The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine

The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine is the second animated television special to feature the Care Bears characters.[2] Made by Ottawa's Atkinson Film-Arts studios, it premiered in syndication in April 1984.[3] The special introduces three new Care Bears characters,Grams Bear, Hugs, and Tugs.[4]

The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine
A poster for the original May 1984 video release of the special
Written byPeter Sauder
Directed byPino van Lamsweerde,
Paul Schibli (animation)
StarringRick Jones
Bob Dermer
Noreen Young
Les Lye
Abby Hagyard
Dominic Bradford
Brodie Osome
Narrated byBob Dermer
Theme music composerBob and Merry Chimbel (songs),
Gary Morton (score)
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersW.H. Stevens Jr.
Hugh Campbell
Paul Pressler (associate)
Those Characters from Cleveland, LLC
CinematographyRon Haines
Jan Topper
EditorsJohn Harris
Jennifer Irwin
Norman LeBlanc
Gerald Tripp
Running time30 min.
Production companyAtkinson Film-Arts
Release
Original networkSyndication
Original releaseApril 1984 (1984-04)[1]
Related
The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine
Care Bears

Plot

Paul, a young boy, vows to get even with his bullies. Through this, the mad scientist Professor Coldheart tricks him into fixing his "Careless Ray Contraption" after his bumbling henchman Frostbite breaks it by accident. The Care Bears, led by Tenderheart Bear, must do all they can to stop Coldheart's plan of freezing every child in town with his machine. Hugs and Tugs, two baby Care Bears are kidnapped by Coldheart to be trapped in ice, and after finding it out from their caretaker Grams Bear, the Care Bears must not only stop Coldheart and convince Paul not to get even, but must also rescue Hugs and Tugs.

Overview

The special, a follow-up to the previous installment The Land Without Feelings (from 1983), sees the return of the ten original Bears, the rarely seen Cloud Keeper, and the blue-skinned love-hating villain Professor Coldheart. In addition, the special introduces Baby Hugs, Baby Tugs, their caretaker Grams Bear, and Professor Coldheart's dwarf henchman, Frostbite.

Cast
  • Les Lye as Professor Coldheart
  • Anna MacCormack
  • Noreen Young as Baby Hugs
  • Abby Hagyard as Friend Bear, Wish Bear & Love-A-Lot Bear
  • Bob Dermer as Frostbite and the Cloudkeeper
  • Dominic Bradford as Paul
  • Brodie Osome as Lumpy
  • Rick Jones as Tenderheart Bear, Birthday Bear & Good Luck Bear

Release and reception

The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine aired on over 100 U.S. TV stations in April 1984, and was sponsored by the Kenner company.[1] That same year, it won an award for Best Children's Program at the 13th National ACTRA Awards.[5] A tie-in book based on the special (ISBN 0-910313-15-6) was written by Arthur S. Rosenblatt, illustrated by Joe Ewers and published by Parker Brothers as a part of the Tales from the Care Bears series.

The special was released on VHS and Beta by Family Home Entertainment in May 1984.[6] This, and The Land Without Feelings, were among the ten best-selling children's videos on the U.S. market in 1985.[7] It was released for the first time on DVD, as a special feature, on MGM Home Entertainment's 2007 re-issue of The Care Bears Movie. The print featured on the disc is the syndicated edit, not the original broadcast version.

In 1987, Don R. Le Duc referred to Freeze Machine as a "shallow merchandising marvel".[8]

In fall 2008, the special edition of The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine has been released on DVD. Additionally, the version featured on this DVD is not the rare original version, but the more common one seen as part of the later syndicated run of the regular DIC and Nelvana series (which was also seen on the Disney Channel and, later, Toon Disney).

References
  1. Re:act. Action for Children's Television. 13. 1984. ...To follow up on this response, Kenner will sponsor a second Care Bears special on a network of over 100 local TV stations in April {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Leccese, Donna (June 1984). "A bear's eye view of plush". Playthings. No. 82. Geyer-McAllister Publications Inc. p. 30.
  3. Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
  5. "Awards List". Crawley Films. Archived from the original on October 18, 2003. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  6. "New on the Charts: Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 21. VNU/Nielsen Business Media. May 25, 1985. p. 31. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  7. "Television/Radio Age". Television/Radio Age. Television Editorial Corp. 34: 14. 1986. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  8. Le Duc, Don R. (1987). Beyond Broadcasting: Patterns in Policy and Law. Longman. p. 65. ISBN 0-582-29039-2. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
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