Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures - NR
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this DVD -- which is broken into two episodes -- is appealing to the usual audience for the TV show (ages 4 to 7). But the Grizzle character (think of a Teddy Ruxpin head on a Transformer) and his evil-doer antics -- including kidnapping and threatening to the bears to "crush their specialness" -- could give kids a scare. Also, a robot character turns bad, threatens the bears, and uses his saw hands to wreck a whole park. Emma, a character in the second story, is a positive can-do Latina character ... but unfortunately she looks more like one of the sexualized Bratz girls than Dora.
Families can talk about caring, sharing, and all the Care Bears like to stand for. What's the secret at the end of "Emma's Dilemma" that makes them all special? If you had a CBT (Care Bear Transporter), where would you beam yourself to? Which Belly Badge would you like to wear on your tummy?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Carrie R. Wheadon
In two GRIZZLE-LY ADVENTURES -- "Broken" and "Emma's Dilemma" -- viewers set foot inside the cranky, bizarre-looking Grizzle's lair on another cloud within sight of Care-A-Lot. He always seems to be plotting something sinister. In "Broken," he's asked to fix his old robot pal Wingnut and fits him with an evil switch on the sly. When it turns on, watch out, Care Bears! In "Emma's Dilemma" Grizzle steals the Care Bears' prized possessions in hopes that he can find out how to "crush their specialness." Enter the Care Bears' secret weapon, Emma, who not only helps them find their things but saves them from Grizzle's cages as well.
Naïve, happy-smiley pastel bears with some power-filled tummy tattoos are out-there enough. Enter Grizzle. He's the bad guy who looks like Teddy Ruxpin crossed with an overweight, rusting Transformer. And he cackles out his evil plans to a miniature robot who only responds by falling apart; its the same Gargamel/Azrael shtick, only weirder.
If you can get beyond that, the underlying messages that the Bears espouse on their TV show are still the same. There's a peppy sharing song, and Share Bear learns a lesson about sharing -- yes, sharing is even hard for her. They stick by their robot friend Wingnut, even when he does some bad things. And the Bears work together with their new friend Emma to escape Grizzle's clutches. Plus, the two-episode format is better for the attention span of the target age group.
Fans of the Care Bears may also like The Smurfs, The Snorks, and My Friend Rabbit.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentEmma, the human character in the second story, looks like one of the sexualized Bratz dolls. |
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ViolenceThe bad robot-bear, Grizzle, threatens the Care Bears a lot. He also kidnaps them, ties them up, puts them in cages, picks them up with a claw machine, and puts them in another machine to figure out why they're so special -- so he can "crush their specialness." Their robot friend Wingnut keeps falling apart, and when Grizzle turns him bad, he uses his saw hands to destroy a park. |
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LanguageGrizzle says once "this really burns my fur," and that's about as bad as it gets. |
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Social BehaviorShare Bear sings a song and learns a lesson about sharing. Grizzle, who steals and plots against the Care Bears, is still a baddie at the end. Emma is a positive Latina character even though she looks like a Bratz doll, while Amigo Bear seems stereotypically placed as the bear who pushes the ice cream cart. |
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CommercialismThe Bears are also toys for sale, plus the DVD comes with a large insert with much more to buy. |
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