If there were an award for the incessant frenzy in a movie, “Boonie Bears to the Rescue” (aka Bears and Lola, 2014) would be the absolute winner in the category. Born from the popular animated TV series about the bear brothers Briar (Rick jay Glen) and Bramble (Justin J. Wheeler) that had been sold internationally to approximately 80 countries, the first of the five Boonie Bears stories (two were previously made for television: “Homeward Journey” in 2013 and “Robo-Rumble” in 2014) has reached the cult status in China, paving the way for its successful sequels: “Mystical Winter” (2015), “The Big Top Secret” (2016), “Entangled Worlds“ (2017), “The Big Shrink” (2018) and the most recent installment of the franchise – “Boonie Bears: Blast Into the Past” which grossed 106 million dollars over Chinese New Year only. The latter is planned to have its theatrical release in Russia, Turkey and a couple of countries in Asia (so far Vietnam, South Korea and Cambodia). Additionally, Sony has secured all rights until 2020, except for the Latin American countries.
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The feature animation “Boonie Bears to the Rescue” directed by Ding Liang and co-directed by Fuyuan Liu, comes in focus again with its release on DVD (together with the “Homeward Journey”) in December, and it will also become available as VOD on all platforms of relevance. Its sudden resurrection comes from the success of the TV series and the Chinese Fantawild Animation's realization of the grossing potential on foreign markets. Considering the hype around it, it is possible that other films from the franchise will also be internationally released in the near future.
“Boonie Bears to the Rescue” is an entertaining watch regardless uneven dynamics and its giddy protagonists who shout their lines throughout the film. Although such approach isn't uncommon in popular films for smaller kids who find joy in direct, over-the-top humour and exaggerated behaviour, a bit of emotional balance and abundantly clearer roles would have only benefited the narrative. Almost all characters are erratic except the bears, and the English language dubbing shows strange choices of accents in terms of discrepancies between the names, their background and the pronunciation. That detail will admittedly disturb only an adult or two.
Action-laden is only the final half an hour of the film, contradicting the hectic talk that spans over the full duration of “Boonie Bears to the Rescue”. As many as 14 writers are listed in the film's credits, proving the old proverb “too many cooks spoil the broth” true. What's consistent in quality is the impressive animation which doesn't leg behind the popular Pixar, DreamWork and Disney theatrical animated features.
The film introduces Lola, a toddler kidnapped by her greedy brother Ted Marshal Jr. (Rick Jay Glen) who's after the inheritance their father left to the orphanage she was adopted from. When the kidnappers' suitcase gets accidentally swapped by the identically looking one belonging to Logger Vick (also Rick Jay Glen who's the voice of nine different characters in the movie), the chase for Lola begins, at least theoretically because there is not much going on for a while. Lola makes an immediate impact on her environment, turning the long-time enemies Vic and Boonie Bears into accomplices. Their previous fights get forgotten, as if Vic never jeopardized the ecosystem of the wood by cutting and selling trees.
The plot starts with the passing of the Australian billionaire Ted Marshal who left his entire fortune to the Sydney orphanage. His biological son believes the girl is his key to find the hidden treasure in a safe that only her palm print can open. Ted Marshal Jr. is a baddy from the manual on foes, painted in the manner of a morally corrupt and greedy person on the position of power. His character is well-developed and leans on the long tradition of ultimate baddies in fairytales and children movies.
The final battle between the heroes and the agents of evil is an eye candy for kids, and it compensates for the previous almost total absence of action. As the story culminates in crescendo of fast-pacing scenes of chase and escape, the film gets its satisfying ending.
