This is an animated movie that older kids and teens will love. It features memorable characters such as Bramble, Briar, and Vick from previous Boonie Bear installments, as well as a new character named Avi, an alien from another planet. At first it seems that Avi is on a mission of destruction, but we learn that there is more to his character than meets the eye. Almost non-stop action is a big element of the film, and enough graphics and explosions to keep all viewers awake!
The movie opens with a large creature terrifying a city, and saying, “You humans could never stop littering!” which is a nice environmental statement, to encourage people to care for the planet they live on. Trash is pelted at them, which enables Bramble the bear to say, “Time to take out the trash!” Bramble isn’t always the sharpest pencil in the can, but he has his heart in the right place.
Bramble daydreams of himself with a cape, and he’s called a hero in his daydream. Little does he know that he will soon get the opportunity to actually be a hero and to help many others during a time of crisis. Bramble is the type that slips on a banana peel but displays great courage when the chips are down. In other words, he’s a lovable character.
Huida Lin directed this stylistic and visual movie, and he always places his focus on the characters, and they are all outlandish and memorable, including a CEO that is a warrior and loud and boisterous. The visuals really deliver in this movie.
A little blue kitten named Avi turns out to be a central character, as he proves that small doesn’t mean one can’t be effective. He also shows that there is more to a character, or person, than meets the eye. At first, he seems like an annoying blue kitten but we learn in the course of the film that he was separated from his parents and sent to Earth during a catastrophic moment on his home world. He is hoping that his parents are still alive. We learn he is a Rhyot, and that the Rhyotans have a history with Earth. Avi tells Bramble that he has a part to play in the unfolding of the story, that the “core” is inside his tiny brain, and this core will be an important plot element in the movie. It is the key to finding Avi’s ship.
In one scene, Bramble pushes Avi away, and says, “I ain’t scared, Hairball.” “You will be,” replies Avi. But despite the tense moments the film features several moments of humor. In one scene Bramble wears a dress like Marilyn Monroe, along with a wig, and the famous “air blowing up her skirt” scene is reenacted. However, when the vent blows the dress off, an embarrassed Bramble hides in a dumpster!
There are no overt Christian themes in the film, but the movie does show the importance of family, parents, and helping one another. It nicely showcases that big things can sometimes come from the smallest of individuals.
THINK ABOUT IT: The film has some positive elements in it, but also has a lot of animated violence, which will remind the viewer of the old Looney Tunes cartoons. There are explosions, laser blasts, characters are knocked down, and large rocks fall on them, and war is a key theme in the story. There is also the use of some name calling, such as “Creep,” “Meathead,” “Moron,” and “You fools.”
Due to the positive elements of friends helping friends, and the emphasis on the importance of family, the film has secured our Dove Seal for ages 12+.
THE DOVE TAKE: Although there is some violence and name calling in the film, this Boonie Bears adventure is a lot of fun to watch, and the visuals are a feast for the eyes.
