The Care Bears Movie (Fully Packaged Import) (Region 2)  (DVD English)

The Care Bears Movie was essentially a 75-minute commercial to introduce a new toy range, the Care Bear Cousins, disguised as a smarmy story about sharing feelings. The film ushered in a spate of cheap animated films created solely to sell merchandise to children. The plot interweaves the stories of Kim and Jason, two lonely orphans who have given up caring, and of Nicholas, a friendless magician's assistant who is seduced by an evil spirit. The Care Bears resolve everyone's problems, naturally. Years later, the Care Bears' popularity has waned and the film stands as a reminder of one of the less admirable uses of animation. The stars, hearts, rainbows and saccharine songs can't disguise the barefaced commercialism behind the threadbare story. --Charles Solomon