This animated film goes along with the song title, “Lean on Me.” The message is good in that it teaches children to appreciate their friends and lean on each other through the happy and sad times! This is a feel good movie about friendship and loyalty. It may not educate but it definitely entertains.
Boog is a friendly, grizzly bear voiced by Martin Lawrence. He lives safely in his Park Ranger/friend’s garage. Park Ranger Beth is voiced by Debra Messing. They put on shows in the neighborhood for children to go see. It is almost like a circus act. This all takes place in a quiet mountain town of Timberline.
One afternoon Beth and Boog decide to ride into town. As Beth runs into the town store, Boog waits outside in the car. He happens to see a deer with one antler strapped onto a hunter’s truck parked next to him. He realizes the deer, Elliot, is still alive and is awfully talkative. Elliot is voiced by Ashton Kutcher. He begs and pleads with Boog to untie him. Boog does but doesn’t realize that he just saved a new friend that would not leave him alone.
Later on in the evening, Elliot decides to go visit Boog at his home. Elliot holds up Boog’s food dish and says, “I get it, you’re like a pet!” Elliot decides that Boog needs to be freed from captivity and explore the wild. He tempts him to come outside with a delicious candy bar. There was no specific product placement but these candy bars looked exactly like butterfingers. A few minutes later the two are lost in the woods and it’s almost hunting season! Boog has no outdoor skills but Elliot assures him that he knows it all, including the way back home, and they would be okay.
If they do not get out of the woods in a few days they will be bombarded with hunters looking to kill any animal they come across. The mean hunter introduced in this film is Shaw, voiced by Gary Sinise. This man is the classic bad guy in the film. He is a scruffy, mountain man who always has a cigarette in his mouth and a rifle in his hand. He believes that the animals are going to take over if the humans to not hunt them down.
While Boog and Elliot are trying to find their way home, they are really going in circles through out the woods. They run into all kinds of friendly animals along the way. These animals will add humor to the film for not only children, but also adults. The skunks have a problem with everyone; the squirrels think that they own all the trees and the beavers are busy building their dam. Although some of the animals did not like each other too much, they realized they needed to bond so that they could help each other survive during hunting season. The animals will try to their best to stay safe. As Boog says, “I’m not goin down with out a fight!”
The plot can get old after the second time the animal duo gets lost and goes in a circle. But the humor will get you through. The waterfall scene kept me on the edge of my seat, and this is an animation flick were talking about. With each trial that Boog and Elliot encounter, Boog and Elliot learn to have self respect and respect for others. They both felt like outcasts in their pasts but learn to overcome that.
I rate this film a B+. The animals are hilarious. They each have their own home in the woods. None of the animals are stereotyped. Children will become friends with almost all of them. The setting seems so surreal and the film is fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seats. I recommend it to parents and children. It is definitely a fun way to spend an hour and a half together. The only set back is that they get lost in the woods for quite a while so you, as adults, may become a little antsy. And it may not be educational but it does teach good morals and make you laugh.