The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000):  This movie bombed, but I don't know why.  It really kept in spirit with the classic TV cartoons, which people still like, but this movie just didn't take.  I don't think it was properly promoted.  A lot of people didn't even know it was coming out until it was too late.  I actually like this movie better than the cartoons.  It's fun to see Rocky and Bullwinkle as CGI characters.  Rocky, in particular, is done very, very cute!  He's absolutely adorable!

    My thoughts on Boris & Natasha are mixed.  Visually, the actors for this film look more like the cartoon characters than Dave Thomas and Sally Kellerman did for "Boris & Natasha: The Movie" (1990).  However, I thought Thomas and Kellerman gave better performances.  In this movie, Boris & Natasha are supporting characters true to their evil roots.  In the previous film, they were major characters and presented more as heroes.

    Robert DeNiro as Fearless Leader is EXCELLENT!  I've never been a huge fan of DeNiro's films, but this role is a standout.  He's actually acting and performing a distinct character!  Job well done!

    "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" is a great movie and incredibly underrated.  I urge anyone that is even a casual fan of the old cartoons to watch it.

---

Boris & Natasha: The Movie (1990):  This movie is awesome!  The fact that it didn't do that well commercially is a gross oversight.  I think it's a very smart action-comedy.  They do break the fourth wall on occasion, but just enough to tease the audience; it's not overdone.  Of course this is based on the characters of Boris & Natasha from the "Rocky & Bullwinkle" TV cartoons.  Unlike the cartoons, Boris & Natasha are not presented as evil.  Rather, they are anti-heroes.  At the start of the film, they enjoy being "bad spies".  Throughout the course of the movie, they become heroes.  I liked the fact that this wasn't just a straight adaptation of "Rocky & Bullwinkle".  There was a lot of room for creativity in this script.  Although we never see Rocky & Bullwinkle in this film, we do learn that two characters are Agents Moose & Squirrel.

    This movie also serves as an SCTV reunion of sorts.  Dave Thomas was Boris, Andrea Martin has a major supporting role as Toots, and John Candy plays ill-fated Kalishak.  "Boris & Natasha: The Movie" was made in 1990 for theatrical release.  Somewhere along the lines, it was NOT released in theaters and ended up being shown on the Showtime cable network on April 17, 1992.  It has been a rarity on home video, with a VHS release by Academy Entertainment in 1992, and a budget DVD release in 1999 with no bonus features.  If you can find this movie, I strongly recommend that you watch it.

    The cast is awesome, the story is interesting, and it's just a funny, action-packed show with a slight adult edge.  It even features a cameo from John Travolta during his "dry spell" before his major resurgence in popularity with the film, "Pulp Fiction" (1994).

Cast:
Dave Thomas as Boris Badenov
Sally Kellerman as Natasha Fatale
Christopher Neame as Fearless Leader
Corey Burton as Narrator
Andrea Martin as Toots/Agent Squirrel
John Calvin as Harve/Agent Moose
Paxton Whitehead as Anton and Kreeger Paulovitch
Larry Cedar as Mr. X/Willie
Alex Rocco as Sheldon Kaufman
Arye Gross as Bellhop
John Candy as Kalishak
Anthony Newley as Sal Minelli
Sid Haig as Col. Gorda
Director- Charles Martin Smith
Writers- Jay Ward [characters], Charles Fradin, Brad Hall, Linda Favila, Anson Downes

Notable Cameos:
Jose Eber as Himself
John Travolta as Himself
June Foray as Autograph Woman
Charles Martin Smith as Hotel Clerk
Rance Howard as Polygraph Man
John Voldstad as Passerby
Anson Downes as Agent Mike

Fun Facts:

• This movie was made on a budget of $1 million.
• June Foray was the original voice of Natasha and Rocky the Flying Squirrel.
• Rance Howard is the father of legendary actor/director Ron Howard.
• John Voldstad is best known as Other Brother Daryl from TVs "Newhart".
• The production company, Management Company Entertainment Group, could not secure the rights to the likenesses of the characters Rocky & Bullwinkle.  Instead, the script worked in a rather clever plot twist with Agents Moose & Squirrel.  It was probably a good thing they didn't have Rocky & Bullwinkle in the movie.  For one thing, this was a lower-budget movie made in 1990; special effects weren't that great and CGI really didn't come into its own until "Jurassic Park" (1993).  In addition, this film just worked better with a focus on Boris & Natasha.  I don't know how Rocky and Bullwinkle could have been successfully worked into the story.

---

Underdog (2007):  I really liked this movie, but it is quite a bit different than the classic cartoons.  Maybe those differences is the reason why this movie didn't take in theaters.  In this film, Underdog is a real dog (beagle) instead of a human-like dog.  Polly is also a real dog and NOT a TV reporter.  However, her owner Molly is a school reporter.  She's also never referred to as Sweet Polly Purebred.  In addition, the gangster-like wolf Riff Raff from cartoons is a real dog here.  Underdog is the only one that can talk to people; the other major dog characters only speak "dog talk".  The exception to this rule are the three super-powered German Shepherds created by mad scientist Bar Sinister.

    I thought the writers of this movie did an excellent job.  It's the first time Underdog has ever been given an origin story, and it makes more sense than what we see in the classic cartoons.  We learn how Underdog gets his powers, his relationship to archnemesis Simon Bar Sinister, and the significance of the energy pill.  Job well done!

    There were a few things about this movie that I thought could have been done differently, but it doesn't change the fact that this is still a good show.  For one, I like Jason Lee, and his voice turned out fine for Underdog, but I think audiences were expecting him to sound like Underdog from the cartoons.  This is straight up Jason's voice, and no attempt was made to sound like original voice man Wally Cox.  Wally's distinctive voice is a tough act to follow, but I do believe they could have done something to make him sound goofy.

    My second thought for improvement is the fact that Simon Bar Sinister was just too darn scary!  He should have been toned down a bit.  Bar Sinister was always more of a light-hearted mad scientist in the cartoons (if there is such a thing).  At any rate, I find the cartoon version of Bar Sinister a more likable character than the movie version.  The movie version of Bar Sinisiter might scare some kids.

    I also thought Patrick Warburton played Cad a bit too smart.  In the cartoons, Cad is a real stooge and he doesn't talk much.  Warburton simply put his classic "cocky idiot" spin on the Cad character.  Still funny, but different.  I believe the major reason this movie didn't take, besides lack of proper promotion, is the fact that all of the familiar characters' personalities were changed so much.

    James Belushi was great to see in this movie.  "Underdog" proves again that James Belushi is much more tolerable in movies than he is on television.  He's awesome in movies!

    For whatever creative liberties were taken in this movie, you do have to hand it to the film's creators for giving us an original production!  This isn't the same ol' thing we've seen over and over.  It's a fresh take on Underdog, and very watchable.  I recommend "Underdog".

Cast:
Jason Lee as Underdog/Shoeshine
Peter Dinklage as Simon Bar Sinister
Patrick Warburton as Cad Lackey
James Belushi as Dan Unger
Alex Neuberger as Jack
Taylor Momsen as Molly
Amy Adams as Polly
Brad Garrett as Riff Raff
John Slattery as Mayor

Fun Facts:

• You'll see a lot of General Mills products in this movie.  The "Underdog" (1964) cartoon series was created by General Mills' ad agency to promote their products.  "Underdog" is often thought of as a Jay Ward creation due to the fact that it was produced by his studio.
  
• In the cartoons, Riff Raff was a gangster wolf.  In this film, Riff Raff is a dog.

---

Yogi Bear (2010):  Incredible movie!  It's true to the spirit of the cartoons, but definitely animated better.  You can believe Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are real.  Their movements are very articulate.  The dialogue and sight gags are fresh and funny, and the voices are spot on.  I had my doubts when I heard Justin Timberlake was going to be the voice of Boo Boo, but he sounds just like Boo Boo!  Dan Aykroyd as Yogi Bear is amazing.  He wanted to put his own spin on the character so popularly voiced by the late Daws Butler.  This Yogi still sounds much like the cartoon Yogi, but it isn't a clone.  Dan's Yogi does a lot of neat things with his voice that we never heard before in the cartoons.  The cartoon Yogi's voice pretty much stays in the same loud, abbreviated mode.

    The cast was great.  I'll watch Anna Faris in just about anything; she's funny and she turned in another great performance.  I am also impressed with the special effects and stuntwork.  There are a lot of elaborate ideas here.  The story of this film is pretty straightforward:  Yogi and the crew save Jellystone Park from being destroyed by a corrupt mayor.  I highly recommend this movie.  It's definitely a family movie, but with plenty of snappy humor for adults.

Cast:
Dan Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo
Tom Cavanagh as Ranger Smith
Anna Faris as Rachel
T.J. Miller as Ranger Jones
Andrew Daly as Mayor R. Brown
Nathan Corddry as Chief of Staff
Josh Robert Thompson as Narrator
Director- Eric Brevig

Fun Facts:

• In this movie, Ranger Smith is single.  In the classic cartoons, references were made on rare occasion to Martha, Ranger Smith's wife.
• Nearly all of the songs in this film's soundtrack are over 20 years old.
• Ranger Jones was an original character for this movie.
• This film was made on a budget of $80 million dollars.  It made nearly $100 million at the box office in the United States alone.  Combine that with international ticket sales and DVD releases and you've got a movie that did pretty darn well.

---

---