- Release date: 3 june 1964 (USA)
- Box Office: $ 2.028.378
- Runtime: 89 minutes
- C’est Yogi l’ours – Canada
- Jogi-karhu seikkailee – Finland
- Les aventures de Yogi le nounours – France
- Yogi, Cindy e Bubu – Italy
- De avonturen van Yogi – Netherlands
- Yogi Bärs Abenteuer – West Germany
Cast
- Yogi Bear – Daws Butler / Bill Lee (singing)
- Boo Boo – Don Messick / Ernest Newton (singing)
- Cindy Bear – Julie Bennett / Jackie Ward (singing)
- Ranger Smith – Don Messick
- Grifter Chizzling – Mel Blanc
- Snively Chizzling – J. Pat O’malley
- Cornpone – Hal Smith
Plot
It is the first day of spring in Jellystone National Park. Boo Boo wakes from his hibernation and discovers that it is spring. He awakes his friend Yogi and hopes that he won’t steal picnic baskets this season.
But immediately Yogi begins to manipulate campers into give their picnic baskets up, Ranger Smith prevents this from happening. Yogi goes to the office of Ranger Smith and says that if the signs ‘Do Not Feed The Bears’ are not removed, he will leave Jellystone.
Ranger Smith thinks the only way to stop Yogi, is to send him to the San Diego Zoo in California. Before Yogi leaves, he convinces Cornpone, another bear, to take his place. Cornpone thinks he is signing a movie deal in California. When the truck leaves with Cornpone, Yogi is immediately hunting for picnic baskets again.
Park guests complain to Ranger Smith about ‘The Brown Phantom’, who steals all their food. Ranger Smith promises that ‘The Brown Phantom’ will also be sent to the San Diego Zoo.
Cindy Bear, who is in love with Yogi, still thinks that he is in San Diego, and sees her chance. She steals a pie and tries to convince Ranger Smith that she is ‘the Brown Phantom’, but Ranger Smith doesn’t believe her. When Cindy angrily pushes the pie in Ranger Smith’s face, he sends her to St. Louis Zoo, not to the San Diego Zoo! Once on the train, Cindy hears that she is going to St. Louis and she cries herself to sleep.
Later that night, the train crashes and Cindy escapes. Walking down the street she encounters the owners of the almost bankrupt circus ‘The Brothers Chizling’. Their dog Mugger chases her into a telephone pole and when they see Cindy walk on the telephone wires, they hope that Cindy could save their circus as a tightrope walker. They capture Cindy and force her to perform in their circus for an audience every night.
Meanwhile, Yogi feels miserable, he misses Cindy very much. Yogi goes to Ranger Smith, to confess to him that he is ‘The Phantom Brown’ and that he wants to be reunited with Cindy. In the office he hears that Cindy has escaped from the train, but hearing his confession, Ranger Smith wants to lock him up sent him to the zoo.
But because he is smarter than the average bear, he locks up Ranger Smith and together with Boo Boo, he escapes from Jellystone. In the nearest big city, they see a circus parade marching through the streets. They go to the circus and find out that Cindy is imprisoned by the Chizling brothers and their horrible dog.
In the evening, Yogi goes to the office of the Chizling brothers to demand the release of his beloved girlfriend. The brothers, however, see a talented bear who can make them a lot of money. They trick Yogi into stepping into the cage and lock him in, together with Cindy. They let their dog Mugger guard them, while they go celebrate.
While the brothers are asleep, Boo Boo manages to get the keys to the cage. Yogi locks Mugger in the cage and the trio steals a circus car to escape from the circus. They are chased by the brothers, the sheriff and some angry farmers, but they escaped in a truck to New York City where they create a panic when they are chased by the police.
Ranger Smith sees their antics on television, and he cries: “I am ruined from coast to coast!” Ranger Smith realizes that he must get the bears back to Jellystone before the National Parks Commissioner fires him. He picks them up in the Jellystone helicopter from and Yogi, Cindy and Boo Boo promise to not cause any more problems. But Ranger Smith is still afraid that he will be fired.
Then the Commissioner comes on the radio to congratulate Ranger Smith
with the ‘publicity stunt’ of Yogi and his friends. He even appoints
Ranger Smith as Head Park Ranger of the Jellystone National Park. This
makes everybody happy and they fly back to Jellystone singing.
Credits
- Producers: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna
- Directors: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna, Charles Nichols
- Screenplay: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna, Warren Foster
- Music: Marty Paich
Trivia
Mugger, the Chizzling Brothers’ snickering dog, later became Muttley in the TV series “Wacky Races” (1968) and “Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines” (1969).
