Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bears save little girl in frantic tale; cartoon violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Boonie Bears: To the Rescue
What's the Story?
BOONIE BEARS: TO THE RESCUE begins as the maniacal and fevered Logger Vick plans to work overtime to meet his boss's new logging quota with brand-new saws the boss provided in a suitcase. Until he can retire and "spend the rest of my days rolling in cash" he'll be cutting down trees, facing the wrath of forest-protecting bears Briar and Bramble. In the meantime, two bad guys working for a third bad guy are driving around with an identical suitcase. When they lose it in the forest, a frantic chase ensues involving the two suitcases. Soon after, a toddler in diapers named Lola shows up at Vick's cabin, alarming him at first and ultimately charming him. Vick and the bears play with her affectionately until the bad guys kidnap her. Their boss wants the girl because she's the key to finding his enormous inheritance.
Is It Any Good?
Boonie Bears: To the Rescue, like the other Boonie Bears features, feels like a cartoon on amphetamines. It's the animated version of a movie from the violent action-fest Jason Bourne franchise, with nonstop mayhem, chases, fights, and stunts, much of it generated by the stupidity and recklessness of characters. First appearing in 2012, Boonie Bears quickly became the most popular children's show on Chinese television, and its originality, cleverness, and hectic energy make it clear why. The franchise has expanded from shorts to longer-form plots, including this one.
The logger and the bears are like classic cartoon antagonists Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, with the human inevitably outsmarted by the animals. No one gets terribly or permanently hurt and, as if to prove that the creators are really just gentle souls at heart, at one point Logger Vick is held down while bad guys tickle his feet as a form of "torture." At the outset, the movie also sets Vick at odds with the bears, yet they end up working together harmoniously by the story's end. It's as if the filmmakers' concern is to temper the uninterrupted violence with a soothing lesson about the value of working well with others.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the bears and logger treat each other as if they're enemies when previous adventures have already made them allies. What does this say about teamwork?
Does the violence in this movie seem scary? Does the fact that it's a cartoon tell you it's meant to be funny rather than frightening?
Although Logger Vick and the bears start out enemies, does the movie become more entertaining and satisfying when they work together to do good? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 17, 2019
- Cast : Rick Jay Glen , Paul (Maxx) Rinehart , Justin J. WHeeler
- Directors : Fuyuan Liu , Leon Ding
- Studio : Fantawild Animation
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 18, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate