Movie Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: John Stocker, Melleny Brown, Chris Wiggins, Billie Mae Richards, Bob Dermer, Dan Hennessey, Jim Henshaw, Luba Goy, Angella Kaye, Terri Hawkes, Marla Lukofsky, Terry Sears, Linda Sorenson, Stevie Vallance, Laurie Waller-Benson, Noam Zylberman
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 1, 1985 – January 1, 1988
DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $20.99
There is no other way to say what I am about to say. I love the Care Bears. I loved the television show. I love the bears. I love the cousins. I love the whole entire lot of them, every single one. Maybe it’s because I am a 80s child that had a ton of Care Bears or maybe it’s just that they are such a happy, loving kind of toy. Whatever it is, I cannot get enough of them. It makes me happy to have a child and nephew because a grown woman fawning over Care Bears might just seem a little bit odd.
The Care-A-Lot Collection features 22 of the best, heartwarming episodes that ever ran in the multiple seasons of the Care Bears television show. If you have children that are new to the show or the bears as a whole, this would be a great way to introduce them to the phenomenon. If you have kids that already love them then this is an absolute must have.
Each episode manages to teach children something about being a good citizen, a good friend, and a better person as a whole. Through the Care Bears children learn about lying, stealing, cheating and how bad those things are. They also learn about how it’s no fun to be lonely, the importance of being a good friend, and caring for the people that you love be it family or friends. There is plenty more to see beyond the life lessons that kids will learn. There is also plenty of action, with the Care Bears needing to defeat the evil villains that don’t want the world to be a caring place.
Before watching this set it had been a long time since I had connected with this television show from the 80s. What I learned by watching it was that I love it as much now as I did then. Care Bears seem to be a timeless thing that will please the children of today and the adults that were children when this franchise hit its first peak. That being said, this is a win-win family show that is bound to please nearly anyone.
The Care Bears: Care-A-Lot Collection Plot
Knowing that many parents are worried about the content that their children watch I have decided to put a brief description of each episode below for your convenience.
“The Birthday”: An unlikely party springs up when Birthday Bear and Lotsa Heart Elephant try and remember whether or not it’s Lotsa Heart’s birthday.
“The Old Man and the Lighthouse”: The Care Bears offer some warnings to some kids that want to play tricks on the old man in the lighthouse because he’s strange and the lighthouse is useless.
“The Cloud Worm”: A cloud worm endangers the Care Bear clouds by eating holes in the clouds to let the sun shine through.
“The Last Laugh”: Cheer Bear tries unsuccessfully to get Grumpy Bear to smile, but when she can’t do it she feels bad about herself.
“The Forest of Misfortune”: A Fortune-Telling Machine is planted by Darkheart and Frostbite in the Forest of Feelings. This machine is played in the forest of feelings to ensure that Good Luck Bear will fall prey to it and the bad guys can cut off the forest from Care-A-Lot.
“Daydreams”: The Care Bear Cousins step in to help Melanie, a girl that has a problem with her daydreaming. The Cousins agree to help her with her daydreams by taking her somewhere enchanted as long as she agrees to try and control the daydreaming once she makes it home.
“Drab City”: The Care Bears land near Drab City, a sad city that is grey and drab. Unsure of what the problem is, a young girl named Jill helps the Care Bears get to the source of everyone’s problem.
“Runaway”: Professor Coldheart needs some kids to power his new machine that strips the forest of everything that is warm and beautiful.
“Soap Box Derby”: Trish and Cathy are entering the soap box derby with a racing machine that is not all that it’s meant to be. However, the Care Bears stop by to give the car an overhaul, while teaching the girls that no matter what, winning isn’t everything.
“Camp”: At Camp, Sanford and Murphy are two bunkmates that are having some problems. One of them is neat and the other is messy, this prompts one of them to consider tossing the friendship out the window.
“Braces”: Joey runs away because he doesn’t want anyone laughing at him and his new braces. This prompts the Care Bears to recruit Roger, a popular kid with braces, to help Joey learn that it’s not the physical things about you that keep your friends.
“Split Decision”: Carl isn’t sure he wants to be friends with Maria anymore when he gets stuck playing baseball in the outfield and Maria is picked to be the pitcher.
“The Magic Shop”: The world begins to become an uncaring place to be when Coldheart makes a machine that makes people not care. When Tenderheart tries to stop Coldheart and his machine, Tenderheart is hit and becomes uncaring, too.
“Magic Mirror”: The team of Coldheart and Auntie Freeze attempt to use a magic mirror on the Care Bears and the Cousins. The reason they want to use the mirror on the Care Bears is because when they look into the mirror they will become the exact opposite from what they really are.
“The Night the Stars Went Out”: Maestro begins playing his violin and when he does, the Star Buddies collect in a pickle jar. With the Star Buddies gone, serious rain begins to fall. The Care Bears need to make Maestro see that the Star Buddies need to be there for everyone.
“The Lucky Charm”: Jinx Jacobs begins to believe that she is bad luck to anyone that comes near her. The Care Bears try to help by giving her a good luck charm.
“The Show Must Go On”: Patti runs away because her father misses her ballet performance. The Care Bears and the Cousin split up on this one to make sure they find Patti and find her father to make sure that he arrives at the show to see his daughter.
“Concrete Rain”: Coldheart’s newest plan is to cover the world with cement. Suzy becomes his unknowing helper because she cannot help but wish the world had more cement so she could skate in more places.
“The Girl Who Cried Wolf”: Young Susan does not understand how dangerous fibbing can be. She calls false alarms to the firemen and does not listen to her father who warns against such behavior. When she tells her friends about a treasure chest, her friends become trapped and the Care Bears need to come to the rescue.
“Dry Spell”: Joey and Elaine become upset when a dry spell prevents them from playing in the water. Share Bear tries to come to the rescue, but the three end up falling in a hole, which leads to a cave.
“Mayor For A Day”: Coldheart gets elected as Abbotsville’s Mayor for a Day. In that day he gets rid of all rules and allows everyone to be mean. The city goes downhill fast when people start being mean to everyone and no one takes care of the town.
“Wedding Bells”: Coldheart convinces the Care Bears that he is a changed man when he prepares for a wedding with Auntie Freeze. The two want to have a wedding reception in Care-A-Lot.
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Replayability:
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Audio/Visual:
For a show in the 80s, the Care-A-Lot Collection looks pretty decent overall. There is that occasional bout of grain and noise, but this is a show that’s over 20 years. If you love 80s cartoons you will like the bright colors and the retro feel. The DVDs offer a 1.33:1 aspect ratio in full screen mode. While it would be nice to eventually see a more refined, remastered look, I don’t have any significant complaints about this transfer.
The audio is pretty standard in English and Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo. Things sound about the way I remember them back in the day. No volume toggling was needed and though it was not overly dynamic, I had no issues with the sound. It was basic, but it works for a children’s show. Closed Captioning is available, as is Subtitles in both English and Spanish.
Visual:
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Bonus Features:
This Care Bears Collection is free of bonus features. That is too bad because I am sure that they could have come up with something suitable. Unfortunately they decided to put nothing at all.
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Bottom Line:
Care Bears Care-A-Lot Collection is the perfect gift for your child. It’s entertaining for the whole family and children love it. There is also the added benefit that has kids learning important lessons from their favorite characters. You really can’t go wrong with Care Bears for the little ones. This is a great set and if you don’t have it, I highly recommend picking it up.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: John Stocker, Melleny Brown, Chris Wiggins, Billie Mae Richards, Bob Dermer, Dan Hennessey, Care Bears, Cheer Bear, Tenderheart Lion, Caring, Sharing, Kids, Children, 80s Cartoon, TV on DVD, DVD Box Set Review
Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.
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