Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm
Written and Directed by Brian Zemrak
2019
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Footloose was a film made for toddlers with anthropomorphized animals including an owl voiced by Lost in Space’s June Lockhart and a human king voiced by horror mainstay Julian Sands? Well, now is your chance with Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm.
Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm tells the story about a bear named Bongee who is sent out on a quest to break a spell cast by a stereotypical ugly witch which strips the the citizens ability to dance. I imagine they must have attempted to get Kevin Bacon to voice Bongee, if for nothing else than some laughs. Bongee was voiced by long time Animaniacs alum Rob Paulsen who did a terrific job in keeping this viewer viewing.
While this film is well outside my wheelhouse, I will say that the performances were all strong and there is an undeniable charm is seeing a production for children that isn’t stamped with a mouse house logo. There is value in highlighting independently produced media in any over saturated market. The love and desire to make a creative product is nearly enough to overcome the speedbumps of non-traditional production values.
This review is going to stand out like an anchovy in a matchbox. If you are a longtime reader of this site, then I will not tell you to watch this movie. When I said this was a film for toddlers, I meant that literally. Its crude animation style and repetitive musical numbers were designed for the attention span of the undiscerning, diapered, viewer. Sure, they are unable to read, so this review does them no good, but imagine if you will a bunch of infants sitting around a table, smoking stogies, and playing poker. I can easily see them talking about Bongee Bear as an independent animated feature the same way I see dorks like me talking about Chris Nolan films. A gateway is a gateway. Maybe suggest this to a parent who could use an alternative movie for their child if for no other reason than maybe not having to listen to Frozen for the millionth time.
Hiring Kevin Bacon would be a nice gag, but it would have annihilated the budget for this film, and it would have had to be animated by actual toddlers. While that would be a hoot, it would also made it unwatchable, so the right decision was made.