Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 animated musical fantasy film co-produced by LBS Communications and Nelvana Limited, and released by Columbia Pictures. It is the third animated feature from Nelvana and a prequel to The Care Bears Movie and second film in the Care Bears franchise. It was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder, and produced by Nelvana's three founders; Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. It stars the voices of Alyson Court, Cree Summer, Maxine Miller and Hadley Kay. In the story, The Great Wishing Star (voiced by Chris Wiggins) tells the origins of the Care Bears and the story of their first Caring Mission. True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse lead the other Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins in aiding Christy, a young camper who is tempted by the evil shape-shifting Dark Heart. This is also the first appearance of the Care Bear Cubs, who also had their own line of toys.
A New Generation was made over a seven-month period at Nelvana's Toronto facilities, with additional work handled by Taiwan's Wang Film Productions, and involved several crew members who had worked on The Care Bears Movie. Patricia Cullen served as composer, and Los Angeles musicians Dean and Carol Parks worked on the film's six songs.
Upon its release in March 21, 1986, A New Generation gained negative attention for its unnecessary merchandising tie-ins, poor animation quality, and frightening themes for a children's movie. Some of its key elements received comparisons to the German legend Faust and J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. The film grossed only $8.5million in North America, about a third of what the previous installment earned, and over $12million worldwide. It was released on video in August 21, 1986, and the final home media release to date was a Blu-ray issued in August 2021. The film was followed by The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland in 1987.
Plot
On the ocean, a yellow bear named True Heart Bear and a purple horse named Noble Heart Horse sail a giant ship, looking after a pack of baby animals known as the Care Bear Cubs and Care Bear Cousin Cubs. Their journey is disrupted when a red sea serpent attacks. The serpent is one of many forms of Dark Heart, an evil shape-shifting spirit that brings chaos to the land. They escape by following a rainbow up to the sky, their boat transforming into the Cloud Clipper. In the sky, they meet the Great Wishing Star, who gives each creature a unique symbol on their chest, indicating their role or specialty. True Heart and Noble Heart become the founders of the Kingdom of Caring, a land which comprises Care-a-Lot and the Forest of Feelings.
For the Bears' first Caring Mission, True Heart and Swift Heart Rabbit travel to Earth at a summer camp. There, they meet Christy, a kind and determined young girl, and her best friends, twins John and Dawn. The children are frustrated by the boastful "Camp Champ", who dominates every contest. When they confront him, he assigns them to trash duty. Upset, Christy runs away with her friends, only to get lost in the forest. True Heart rescues John and Dawn, bringing them to the Kingdom of Caring. The twins learn about the Caring Meter, which measures caring on Earth. While Noble Heart and True Heart search for Dark Heart and Christy, the twins are tasked with babysitting the Cubs. In the forest, Christy meets Dark Heart disguised as a teenage boy. She wishes to become the new Camp Champ; he grants her wish, but warns she must pay him back later. Aware of Dark Heart's potential, True Heart and Noble Heart relocate the Bear Cubs to Care-a-Lot and the Cousin Cubs to the Forest of Feelings. Both sets quickly mature to become the Care Bear Family.
Later, as the Family prepares an anniversary celebration for the Kingdom's founders, Dark Heart infiltrates Care-a-Lot disguised as a repairman. The Star Buddies, the Great Wishing Star's standing army, repel him, and the Family unites against him, using their "Care Bear Stare" and "Care Cousin Call" to drive him away. True Heart and Noble Heart depart to pursue Dark Heart, leaving the Family to handle missions. During the Family's patrol, they spot Christy stranded in a canoe, but Dark Heart attacks as an aura of mist. The Family is captured and trapped in his magic bag, fulfilling the favor Christy owed. Realizing Christy's alliance with Dark Heart, Tenderheart Bear holds a press wheel in the Hall of Hearts. John and Dawn, after being rescued from a possessed moose, join the Family's discussion of their plan to defeat Dark Heart.
That night, Dark Heart brainwashes the campers to wreak havoc. The Family attempts to rescue its captured members, only for Dark Heart to imprison them inside rubies on a chandelier. John and Dawn convince the guilt-ridden Christy to turn against Dark Heart by admitting her deed and vowing to stop him. True Heart and Noble Heart, tricked earlier by Dark Heart into leaving the Family alone, join the children in a raid on Dark Heart's lair. When Dark Heart foils the party's attempt to steal a necklace with a key, Christy confronts Dark Heart and demands that he release the Family. He refuses, reveals the trapped Family, and attacks True Heart and Noble Heart. Christy tries to intervene, but is struck by one of Dark Heart's lightning bolts. Before seemingly dying, she flicks a marble into the lever holding up the chandelier, breaking it and freeing the Family. With her last breaths, Christy tells Dark Heart that whether good or bad, he is still a person.
Dark Heart's evil magic fades and he begs the Family to save Christy. Everyone, including the Family, the twins, a hesitant Dark Heart, and the film's audience, chants that they care. Christy is revived, and the group escapes Dark Heart's collapsing lair. Dark Heart, freed from the dark magic, permanently becomes human. After a large celebration, the Family bids farewell to the campers and returns home. The film ends with the Great Wishing Star delivering an ending speech thanking the viewers, followed by Harmony Bear and Brave Heart paddling a rowboat past the castle and flashbacks of the Family's childhood.
Cast
NameCharacter Hadley Kay Dark Heart/The Boy Chris Wiggins Great Wishing Star Cree Summer Christy Alyson Court Dawn Michael Fantini John Sunny Besen Thrasher Camp Champ Maxine Miller True Heart Bear Pam Hyatt Noble Heart Horse Dan Hennessey Brave Heart Lion Billie Mae Richards Tenderheart Bear Eva Almos Friend Bear Bob Dermer Grumpy Bear Patrice Black Share Bear/Funshine Bear Nonnie Griffin Harmony Bear Jim Henshaw Bright Heart Raccoon Melleny Brown Cheer Bear Janet-Laine Green Wish Bear Marla Lukofsky Playful Heart Monkey Gloria Figura Bedtime Bear
Production
Development The Care Bears franchise was created in 1981 by Those Characters from Cleveland, a division of the greeting card company American Greetings. Early in their tenure, the characters appeared as toys from the Kenner company, and also in greeting cards by Elena Kucharik. They 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). After the specials, Toronto's Nelvana studio produced the first Care Bears Movie in less than eight months. It was distributed in the United States by The Samuel Goldwyn Company, an independent outfit, and grossed US$22.9 million at the North American box office, the largest amount for a non-Disney animated film at the time. This success guaranteed production of a second film, which was in consideration by May 1985. As with the original, production took place at Nelvana's facilities and Taiwan's Wang Film Productions; the Canadian studio also hired South Korean personnel to handle inking and painting. This time, over one hundred Nelvana animators worked on the film over a seven-month period that lasted until February 1986; the company itself received credit for the story development. American Greetings and Kenner commissioned Nelvana to make the sequel on contract; television syndicator LBS Communications, a co-financier of the first one, became the producer and presenter.
Care Bears Movie II was Nelvana's third animated feature film, after 1983's Rock & Rule and The Care Bears Movie. It marked the directorial debut of Dale Schott, a Nelvana staff member who served as assistant director on the first Care Bears Movie, as well as the Nelvana/Lucasfilm TV series Ewoks. Several other crewmembers from the first film returned to the fold; Nelvana's founders (Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith) served as producers, while Peter Sauder wrote the screenplay and Charles Bonifacio handled animation duties. Jack Chojnacki, the co-president of American Greetings' licensing division Those Characters from Cleveland, served once again as an executive producer. A roster of Toronto voice actors—among them Cree Summer, Sunny Besen Thrasher, Dan Hennessey and Hadley Kay—appeared in this follow-up. Mickey Rooney and Georgia Engel, who appeared in the first film, did not return.
At one point, The Samuel Goldwyn Company was about to release A New Generation, but lost the distribution rights after turning down demands from the producers. Eventually, Nelvana went into negotiations with Columbia Pictures, which acquired worldwide theatrical rights in early 1986. This led founder Samuel Goldwyn Jr. to remark: "The fact that Columbia is distributing the Care Bears sequel is typical of the greed of the big studios. Someone else has to go in and prove something works, then a studio will charge in." By contrast, Goldwyn acquired the rights to the original film after major U.S. studios passed on it; they did not see the financial potential in a movie aimed strictly for children.
Allusions
According to Richard Freedman of the Newhouse News Service, "This must be the first version of the Faust myth in which not only does Faust (or Faustina [Christy], here) manage to weasel out of the pact with the Devil, but succeeds in regenerating him, as well." Elliot Krieger of Rhode Island's Providence Journal also took note of such a theme, headlining his review "Faust goes to summer camp". In regards to continuity issues, a reviewer in The Scarecrow Movie Guide observed a "montage showing the Care Bears and their Cousins growing up together from infancy to full Care Bear maturation—nullifying everything that happened in the first movie". Mike McLane of Florida's Gainesville Sun gave a few suggestions of the storyline's possible religious subtext. He compared the Great Wishing Star to God, the Bears' "beautiful cloud kingdom" of Care-a-Lot to Heaven, and Dark Heart to Satan; he also hinted that the Bears protected humankind like angels did.
Charles Solomon pointed out that the film's climax, in which the Bears help revive Christy, "borrows...flagrantly from Peter Pan". The Scarecrow contributor took note of this aspect, writing, "There's an excruciating scene where the Care Bears turn to the audience and plead for help in the form of excessive and focused caring." In his critique, Hal Lipper called it the "Tinker Bell Principle", whereupon the audience must come together to save a dying character. In Vincent Canby's opinion, the Great Wishing Star "looks like Tinker Bell if she were a star-shaped beanbag".
Music
As with the original film, Patricia Cullen composed the score for Care Bears Movie II. The soundtrack album was released in LP format by Kid Stuff Records. Los Angeles musicians Dean and Carol Parks were credited as producers, writers and performers of the film's six songs, which were included on the album. Stephen Bishop, performer of the Oscar-nominated "It Might Be You" from Tootsie, and Debbie Allen from the TV series Fame, were on hand as vocalists. John Braden arranged and edited the album.