China's biggest animation series is back with another sequel, and this time it is… not quite out of this world. Despite Lin Huida's “Boonie Bears: Back To Earth” meteoric impact – marking history as the highest grossing animated film for Lunar Day Weekend in China at 563mil RMB and the highest grossing Boonie Bears film in the US at 152mil USD – it fails to stand out as its own product. This highly-polished cry for the power of friendship feels a little too familiar – making it no more than a spectacle for fluffy entertainment.
The 3D animated film begins with the carefree protagonist of the series, a bear named Bramble (Joseph S Lambert). He dreams of grandeur; however, he is often too lazy to actually execute them. This changes, though, after he accidentally syncs his brain with a mysterious object from the sky. It turns out that this object was the key to a cube-shaped spaceship owned by a six-eared cat-like extraterrestrial named Avi (Sara Seccora). After much infighting, Bramble and Avi bond as they try to collect more spaceship parts. Their simple journey blows to epic proportions, however, as an evil weapons company seeks to take hold of a spaceship part that could destroy the world.
Visually, Lin Huida performs an impressive job directing. Most character designs are delightfully varied; side characters seem to receive as much attention as the protagonists. (This, of course, does not apply to the one “beautiful” villainess, who looks like an alarmingly thin rendition of a Jin Kim design.) On this note, “Boonie Bears” is beautifully rendered; the many furry animals provide no problem for the well-funded Fantawild Animation. Furthermore, it is clear that Huida is extremely deliberate about his film's pacing. He weaves elements of character development, comedy, and drama into his big-picture story arc.
The problem is, however, Huida's story structure feels too transparent. Aside from the quirky character variables, the film feels too formulaic. Of course the tough guy's weak spot is his family. Of course, like so many shonen anime, the underestimated protagonist would save the planet. Of course there should be an obligatory musical sequence, and in the heart of the villain's lair at that. Of course, like Uncle Ben in the Spiderman franchise, a family figure would encourage and warn the protagonist of his newfound powers. This, in addition to the many story developments that follow, feel a bit too familiar. Instead of a unique addition to the Boonie Bears franchise, “Back to Earth” just reads like a rehashing of the many films that came before it.
In this vein, Huida seems a tad too keen to cater to a sense of “universal” taste. In addition to the many Chinese-specific elements, references to American and Japanese franchises are many in number. Avi feels like a combination of Puss from Shrek 2 (2004) and Stitch from Lilo and Stitch (2002); Bramble's spaceship sync reads like a Japanese mecha. Huida pays homage to Bugs Bunny as well, dressing Bramble in Marilyn Monroe-like drag to fool the townspeople. As a result, the film is legible to Western audiences – but perhaps too much so. On the bright side, at least the script localization is impressive. Voice actors Lambert and Seccora have done a remarkable job with lip syncing their characters, making their performances believable in the dub.
At the end of the day, however, perhaps this review is too harsh. “Back to Earth” is not an auteur film by any means; it marks only one more cash-grab in a very successful series. Huida's film seeks to entertain, and indeed, it delivers. Though it is not quite as melodramatic as a Pixar production, it certainly is a surefire alternative to a cheesy Disney movie.
