The Care Bears Movie

The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. It was the second feature film made by the Canada-based studio Nelvana Limited after the 1983 film Rock & Rule, in addition to being one of the first films based directly on a toy line and the first based on Care Bears. It introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins.<ref group="nb">Introduced by American Greetings in 1984,<ref name=guilford>Template:Cite book</ref> the Care Bear Cousins are a group of animals who serve as relatives to the Care Bears.<ref name=gainesville>Template:Cite news</ref> The group consists of different species, such as monkeys, elephants and penguins.<ref name=gainesville/></ref> The voice cast includes Mickey Rooney, Georgia Engel, Jackie Burroughs and Billie Mae Richards. In the film, an orphanage owner (Mickey Rooney) tells a story about the Care Bears, who live in a cloud-filled land called Care-a-Lot. While traveling across Earth, the Bears help two lonely children named Kim and Jason, who lost their parents in a car accident, and also save Nicholas, a young magician's apprentice, from an evil spirit's influence. Deep within a place called the Forest of Feelings, Kim, Jason and their friends soon meet another group of creatures known as the Care Bear Cousins.

American Greetings, the owners of the Care Bears characters, began development of a feature film adaptation in 1981. Later on, the greeting card company chose Nelvana to produce it and granted them the film rights to the characters, in addition to financing the film along with cereal manufacturer General Mills and television syndicator LBS Communications. Nelvana's founders were producers, with fellow employee Arna Selznick directing the film. Production lasted eight months, with a production budget of at least $2 million, and took place in Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. Carole King and John Sebastian contributed several songs for the film. Though major American film studios passed on the project, newly established independent distributor The Samuel Goldwyn Company acquired the distribution rights to the film and soon spent a record $24 million promoting it.

The Care Bears Movie premiered on March 24, 1985, in New York, and was released in North America on March 29, 1985;<ref group="nb">In the US and Canadian domestic market, wide release occurs when a film is playing in 600 or more theatres.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref></ref> another Nelvana film, Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins, was released alongside it. It received mixed reviews from critics, who raised concern over its potential as a full-length advertisement for the title characters, among other aspects. It went on to earn $23 million domestically, making it the highest-grossing Canadian film during 1985 (with C$1.845 million), in addition to winning a Golden Reel Award. With over $34 million in worldwide sales, it set a box-office record for Canadian and non-Disney animation and has remained one of Goldwyn's largest-earning releases. The film's success, which saved Nelvana from closing, helped revive films aimed at children in the US market. It has since been cited as inspiring a spate of toy-based animated and live-action features; the film was later followed by two sequels, A New Generation (1986) and Adventure in Wonderland (1987), neither surpassing the original financially or critically.

Plot

The Cherrywoods are a middle-aged couple who run an orphanage. Mr. Cherrywood tells the orphans a story about the Care Bears and Care-a-Lot, their home in the clouds. In the story, Friend Bear and Secret Bear search for people to cheer up. They meet Kim and Jason, two lonely youngsters who recently lost their parents in a car accident. Introducing themselves, Friend Bear and Secret Bear remind the kids of their ambitions...yet neither sibling acts interested.

At an amusement park, Tenderheart Bear spots a magician's apprentice named Nicholas. While unloading a trunk of goods for his master, the "Great Fetuccini", Nicholas finds an old book with a diary-style lock. When he unlocks it, an evil spirit appears as a woman's face and corrupts him. With his help, it lays waste to the park and quests to remove all caring from the world.

Back at Care-a-Lot, the other bears work on their new invention: the Rainbow Rescue Beam, a portal that can send any bear to Earth and back. Two Care Bear cubs, Hugs and Tugs, interfere with the Rainbow Rescue Beam. They bring forth unexpected visitors: Friend Bear, Secret Bear, Kim, and Jason. The bears introduce themselves to the children, and give them a tour of their home. Tenderheart Bear returns on his now-out-of-control Rainbow Roller...just before a "Cloud-Quake", caused by the spirit, ruins Care-a-Lot. Tenderheart informs the others of Nicholas' troubles on Earth. Using the Rainbow Rescue Beam, he sends Kim and Jason to the park...along with Friend Bear and Secret Bear. They end up in the Forest of Feelings when the portal malfunctions. From a nearby river, the other bears search for them aboard the Cloud Clipper. Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Grams Bear, and the cubs stay behind in Care-a-Lot.

Within the Forest, the children and their friends meet Brave Heart Lion and Playful Heart Monkey. Later on, more of these creatures are discovered: Cozy Heart Penguin, Lotsa Heart Elephant, Swift Heart Rabbit, and Bright Heart Raccoon. During their stay, the spirit attacks them in several disguises: a pike, a tree, and an eagle. After the Care Bears and their new friends defeat it, they venture back to Earth with more -- Loyal Heart Dog, Proud Heart Cat, Gentle Heart Lamb, and Treat Heart Pig -- to save Nicholas from the spirit's influence.

At the park, Nicholas obtains the ingredients for his spell against the children and the creatures. After he casts it, the Care Bears and company engage in a long battle. The bears shoot beams of bright light on him, forming their "Stare"; the Cousins help with their "Call". Good Luck Bear and Grumpy Bear arrive in time to help after fixing the Rainbow Rescue Beam. As the creatures' power drains away, Nicholas and the spirit briefly regain control. Kim and Jason assist Nicholas, who finally realizes his misdeeds; with Secret Bear's help, he re-traps the spirit in the book...saving himself, the park, and the world. He thanks the group and reunites with Fetuccini. Tenderheart Bear inducts the Care Bear Cousins into the Care Bear Family and gives them their own tummy symbols. Kim and Jason find new parents, who take them to one of Nicholas' shows.

As Mr. Cherrywood finishes his story, it is revealed that he is actually Nicholas...and hinted (but not confirmed) that his wife is actually Kim. Tenderheart Bear, who has been listening from outside a window, returns to Care-a-Lot in his Cloudmobile.

Voice cast

Name	Character(s)	Source
Mickey Rooney	Nicholas Cherrywood (adult)	<ref name=cbm1>Template:Cite video</ref><ref name=oscar>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=g&m>Template:Cite news</ref>
Jackie Burroughs	The Spirit	<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=oscar/>
Georgia Engel	Love-a-Lot Bear
Sunny Besen Thrasher	Jason
Eva Almos	Friend Bear/Swift Heart Rabbit	<ref name=cbm1/>Template:Sfn<ref name=keyframe>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Patricia Black	Share Bear/Funshine Bear	<ref name=cbm1/>Template:Sfn
Melleny Brown	Cheer Bear/Baby Tugs Bear
Bobby Dermer	Grumpy Bear	<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=keyframe/>
Jayne Eastwood	Birthday Bear	<ref name=cbm1/>
Anni Evans	Secret Bear/Champ Bear
Gloria Figura	Bedtime Bear
Cree Summer Francks	Kim (child)	<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=keyframe/>
Brian George	Mr. Fetuccini	<ref name=cbm1/>
Janet-Laine Green	Wish Bear	<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=keyframe/>
Luba Goy	Lotsa Heart Elephant/Gentle Heart Lamb
Terri Hawkes	Baby Hugs Bear	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Dan Hennessey	Brave Heart Lion (speaking voice/singing voice; movie version)	<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=keyframe/>
Jim Henshaw	Bright Heart Raccoon
Hadley Kay	Nicholas Cherrywood (teenager)
Marla Lukofsky	Good Luck Bear/Playful Heart Monkey
Pauline Rennie	Grams Bear/Cozy Heart Penguin
Billie Mae Richards	Tenderheart Bear
Jayne Eastwood	Mrs. Kim Cherrywood (adult)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Brent Titcomb	Additional voices	<ref name=cbm1/>
Harry Dean Stanton	Brave Heart Lion (singing voice; soundtrack version)	<ref name=cbm1/>Template:Sfn

Production

Development

The Care Bears were created in 1981 by Those Characters from Cleveland (TCFC), a division of the Cleveland greeting card company American Greetings Corporation (AGC).Template:Sfn That same year, the title characters made their debut on greeting cards by Elena Kucharik,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> while American Greetings began to develop a feature-length film using the characters.<ref name=milwaukee>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> Kucharik, along with Linda Denham,<ref name=stephens>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Linda Edwards, Muriel Fahrion, Dave Polter, Tom Schneider, Ralph Shaffer, and Clark Wiley, created the original characters.<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=revue>Template:Cite book</ref> Early in their tenure, the Bears appeared as toys from the Kenner company,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and starred in two syndicated television specials from a Canadian animation studio, Atkinson Film-Arts of Ottawa: The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine (1984).Template:Sfn

Production of the first feature took place at another Canadian outlet, Toronto's Nelvana studio. This came in a period in the company's history which Nelvana co-founder Michael Hirsh refers to as its "dark years".<ref name=nelvana-25>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref group="nb">According to Michael Hirsh, this period lasted from 1983 to 1986.<ref name=nelvana-25/>Template:Sfn</ref> At the time, Nelvana had just finished production of its first full-length film, 1983's Rock & Rule, which was produced using almost all of its resources (for around US$8 million),<ref name=maclean-2>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=nelvana-30>Template:Cite journal</ref> and failed to find proper distribution.Template:Sfn The film put them on the verge of closing down. Soon after, the Nelvana team began doing work on television shows like Inspector Gadget (from DIC Entertainment),<ref name=nelvana-25/>Template:Sfn 20 Minute Workout (from Orion Television),Template:Sfn and Mr. Microchip.<ref name=nelvana-25/> During this period, they also made syndicated specials based on American Greetings properties: Strawberry Shortcake,<ref name=maclean-2/> The Get Along Gang,Template:Sfn and Herself the Elf.Template:Sfn "In some instances," noted Harvey Levin, vice-president of marketing and entertainment communications at TCFC,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> "their capabilities [on the Strawberry Shortcake specials] surpassed Disney quality."<ref name=maclean-2/> Various companies vied to produce a Care Bears feature, and Nelvana was the first to do so;<ref name=maclean-2/> Hirsh sought to seize the opportunity after hearing of its development.Template:Sfn DIC Entertainment also expressed interest.Template:Sfn Thanks to the Strawberry Shortcake specials and their experience on Rock & Rule,Template:Sfn<ref name=nelvana-30/> Nelvana acquired the film rights to the characters and gained a contract from American Greetings to create the script.Template:Sfn<ref name=nelvana-25/><ref name=maclean-2/> To convince the production partnership of TCFC and Kenner Toys, Hirsh held a competition inspired by Pepsi-Cola's "Pepsi Challenge" commercials of the time, in which he tested clips from Nelvana and other vying studios and checked the "animation quality, music, sound effects, and colour" of each. He then asked the producers to decide on the best demo, and Nelvana scored highest. Hirsh later recalled the words of his partners: "We know you've rigged this against everybody else because you've chosen the clips. But we like the approach."Template:Sfn

Producers and crew

The Care Bears Movie was one of the first films to be based directly on an established toy line.<ref name=nytimes-2>Template:Cite news</ref> It featured the ten original Bears, along with six additions to the line-up,<ref name=maclean-2/> and marked the media debut of the Care Bear Cousins.<ref name=pantheon/><ref name=cbm1/> Produced for at least US$2 million,<ref name="budget" group="nb">Sources differ as to the actual cost of The Care Bears Movie.

• US$2 million: Template:Harvs,<ref name=brewster/> Template:Harvs<ref name=disneywar/>
• US$3 million: Template:Harvs,<ref name=wsj/> Template:Harvs,<ref name=milwaukee/> Template:HarvsTemplate:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• US$3.5 million: Template:Harvs,<ref name=dream/> Template:Harvs<ref name=financial-post/>
• US$4 million: Template:Harvs,<ref name=nytimes-1/> Template:Harvs,<ref name="maclean-2"/> Template:Harvs,<ref name=pantheon/> Template:Harvs,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:HarvsTemplate:Sfn
• US$4.5 million: Template:Harvs<ref name="Houston-1" /></ref> the film was financed by American Greetings, the owners of the Care Bears franchise; General Mills, the toys' distributor; and television syndicator LBS Communications.<ref name=pantheon/><ref name=wsj>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=budget group=nb/> The Kenner company also took part in the production.<ref name=pantheon/>Template:Sfn Brought in under budget, The Care Bears Movie became Nelvana's second feature-length production,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and was made over an eight-month period that lasted until February 1985.Template:Sfn<ref name=oscar/><ref name=nelvana-25/> Michael Hirsh is quoted as saying in Daniel Stoffman's 2002 book, The Nelvana Story: "Nobody had ever made an animated movie for theatrical release for as little money and in as little time."Template:Sfn In 2009 his partner, Clive A. Smith, told Canadian Business magazine: "I swear I grimaced at the thought of doing a Care Bears feature. But Michael [Hirsh] went out and actually brought that project in."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Nelvana was responsible for the script,<ref name=cornering>Template:Cite news</ref> several special effects, including those for the "Care Bear Stare",<ref name=pinewood>Template:Cite news</ref> and hired musicians and voice actors.<ref name=cornering/> With this project, Arna Selznick became the third of only four women ever to direct an animated feature;Template:Sfn<ref group="nb">Before Selznick's Care Bears Movie, Lotte Reiniger of Germany directed 1927's The Adventures of Prince Achmed, and Great Britain's Joy Batchelor directed Halas and Batchelor's 1954 adaptation of Animal Farm.Template:Sfn The fourth one, Brenda Chapman, was responsible for 1998's The Prince of Egypt, from DreamWorks Animation.<ref name=latimes>Template:Cite news</ref></ref> prior to this, she worked on several Nelvana productions, including Strawberry Shortcake and the Baby Without a Name.Template:Sfn Nelvana's founders—Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith—participated as the main producers.<ref name=cbm1/>Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The studio's roster included Charles Bonifacio, the director of animation,<ref name=cbm1/> and supervising animator D. Brewster,<ref name=cbm1/> who previously took part in the animation courses at Ontario's Sheridan College.<ref name=brewster>Template:Cite news</ref> Dale Schott, who served as a storyboard artist,<ref name=cbm1/> remarked that "Nelvana had a lot to do with reviving the low-budget feature" with its efforts on The Care Bears Movie.<ref name=playback>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Four employees of the film's financiers served as executive producers:<ref name=cbm1/> Louis Gioia Jr., president of Kenner's Marketing Services division;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="nb">Credited as Lou Gioia.</ref> Jack Chojnacki, co-president of TCFC;<ref name=philadelphia>Template:Cite news</ref> Carole MacGillvray, who became president of General Mills' M.A.D. (Marketing and Design) division in February 1984;<ref name=nytimes-3>Template:Cite news</ref> and Robert Unkel, LBS' senior vice-president of programming.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A fifth producer, American Greetings staffer W. Ray Peterson, went uncredited.<ref name=cbm1/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Three associate producers worked on the film:<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=oscar/> Paul Pressler, another employee at Kenner;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> John Bohach, who later became LBS' executive vice-president;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Harvey Levin.<ref name=cbm1/> Lenora Hume, the director of photography on Rock & Rule,<ref name=nytimes-4>Template:Cite news</ref> was the supervising producer.<ref name=cbm1/><ref name=oscar/>

Animation

Along with Inspector Gadget,Template:Sfn The Care Bears Movie was Nelvana's first foray into animation outsourcing.Template:Sfn Production took place at Nelvana's facilities in Toronto,Template:Sfn Cuckoo's Nest Studios in Taiwan<ref name=cbm1/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the newly established Hanho Heung-Up and Mihahn studios in South Korea.<ref name=cbm1/> Delaney and Friends, a Vancouver-based outlet, did the uncredited work.<ref name=cbm1/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Nelvana faced several problems with their Korean contractors,Template:Sfn among them the language barrier between the Canadian crew and the overseas staff,Template:Sfn and the unwieldy processes through which the film reels were shipped to the West.Template:Sfn At one point, Loubert, Smith, and fellow staffer David Altman spent three days trying to persuade several unpaid animators to return important layout sketches. In exchange for the layouts, Nelvana gave them US$20,000 in South Korean won.Template:Sfn By then, the production was falling behind schedule, and an opening date was already set; Loubert sent half of the work to Taiwan (where Lenora Hume supervised), while the remainder stayed in South Korea under Loubert's and Smith's watch.Template:Sfn

Back in Canada, Hirsh tried to promote the unfinished feature before its deadline; unable to get available footage, he instead managed to show potential marketers some Leica reels and a few moments of completed colour animation.Template:Sfn According to him, it was the first time an animated "work in progress" was screened to exhibitors; this ploy has since been used by Disney,Template:Sfn particularly in the case of Beauty and the Beast (at the 1991 New York Film Festival).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "People loved the movie anyway," he said of this experiment. "I was told it was considered great salesmanship. It made [them] feel that they were part of the process because they were seeing unfinished work."Template:Sfn

Music

Template:Anchor {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=SoundtrackThe Care Bears Movie: Original Soundtrack AlbumCarole King, John Sebastian, NRBQ, and the Tower of PowerChildren's music / SoundtrackTemplate:Unbulleted listTemplate:Unbulleted listx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} The music for The Care Bears Movie was composed by Patricia Cullen.<ref name=cbm1/>Template:Sfn The soundtrack album was released in LP and cassette format by Kid Stuff Records in the United States,<ref name=st-collector>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Six songs were performed by Carole King, John Sebastian, NRBQ, and the Tower of Power,<ref name=cbm1/> actor Harry Dean Stanton had a guest appearance as Brave Heart Lion for the song "Home is in Your Heart".<ref name=cbm1/> The songs were produced by Lou Adler and John Sebastian, with additional lyrics and music by Ken Stephenson, Walt Woodward, and David Bird,<ref name=cbm1/> Nelvana crewmember Peter Hudecki prepared the song sequences.<ref name=cbm1/>

Before The Care Bears Movie, Sebastian contributed to several other Nelvana specials, including The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978) and Easter Fever (1980).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When asked to compose three tracks for the film, he learned about the characters since he was unfamiliar with the franchise. Despite his misgivings on the marketing aspects, Sebastian said in April 1985, "I think their central theme—being candid about your feelings, sharing your feelings—is a very positive message for children."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Adele Freedman of Toronto's The Globe and Mail wrote positively about the music in the film:

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Other critics tended to differ. The Houston ChronicleTemplate:'s Stephen Hunter found that "the film integrates its music into the story very clumsily. It's not merely that the numbers are forgettable—they are—it's that they're shoe-horned so obviously into the story that they don't amplify it, they stop it cold."<ref name=houston-2>Template:Cite news</ref> Likewise, Michael Blowen of The Boston Globe said that "the uninspired songs ... add nothing to the banal plot."<ref name=boston-1>Template:Cite news</ref>

Release

A blue rabbit stands upon one of the branches of a possessed tree, looking at its menacing face.

Swift Heart Rabbit staring at the Spirit's spell possessing a tree. An element from this scene was featured in an advertising campaign aimed at the film's potential older viewers, despite its target audience being young children.<ref name=adweek>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 1984, before the film's completion, Carole MacGillvray offered The Care Bears Movie for consideration to major studios in the US;<ref name=adweek/> since they did not see the financial potential in a picture aimed strictly at children, they declined the offer.<ref name=wsj/> MacGillvray told Adweek magazine in April 1985, "I made several trips, and I was really disappointed. They kept telling me things like 'Animated movies won't sell' and 'Maybe we'd consider it if you were Disney,' but most just said, 'You're very nice, good-bye.' "<ref name=adweek/> When few takers were left, she took it to the Samuel Goldwyn Company.<ref name=wsj/><ref name=adweek/> A newcomer in the independent market, it agreed to release the film.<ref name=wsj/> Comparing the title characters' appeal to Hollywood stars like Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford,<ref name=nytimes-1>Template:Cite news</ref> founder Samuel Goldwyn Jr. remarked: "Having my [two] children, I know these bears are stars, too."<ref name=wsj/>

According to the 1985 edition of Guinness Film Facts and Feats, the Samuel Goldwyn Company spent up to US$24 million on the publicity budget for The Care Bears Movie, the largest at that time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The film's advertising budget was US$4 million; Variety reported that "the beneficiaries of [its] merchandising tie-ins have earmarked [the remaining] $20,000,000 to promo Care Bear products in step with the film's release".<ref name=pantheon/> For the film's promotion, Goldwyn's staff partnered with Kenner Toys and the fast food chain Pizza Hut; there were also tie-ins on Trix cereal boxes.<ref name=adweek/> Parker Brothers published two tie-in books, Meet the Care Bear Cousins and Keep On Caring, shortly after the film's release;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="nb">Template:ISBN (Meet the Care Bear Cousins); Template:ISBN (Keep On Caring).</ref> both were reissued in October 1985 by Children's Press.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Goldwyn staff came up with two advertising strategies, which tested well with the company—one was aimed at the film's target audience of children as young as age five; another targeted grown-ups, parents, and older children.<ref name=adweek/> In the words of Cliff Hauser, the distributor's executive director of marketing, "We didn't want parents to think the movie was threatening. So the big debate was—although the formula for success in animated film is the triumph of good over evil—how can you do that in single-image ads?"<ref name=adweek/> Jeff Lipsky, vice-president of theatrical at Goldwyn, referred to the first one as "the cheery approach"; ads therein featured the Care Bears on clouds, and carried the tagline "A movie that'll make the whole family care-a-lot". Hauser said, "That's one that a mother can look at and know she can take the 2-year-old to it and not worry."<ref name=adweek/> The other campaign, which Lipsky called "more Disney-esque", featured an evil tree whose hands reached out to capture the Bears; its tagline, "What happens when the world stops caring?",<ref name=adweek/> was also seen on the official poster. Bingham Ray, Goldwyn's vice-president of distribution, was involved in the promotional efforts.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Around opening time, Hirsh predicted that The Care Bears Movie would be its decade's response to Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, both from Walt Disney Productions.<ref name=pinewood/> Loubert added, "These characters say something important to children. Our challenge has been to create a very distinct character for each Care Bear. A lot of effort went into bringing out their individuality."<ref name=pinewood/> Some time afterward, Hirsh conceded that parents had to come to the film, out of respect for the dark content within. "Frightening scenes," he said, "are a necessity for the reality of the hero and villain—just as it works in nursery rhymes. Kids work out their fears this way."<ref name=sandpile>Template:Cite news</ref> TCFC's Jack Chojnacki offered this vindication in The Wall Street Journal: "We consider a film one of the many products we license. When we started the whole Care Bears project we knew the importance of bears in the market but that there was a void. There were no specific bears. In the movie marketplace there was a void for good family-fare films."<ref name=wsj/> And, in the words of Carole MacGillvray, "Toy recognition drives this movie."<ref name=wsj/>

North America

Template:Quote box Template:Quote box Template:Quote box The Care Bears Movie premiered in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 1985, as part of a Special Olympics benefit;<ref name=washington-post-1/> Georgia Engel, the voice of Love-a-lot Bear, attended this event.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film opened on March 29, 1985, in the United States and Canada,<ref name=bomojo-cb1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=numbers>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as Nelvana's first widely released feature.<ref name=pinewood/> It became surprisingly successful at the North American box office,<ref name=g&m2>Template:Cite news</ref> playing primarily at matinees and early evening showings.<ref name=Houston-1>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=sandpile/><ref name=g&m2/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the North American film industry was bereft of children's and family fare;<ref name=wsj/><ref name=sandpile/><ref name=solomon>Template:Cite book</ref> with The Care Bears Movie, Hirsh said, "There's such a large audience for a film that appeals primarily to 6-year-olds."<ref name=g&m2/> He remarked later on, "What we've done [at Nelvana] is tailor the film to a pre-literate audience, the very young. It's interesting to see the audience. The kids are fixated on the screen. [It's] awesome to them."<ref name=sandpile/> Clive A. Smith observed that some children came to showings with their Bears; long line-ups held back its audience in several cities.<ref name=maclean-2/> Among those attending the matinee screenings was John Waters, a filmmaker known for controversial and cult classics Pink Flamingos (1972) and Polyester (1981).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The film made an appearance at the USA Film Festival in Dallas, Texas, during its release.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

When shown in theatres, the feature was immediately followed by Nelvana's TV special, Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was directed by Laura Shepherd and produced by Nelvana's founders along with Lenora Hume.Template:Sfn The story involves Strawberry Shortcake and a tiny group of creatures called the Berrykins as they work to clear their home of Strawberryland of the "world's favourite perfume", a pungent odour which was unleashed from a purple cloud.Template:Sfn LBS Communications syndicated it on US television around the time of The Care Bears MovieTemplate:'s theatrical tenure; a video release from Family Home Entertainment soon followed.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Care Bears Movie ranked fourth at the North American box office on its first two weekends, grossing US$3.7 million and US$3.2 million respectively.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=budget group=nb/> It was screened in 1,003 venues during its first four weeks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After three months, it grossed about US$23 million in the United States,<ref name=bomojo-cb1/><ref name=numbers/><ref group="nb">Approximately US$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation-year dollars.Template:Inflation-fn</ref> and placed 40th among 1985's major films;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> it brought in US$9,435,000 in rentals for the Goldwyn company.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In Canada, the film was released by Astral Films<ref name=trivia-ca/> and Criterion Pictures Corporation,<ref name=film-canadiana/> and made C$1,845,000 by the end of 1985.<ref name=premier>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=urquhart>Template:Cite journal</ref> It was the year's highest-grossing release in that market, followed by Disney's One Magic Christmas and a Quebec production called The Alley Cat (Le Matou).<ref name=premier/>

Several months after The Care Bears Movie, Walt Disney Pictures released its animated feature The Black Cauldron. Costing US$25 million, it was the most expensive animated film of its time,Template:Sfn but grossed less than Nelvana's production (US$21.3 million).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a result, The Care Bears MovieTemplate:'s performance alarmed animators at the Disney Studios;<ref name=disneywar>Template:Cite book</ref> Don Bluth, a former recruit, dismissed the "public taste" factor that it demonstrated.Template:Sfn Another animator, Ron Clements, later reflected on this: "Everyone was kind of scared about the future of Disney animation. It wasn't a good time. It was really a terrible time."Template:Sfn This sentiment was echoed in Waking Sleeping Beauty, Disney's 2010 documentary on the revival of its animation unit.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> While comparing The Black Cauldron with The Care Bears Movie, Eleanor Ringel of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution singled out the "putrid pastels" of Nelvana's production and commented that they "don't even deserve to be mentioned in the same review."<ref name=ajc>Template:Cite news</ref> Months afterward, a re-issue of Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians surpassed both The Care Bears Movie and The Black Cauldron, with over US$30 million in sales.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sometime after the film's release, Children's Video Library (a division of Vestron Video) picked up the video rights to The Care Bears Movie for US$1.8 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was released in the United States on July 10, 1985, in VHS and Betamax formats.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On August 10, 1985, it debuted in 26th place on Billboard's Top Videocassette Rentals chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It ranked fourth on the first edition of the magazine's Top Kid Video chart (on October 5).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was tracked by Video InsiderTemplate:'s children's chart (on August 30, 1985), as one of five toy-related titles on tape (along with two compilations of Hasbro's Transformers series; another with Hallmark Cards' Rainbow Brite; and the last with Strawberry Shortcake).<ref name=pantheon/> By 1988, Vestron's edition sold over 140,000 copies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1990, Video Treasures reissued it on videocassette;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on October 10, 1995, Hallmark Home Entertainment published another VHS edition as part of a six-title package from Goldwyn and Britain's Rank Organisation.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On September 5, 2000, MGM Home Entertainment re-released the film on VHS under the MGM Family Entertainment label;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref group="nb">In 1996, John Kluge of the Metromedia company acquired the Samuel Goldwyn Company for US$125 million.<ref name=nytimes-5>Template:Cite news</ref> Metromedia sold its film units—Goldwyn, Orion Pictures, and the Motion Picture Corporation of America—to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in April 1997.<ref name=nytimes-6>Template:Cite news</ref></ref><ref group="nb">Unlike the 2000 U.S. VHS re-release of All Dogs Go to Heaven (which still have the "Available exclusively through Warner Home Video." notice on its back cover), the 2000 U.S. VHS re-release of The Care Bears Movie did not available exclusively through Warner Home Video.</ref> the DVD edition premiered on August 6, 2002, and was packaged with the 1978 British family film The Water Babies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2003, the film was inducted into the MGM Kids line.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In honour of the Care Bears' 25th anniversary, another DVD edition of the film was released on March 20, 2007, with restored picture quality; it contained the franchise's second Atkinson Film-Arts special, The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine, as an extra.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> American Greetings launched an official anniversary website and a Dodge Grand Caravan giveaway as part of the proceedings.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> By 2007, home video sales of The Care Bears Movie totaled over five million units.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was later re-released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on DVD on March 5, 2013. To date, this is the only theatrical Care Bears movie from the 1980s to be known for being successfully reissued, outselling A New Generation, which had not been reissued after the 2003 DVD release.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Care Bears Movie was scheduled to premiere on the US premium television network, Disney Channel, on June 28, 1986,<ref name=nytimes-7>Template:Cite news</ref> but did so one month in advance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 1987, the film made its terrestrial broadcast premiere on the ABC network's Saturday morning schedule.<ref name=nytimes-8>Template:Cite news</ref> It also aired on American Movie Classics on July 7, 1991,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and on Showtime<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and The Movie Channel<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in the 2000s. The film aired on Starz Entertainment's Encore channel in September 2007, as part of its "Big '80s" Labour Day marathon, chronicling various releases from that decade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was among the first films shown on Canada's Moviepix channel in October 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

International

Amid the US and Canadian success of The Care Bears Movie, Goldwyn took the film to the 38th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, where it was highly received;<ref name=adweek-2>Template:Cite journal</ref> a group of costumed Care Bears strolled along the Croisette to promote the picture.<ref name=wsj/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among its international distributors was Germany's Filmwelt, which released it on March 20, 1986, under the title Der Glücksbärchi Film.<ref name=filmlexikon>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It sold 538,487 tickets in that territory, placing 47th among new releases, and grossed over DM4,013,000 (€2,051,600; US$2,868,000).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=kino>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="de-ticket" group="nb">In 1986, the average price of a movie ticket in Germany was equivalent to €3.81.<ref name=kino-2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref></ref><ref group="nb">Filmwelt is abbreviated as "FW" on the InsideKino chart.</ref> The film was released on VHS in October 1986 by the local division of CBS/Fox Video, and aired on national broadcaster ARD during the 1988 Christmas season.<ref name=filmlexikon/>

The Care Bears Movie was released in the United Kingdom by Miracle Films<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> in August 1985,<ref name=times>Template:Cite news</ref> and did well in matinee-only engagements;<ref name=cornering/> a video edition from Vestron's local branch came out some months later.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was also released in Australia on December 12, 1985.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In February 1986,<ref name=livres>Template:Cite journal</ref> the film was released by France's Artédis under the franchise name Les Bisounours;<ref name=revue/> publishing rights were held by Hachette Livre.<ref name=livres/> It opened on March 20, 1986, in the Netherlands as De Troetelbeertjes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On July 21, 1986, the Bermudez de Castro company opened the film in Madrid, Spain, as Los osos amorosos; it grossed over 23,728,000 Pts (€142,606; US$199,500) from 93,294 admissions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Among that country's Catalan speakers, it is known as Els Óssos Amorosos.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The film was released in Czechoslovakia by Ústřední půjčovna filmů on December 1, 1988, as Starostliví medvídci.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was advertised in Italy as Orsetti del cuore,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in Poland as Opowieść o Troskliwych Misiach.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In Mexico, The Care Bears Movie was released on April 24, 1986, as Los ositos cariñositos.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Brazil, the film was promoted as As novas aventuras dos ursinhos carinhosos.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Television airings occurred on Australia's Nine Network in 1987,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Philippines' ABS-CBN in December 1992,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Malaysia's TV2 (in August 1993) and Disney Channel in April 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Aftermath

As opposed to Rock & Rule (which Nelvana owned outright),Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn the characters in The Care Bears Movie were the property of American Greetings, who paid Nelvana a service fee to work on the film.Template:Sfn Nelvana, however, hardly received any profits from the production; this caused its founders to express regret about the situation.Template:Sfn In The Nelvana Story, Patrick Loubert explained the catch-22 that they would face numerous times in the years to come: "We could have waived our fee and taken a big piece of the film. We were offered that deal. But if we had waived the fee, we couldn't have made the payroll. Once the picture was hugely successful, we thought we should have waived the fee. But we couldn't have."Template:Sfn At the time of production, Nelvana had begun embarking on service work that other companies provided them,Template:Sfn not only to help ease the debts the studio incurred after Rock & Rule,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn but also because it proved profitable in due time.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

By 1989, The Care Bears Movie made over US$34 million worldwide, according to Maclean's magazine;<ref name=maclean-1/><ref group="nb">Approximately US$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation-year dollars.Template:Inflation-fn</ref><ref group="nb">In 1987, Long Island's Newsday newspaper gave a US$40 million figure for both this film and its sequel, A New Generation.<ref name=newsday-1>Template:Cite news</ref></ref> this made it the highest-grossing animated feature film to come from Canada,<ref name=milestones>Template:Cite journal</ref> and the highest grossing animated film of 1985. It also became the highest-grossing animated film not produced by the Disney company,<ref name=milestones/> surpassing the US$11 million of Atlantic Entertainment Group's 1983 release The Smurfs and the Magic Flute;Template:Sfn Don Bluth's An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988) later took over this position.<ref name=nelvana-25/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2023, that title is held by Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo's The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), with US$1.288 billion.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film virtually saved a fledgling Nelvana from going out of business,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn and was the company's highest-grossing venture.<ref group="nb">In 1993, Hirsh and Loubert served as executive producers for the live-action thriller, Malice;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> its US$46.4 million domestic gross<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> surpassed The Care Bears MovieTemplate:'s worldwide earnings. The Nelvana studio, however, is not credited in that film.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref></ref> It is also among the highest-grossing releases from either incarnation of Samuel Goldwyn.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Reception and legacy

Critical analysis

Template:Quote box Template:Quote box Template:Quote box Template:Quote box Template:Quote box The Care Bears Movie received mixed reviews. During its original release, The Care Bears Movie had varying degrees of success with critics.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The New York Times' Richard Grenier wrote, "[The film] recalls vintage Walt Disney, both in substance and in the style of hand animation."<ref name=nytimes-9>Template:Cite news</ref> Rick Lyman of Knight Ridder News Services said in his review: "Any movie—even an animated one—that has characters with names such as Funshine Bear, Love-a-lot Bear, and Lotsa Heart Elephant is obviously going to rank quite high on the cute meter. And this one sends the needle right off the chart. You've never seen such cuteness."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Adele Freedman also gave it a positive review, commenting: "[It] has a lot going for it if you can tolerate the Bears."<ref name=g&m/> Edward Jones of Virginia's The Free Lance-Star praised it, but stated that "More comedy would have helped broaden [its] appeal to older youngsters."<ref name=free-lance>Template:Cite news</ref> The Deseret News of Utah gave it three stars out of four (a "Good" grade) with this comment: "Sticky sweet, but a nice message."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Michael Blowen began his review of the film by stating that "[it] satisfies the primary obligation of a bedtime story—before it's half over the children will be fast asleep." He added that "this sugar-coated trifle could only satisfy the most ardent Care Bears fan", and that "the characters themselves lack definition".<ref name=boston-1/> The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said, "Who except a callous scrooge would carp about the fact that The Care Bears Movie espouses a psychopop philosophy of 'sharing our feelings' that seems drawn straight from the pages on one of those insufferable self-motivation tomes? No one, that's who."<ref name=arkansas>Template:Cite news</ref> Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post wrote, "The best cartoons recognize the dark side of kids, their penchant for violence, their fearful fantasies. [This movie] just patronizes them. It even has a child chortling, 'Aren't parents great!' Well, they are and they aren't, and kids know that."<ref name=washington-post-2>Template:Cite news</ref>

The animation in the film received mixed reviews as well. Adele Freedman praised the style and backgrounds, and called the special effects "stunning".<ref name=g&m/> Likewise, John Stanley wrote that "The style is cartoonish and cute" in his 1988 film guide, Revenge of the Creature Features.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> While complimenting it as "a harmless film diversion", Stephen Hunter said that "the movie has the lustrous, glossy look of the very best in children's book illustrations". "On the other hand," he added, "the producers obviously couldn't afford an expensive [multiplane] camera, the staple of the Disney product, and so the scenes have a depressing flatness to them. And the backgrounds, so brilliantly developed in Disney, tend to be blurry and hastily done."<ref name=houston-2/> Jim Moorhead of Florida's The Evening Independent said, "[Nelvana's] animation is not the best. Far from it. Everything's in pastels, fine details are largely missing, mouth movements are minimal and the motions of the figures are scarcely better than some of those awful Saturday morning cartoons on TV."<ref name=independent>Template:Cite news</ref> The staff at Variety magazine stated that the "style ... tends towards a primer reading level."<ref name=variety-reviews>Template:Cite book</ref> Halliwell's Film Guide called it "sluggishly animated and narrated".<ref name=halliwell>Template:Cite book</ref> As with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,<ref name=ajc/> The New York TimesTemplate:' Janet Maslin found that the quality paled in comparison to Disney features (in this case, 1940's Pinocchio).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Los Angeles Times' Charles Solomon (in his 1989 book Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation),<ref name=solomon/> and Michael Janusonis of Rhode Island's Providence Journal,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> faulted the plot. The Evening IndependentTemplate:'s Moorhead and Jim Davidson of the Pittsburgh Press noticed at least two parallel storylines in the film, one of which involved the magician Nicholas.<ref name=independent/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The National Coalition on Television Violence counted at least 20 acts of violence throughout the picture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Critics questioned its purpose as a feature-length advertisement for Care Bears merchandise;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> among them were Charles Solomon,<ref name=solomon/> Paul Attanasio,<ref name=washington-post-2/> The Morning Call of Pennsylvania,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Bill Cosford of The Miami Herald.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Boca Raton News' Skip Sheffield commented, "I couldn't help being bothered by the blatant commercialism of this whole venture."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The British magazine Films and Filming remarked: "The purpose of the film is presumably to sell more toys as it unashamedly pushes the message that without at least one Care Bear around life can be very lonely."<ref name=boxoffice-ca>Template:Cite journal</ref> Stoffman observed, "one of the youngest target audiences of any animated movie",Template:Sfn as did the Halliwell's staff;<ref name=halliwell/> film critic Leonard Maltin (in his Movie Guide);<ref name=maltin>Template:Cite book</ref> and Henry Herx (in his Family Guide to Movies on Video).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The 1986 International Film Guide called it "an elementary piece of animation lacking colour and character, with not much humour, quite lacking in charm, and indifferently scored".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Maltin gave it two stars out of four in his Movie Guide;<ref name=maltin/> similarly, the Gale Group publication, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, gave it two bones out of four in its 1997 edition.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="nb">The Golden Movie Retriever uses bones as its equivalent of stars. According to the staff's "Bone Ratings" system, a title given two bones "May be perfectly delightful for certain tastes. A waste of time for others. Usually uninspired genre flicks."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref></ref> According to Derek Owen of Time OutTemplate:'s Film Guide, "Adults forced to accompany three-year-olds to the movie would have had a little moment of satisfaction when the time came to shovel the Care Bears toys out of the house into landfill sites."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The mixed reception carried on in the years ahead: in her 1995 book Inside Kidvid, Loretta MacAlpine said of the film and its subsequent follow-ups, "If you can hack the sugarcoated attitudes of this group of cuddly bears, more power to you! There's nothing insidious about the Care Bears, but their overbearing sweetness may not appeal to all viewers." She cautioned parents of the merchandising aspect behind the tapes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Dave Gathman of Illinois' Courier-News wrote in 1998, "One Care Bears Movie ... can give all G-rated entertainment a bad name."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2003 the Erie Times-News acknowledged its financial success, but commented on its "lack of a creative title".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Animation expert Jerry Beck wrote in his 2005 book, The Animated Movie Guide, "It's a simple, serviceable adventure with several standout sequences. ... There's no doubt about it, this is a children's film aimed at the under-seven crowd. But it's one of the better animated children's films produced during this period."Template:Sfn

Common Sense Media gave this movie some average reviews, as the group stated "The Care Bears Movie was made for young kids, but this movie's plot has some dark scenes and parents will want to be close at hand to comfort young viewers."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Care Bears Movie holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the words of Jerry Beck, "[The Care Bears MovieTemplate:'s] box-office gross signalled to Hollywood a renewed interest in animated features, albeit for children. This is something The Secret of NIMH tried to accomplish but failed to do."Template:Sfn A plethora of children's and family film entertainment followed in its wake, such as Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird from Warner Bros., and a re-issue of Universal Studios' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.<ref name=boston-2>Template:Cite news</ref> Atlantic Releasing joined this movement by establishing Clubhouse Pictures, which showed G-rated films during 1986.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Nelvana's film helped to bring back matinee engagements to prominence across North America.<ref name="Houston-1" />

Mentioning The Care Bears Movie as "the most recent example", Charles Solomon brought up the subject of feature-length toy adaptations in an April 1985 interview on Los Angeles' KUSC-FM.<ref name=conversations>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp He spoke to Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones, who replied: "I feel that it's proper—after all, that's the way Alice in Wonderland was written: the dolls were all made first, then they made the picture about the dolls, right?"<ref name=conversations/>Template:Rp In July 1985, Sarah Stiansen of United Press International (UPI) called The Care Bears Movie "another licensing innovation for TCFC", following the department's previous endeavours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> UPI's Vernon Scott (in 1985),<ref name=sandpile/> and Bruce A. Austin (in his 1989 book Immediate Seating),<ref name=seating>Template:Cite book</ref> observed how the merchandising arrived in advance of the film's release. In forthcoming years, several media adaptations based on established toy lines would follow a similar marketing tactic.<ref name=solomon/><ref name=ottawa>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=discount>Template:Cite journal</ref> Examples included films based on Hasbro's Transformers (in 1986 and 2007) and My Little Pony (in 1986, 2017, and 2021);<ref name=ottawa/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tonka's GoBots (Battle of the Rock Lords) and Pound Puppies (Legend of Big Paw);<ref name=ottawa2>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a television series and feature with Hallmark's Rainbow Brite.<ref name=discount/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In popular culture

The Care Bears Movie was parodied in "At the Movies", a 1991 episode of Nickelodeon and Klasky Csupo's animated series Rugrats. In that episode, the Pickles family goes to see The Land Without Smiles, starring the Dummi Bears.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Allusions

A green face, resembling that of a woman, is resting upon a book; the pages on either side are marked with Runic-like inscriptions. A cunning smile runs across her face, and her yellow eyes are looking upward.

Critics of the film compared the Spirit (voiced by Jackie Burroughs) and The Queen from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.<ref name=houston-2/><ref name=free-lance/><ref name=independent/><ref name=variety-reviews/>

In his Christian Science Monitor review, David Sterritt observed that The Care Bears Movie was mostly influenced by The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a 1797 poem by German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, along with "a trace of H. P. Lovecraft that probably wasn't intended. ... I also noticed a subtle sexism at work. Why must it be the little girl [Kim] who dreams of being a nurse and the little boy [Jason] of being a jet pilot—and not the other way around, to stimulate young imaginations instead of echoing past patterns?"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Blowen wrote that the two children both get turned "from cynics to idealists".<ref name=boston-1/> Joe Fox of Ontario's The Windsor Star, and Stephen Hunter, compared the Bears' home of Care-a-lot to King Arthur's mythical castle of Camelot;<ref name=windsor>Template:Cite news</ref> Blowen commented that in this place, "altruism is king".<ref name=boston-1/> Hunter noted that "the celestial physics are left vague", concerning Kim and Jason's trip from Care-a-lot to the Forest of Feelings.<ref name=houston-2/> Critics compared at least two aspects of the film to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: the Spirit received similarities to the Magic Mirror and the Wicked Queen,<ref name=houston-2/><ref name=free-lance/><ref name=independent/><ref name=variety-reviews/> but Charles Solomon said that the Bears lacked the individual qualities of the Dwarfs.<ref name=solomon/> Solomon noted that in animated features of that era, villains such as the Spirit "lacked motivation—if the viewer accepts their evil intentions, it's only because he's been told to".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to Tom Ogden (in his 1997 book Wizards and Sorcerers: From Abracabadra to Zoroaster), the Bears' Stare against the Spirit serves as a kind of white magic.Template:Sfn<ref group="nb">According to Ogden's Wizards and Sorcerers, "White magic calls on natural forces or appeals to angelic spirits in order to provide benevolent results."Template:Sfn</ref> Bruce Bailey wrote in The Montreal Gazette, "Such a non-violent solution, should sit well with peace lobbyists".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to a 2005 article in The Times of London, an Internet reviewer called The Care Bears Movie "a fine example of Christian socialism".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Accolades

At the 1985 Genie Awards in its native Canada, The Care Bears Movie won the Golden Reel Award for being the country's highest-grossing film of the year.<ref name=urquhart/> Ron Cohen, president of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, presented the award to producers Hirsh, Loubert, and Smith.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> John Sebastian's "Nobody Cares Like a Bear" received a Genie nomination for Best Original Song;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> his performance was part of CBC's live telecast of the ceremony on March 20, 1986.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film received a Young Artist Award nomination for "Best Family Animation Series or Special", but lost to the CBS series The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During its 21st annual award ceremony on October 17, 1985, Nashville's performance rights organization SESAC honoured Woodward and Bird for their songwriting efforts.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Follow-ups

After the release of The Care Bears Movie, DIC Entertainment produced a syndicated 11-episode television series featuring the title characters.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Another series, Nelvana's The Care Bears Family, premiered on ABC in the US and Canada's Global in September 1986,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was subsequently broadcast in 140 countries.Template:Sfn Nelvana followed the first film with another two theatrical installments, Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987); neither made as much of a critical or commercial impact.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A New Generation, released by Columbia Pictures,<ref name=bomojo-cb2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> made over US$8.5 million in North America and US$12 million worldwide<ref name=dream>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name=financial-post>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=bomojo-cb2/> Adventure in Wonderland was self-financed by Nelvana and released by Cineplex Odeon Films,<ref name=financial-post/><ref name=bomojo-cb3>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and grossed US$2.608 million domestically,<ref name=bomojo-cb3/> with worldwide earnings of US$6 million;<ref name=financial-post/> it barely recovered its costs.<ref name=maclean-1/><ref name=financial-post/> Because of this, Michael Hirsh later declared, "It was just one sequel too many."<ref name=maclean-1/> The Bears returned for one more animated production, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite, which debuted on video and television in December 1988.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The franchise's next feature film, 2004's Journey to Joke-a-lot,<ref name=spectator>Template:Cite news</ref> also premiered on video (via Lionsgate and Family Home Entertainment).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=pipeline>Template:Cite journal</ref>

See also

• Canadian films of the 1980s
• List of Nelvana franchises
• List of animated feature-length films

References

Works cited

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External links

• Official site at MGM
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0088885

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