Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose is a 1987 television film produced by Hanna-Barbera as part of their Superstars 10 series of syndicated TV movies. The film stars Yogi Bear and other H-B characters like Boo-Boo, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw and Snagglepuss as members of a tour of the famous Spruce Goose. While exploring the plane, it magically takes off, sending the gang on an outrageous adventure. And before you ask, yes, that Spruce Goose
the H-4 "Hercules" military airlift flying boat prototype made by that Howard Hughes, and which only flew once in its entire career before the project was cancelled and the plane itself put on public display. This is one of the least wild parts of this movie, as Yogi, his stowaway friend Bernice, and the gang travel the world in the magic-powered airplane on a high-flying adventure encountering friendly aliens, evil poachers, and the scheming Dread Baron and Mumbly, who has his own plans for the Spruce Goose.
This film contains examples of:
- Actor Allusion: Mumbly (voiced by Don Messick) imitates Frank Sinatra's ad-libbed closing scat from "Strangers in the Night" at one point, but he instead sings, "Scooby Dooby Doo!" Rather appropriate, too, as Sinatra's scat reportedly inspired Scooby's name in the first place.
- Animation Bump: The animation looks really good during the close ups of the characters.
- A Wizard Did It: How the plane became active in the first place. Lampshaded by the characters who wonder how Yogi was able to start the plane just by pushing a single button.
- Bait-and-Switch: At one point, Yogi and the others hear a banging and wonder where it is. They initially think it's a bird with a bad wing that got stuck, but after fixing its wing, the banging returns. Yogi and his friends find a door where the banging is coming from and that's how they meet Bernice.
- Berserk Button: Bernice tells the gang she doesn't like it when she's called a Tomboyish Name like "Bernie".
- Cassandra Truth: Bernice's mom doesn't believe her daughter about the adventure.
- Clap Your Hands If You Believe: To save the animals on a sinking ship, Bernice suggests using the nose-mounted cargo doors that the Hercules was designed with, but is informed that the Spruce Goose was built without the doors since it was only a prototype....so Yogi gets the gang to believe in the plane's cargo doors.
- Didn't Think This Through: The Spruce Goose comes across a stranded ship with animals and Yogi decides to tow them to land. They do this by tying ropes to the top of the ship's doors, which inevitably pulls them open and causing the ship to start sinking.
- Expy: Dread Baron and Mumbly are these to Dastardly and Muttley. Paul Winchell even uses his Dastardly voice for Dread Baron. The characters are first seen at Dastardly's plane from Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines. Both were preceded by the dog Mugger from the Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964), all three characters were voiced by Don Messick. In the Laff-A-Lympics comic book, written by Mark Evanier, Dick Dastardly and Muttley meet Dread Baron and Mumbly and it is revealed that Dick Dastardly and Dread Baron are brothers.
- Hey, That's My Line!: At one point in the film, Huckleberry uses Snagglepuss's "even" Verbal Tic, prompting Snagglepuss to say this in annoyance.
- Historical Domain Character: Or, more accurately, Historical Domain Vehicle. The titular Spruce Goose is the famous prototype flying boat designed by Howard Hughes, which, though what can only be described as unknown but obviously magical means, is brought to "life" and takes off on a world tour; it should be noted that, in real life, the Spruce Goose flew only once, in a one mile, 30 second flight off of Cabrillo Beach, California, though it was at least designed for trans-Atlantic flights in mind.
- Hollywood Natives: The movies' portrayal of island natives is rather sketchy as it depicts them as comedic thugs.
- Honor Before Reason: The heroes don't believe Dread Baron's claims of being reformed, but they promised to rescue him and Mumbly if they did a good deed and feel bound to that. It comes back to bite them, of course.
- Insult Backfire: When Dread Baron begs to go with Yogi and his crew, Yogi refuses because he's a "sneaky, no-good, lying, conniving stinker." The Dread Baron is flattered.Dread Baron: Oh, thank you. You forgot untrustworthy.
- I Warned You: After Dread Baron betrays them, Yogi says he doesn't want to hear this. The others do it, anyway.
- Island Help Message: Dread Baron and Mumbly write it at the island where the heroes meet them.
- Lampshade Hanging: There's a lot of this such as Boo Boo asking if Yogi really knows how to fly a plane and the fact that Yogi was able to get the Spruce Goose flying in the first place.
- Little Stowaway: Bernice, though not entirely by choice: She and her mom were at the plane earlier and Bernice got lost.
- New Jobs As The Plot Demands: Yogi is depicted as running his own tour service.
- Plot-Irrelevant Villain: A pair of aliens appear at two points trying to launch an Alien Invasion but are unknowingly thwarted by the heroes.
- Pragmatic Villainy: The heroes are divided on rescuing Dread Baron and Mumbly, but they agree to do it if they perform a good deed (in this case, returning a lost egg to its nest on the mountain). The heroes still acknowledge he's not doing a good deed for the sake of it, just for his own benefit.
- Random Events Plot: This movie is very....odd from beginning to end. The film does start with Yogi Bear and his friends going to see the Spruce Goose, which does make sense. When Yogi finds a roped off area on the plane and decides to investigate and he and the others are locked in, that's when things start getting weird.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: Dread Baron and Mumbly have to convince the good guys they're no longer evil or the heroes won't rescue them.
- Riddle for the Ages: It's never really explained how Yogi managed to get the plane started just by pushing one button.
- Suddenly Speaking: As Dread Baron laments being stranded on the island, he also bemoans being stuck with a dog who speaks only in mumbles and demands he speak. Mumbly then delivers an eloquent statement about the situation and the arrival of the heroes.
- Tomboy: Bernice to the point where Snagglepuss thinks she's a boy at first but Bernice demands he take it back, saying she's a girl much to Yogi and his friend's surprise.
- Traveling at the Speed of Plot: It would have taken at least several hours for the entire film to take place but when Yogi, his friends and Bernice return to the museum, it's only the next day.
- Triumphant Reprise: "The Holliday Jollyday Tour Bus" is reprised at the end of the film.
- Vocal Evolution: Daws Butler's characters sound more noticeably aged here, particularly Quick Draw.
- Vote Early, Vote Often: When the heroes vote over rescuing Dread Baron and Mumbly or not, each side gets 8 votes in spite of there being only 10 voters.
- Who Is Driving?: At one point, Yogi steps to the back of the plane to talk with his friends and when asked who's piloting, pulls up Boo-Boo. When asked who's flying now, Yogi and Boo Boo scramble back to the pilot's seat.
