big into the whole CGI craze. Having seen what was done to make the Care Bears CGI on one of the recently released Care Bears DVD, I was hoping that CBS wouldn’t be making the new series CGI. I was in luck, because while the look of the new Care Bears show was updated, it wasn’t done so maliciously or carelessly.
To support the re-vamping of the Care Bears dolls, the Care Bears cartoon slims the Care Bears down and makes them more colorful. I don’t usually agree with making a cartoon thin (due to the whole insensitivity weight issue), but I don’t believe this was done because of their weight. They’re just bears, and they’re still kind of chubby anyway.
The Care Bears still have their round little tummies and chubby-cheeked heads. With today’s technology, the colors of the Care Bears allow them to be more vibrant. The Care Bears even introduce a few new characters though I’m not sure how I like all of them. When it comes to some traditions, I like the old series, even if it isn’t as colorful or high tech. Still, I was more impressed than I thought I’d be, plus the kids really seem to love the new series, so who am I to complain?
Release Information:
I’m from the class of old school Care Bears watchers. The original Care Bears series first aired in 1985. This is the year The Care Bears Movie was released. From there, other videos were released about this lovable bunch of bears. On September 5, 2007, a new, enhanced, Care Bears series, Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot premiered during the CBS Saturday morning lineup. The series is still running today. Around the same time, the new Care Bears movie, The Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! debuted.
Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures features two, yet to be aired shows from the Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot Series. With 45 minutes of Care Bears fun included on this DVD, 20th Century Fox released this set on February 5, 2008. The Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures DVD is available through your major local retailers and online. At Amazon, it costs $12.99 USD.
The Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures Plot
Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures is actually a lot better looking than I anticipated it would be. The new Care Bears are pretty darn cute and more compact than the wider Care Bears of the past. They remind me of the small Care Bear dolls that are now available. When I was little, my Care Bear was nearly as big as I was! The colors of the Care Bears seem to be more vibrant in this set than in past DVD releases.
There are only two episodes on this disc. This was the most disappointing thing of all. While kids of nearly all ages can appreciate the Care Bears (and adults, too) it is going to be the preschool and early elementary school age groups that are going to be most likely to enjoy Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures. The two episodes that are included on this DVD are entitled, “Broken” and “Emma’s Dilemma”. Here is a brief synopsis of each of the episodes.
“Broken” – In this episode, the Care Bears have befriended the former robot of Grizzle (the new Care Bear enemy introduced in Oopsy Does It!), Wingnut. Under the caring and sharing Care Bears’ tutelage, Wingnut has flourished. Share Bear is assigned the task of teaching Wingnut about sharing. When Wingnut malfunctions, Share has to come to terms with her own ability to share since the only piece that is the perfect fit to fix Wingnut belongs on a very special necklace Share wears.
In the meantime, Grizzle (think of a bear that has a head that looks like Teddy Ruxpin or a Gummi Bear and put that on the body of the Terminator) has decided that he wants to ruin the Care Bears and the fun they have so he’ll do anything to harm them. As Share struggles with sharing, she considers asking Grizzle to help fix Wingnut, but at what cost?
“Emma’s Dilemma” – A young Latina girl, Emma wants to play with her brother and his friends, but they exclude her. With her caring meter low, the Care Bears go off to help her. In Care-a-Lot, none of the Care Bears can find any of their most important things. Share and Amigo Bear bring Emma back to help them find the objects. Unable to find the objects, Emma believes she isn’t good at helping or doing anything at all.
Just then, Grizzle manages to zap Emma from Care-a-Lot to his nearby, evil cloud home. He wants to find out what is inside a Care Bear that makes them so special. When the Care Bears show up to save Emma, Grizzle has all the Care Bears he could want for his experiment and then some. While the result he seeks cannot be found, the Care Bears and Emma plan their escape.
Both episodes were fun. I thought Emma was a bit of a spoiled brat in the beginning, but she warmed up on me later in the episode. The one character I couldn’t stand was Grizzle. Beastly, and Noheart were much better Care Bear villains. I especially loved Beastly. He was bumbling and funny. Grizzle isn’t funny or evil. He has a British-sounding, wannabe evil voice, with a head that doesn’t fit his body. He was the big disappointment on this DVD for me. Let’s hope they decide to bring back the old villains in future episodes of the show.
Other than not liking Grizzle, which kids may like, especially those who never got to enjoy Beastly, Noheart of Shreeky, I enjoyed these episodes. The new Care Bears really aren’t that bad. Sure, they aren’t the retro Care Bears of my youth, but I can admit I’m willing to be hip to the times and enjoy the new offerings, especially since the kids seem to enjoy them so much.
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Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The visual quality is strong for both episodes that are included on the Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures DVD. Colors are sharp. The animation is top notch. There aren’t any issues of color fading, bleeding, or smearing. There isn’t any problem with the animation that is visible to the average watcher. Transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, this is as good as it gets for the Care Bears.
The audio is available in either Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound or Dolby Digital stereo. I preferred the 5.1 sound because everything was so rich; a delight to the ears. Subtitles are available and optional in English and Spanish. The sound was clear and no audio volume adjustments were needed. It was just the kind of sound I like to hear.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There is only one bonus feature included on the Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures disc. It’s called Watch and Read. Basically, with this function enable, as words are said during the episodes, they are displayed and highlighted on the screen. This gives kids the chance to read along and is especially good for beginning readers.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures isn’t the old 80s Care Bears fare. It’s a hip, new, recreated version of those chubby little bears we all know and love. Parents who grew up with Care Bears will love sharing this DVD with their kids. Children will love the stories and adventures of their favorite rainbow colored bears. Even Grandparents, who remember fondly when their children were in love with the first set of Care Bears will find these bears adorable and worth watching. This DVD is recommended for everyone.
Overall Rating: 
Technorati Tags: Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures, 20th Century Fox, DVD Review, Toys, Cartoons, The Care Bears, Hallmark
Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
