![]() All the kids in the restaurant initially thought Mac was just a toy, but viewers could see right through the movie’s opportunistic ways.Ĭhair Bear in Cape Fear (1991). From the alien’s name on down, Mac and Me was pure, commercialized trash, plugging Coca-Cola and even boasting a Ronald McDonald cameo. In what is widely regarded as the most shameless bit of product placement in movie history, the notorious dud Mac and Me features a lengthy dance number at its center, the action taking place inside a McDonald’s and surrounding alien Mac in a fuzzy teddy bear costume. He’ll have marmalade sndwiches, thank you very much. Civilized and polite, this bear couldn’t be bothered to stick his paw in a jar of honey. Paddington is, himself, an immigrant, landing in London after traveling from Peru. Based on a similar bear Bond once saw at a London toy store near Paddington Station on Christmas Eve, the anthropomorphic creation has enchanted kids in countries the world over. The movie version of Paddington Bear isn’t set to drop until 2014, but the character has been out-classing his peers since 1958, when Michael Bond’s A Bear Called Paddington was first published. Paddington Bear in Paddington Bear (2014). The name becomes an integral detail of the plot, serving to prove to Creasy that his new friend is still alive. A symbol of the loyalty forged between Creasy (Washington) and Pita (Dakota Fanning) is Pita’s teddy bear, which she leaves behind when she’s mysteriously kidnapped, but names after her bodyguard and eventual liberator. ![]() ![]() Tony Scott’s most popular collaboration with Denzel Washington is exceedingly stronger in its first half than in its second, proving that a character bond portrayed by two fine actors is far more interesting than a vengeance-fueled bloodbath. The bear proves a comfort object that unites a family as they meet for the first time.Ĭreasy Bear in Man on Fire (2004). Once on the observation deck of the World Trade Center, her and Sam Baldwin’s (Tom Hanks) meeting place, Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) finds the backpack of Sam’s son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), containing a teddy bear that starts the conversation when Sam and Jonah make it to the deck as well. Directed and co-written by Nora Ephron, a woman to whom we all just sadly said goodbye, Sleepless in Seattle preceded Titanic as the mother of three-hanky, girls-night flicks, and its finale involves a teddy bear as crucial as Rose Dewitt Bukater’s precious diamond. Jonah’s Teddy Bear in Sleepless in Seattle (1993). The act is enough to make Sarah wish for the baby’s abduction, which winds up seeming a bit extreme considering all that goes down after. Collectively, the strongest symbol of her enduring immaturity is her vast collection of toys, none of which means more than Lancelot, the blonde bear that Toby unwittingly stole. From the forced role of surrogate mom to poor, kidnapped Toby, to the undeniable allure of David Bowie’s spandex-wrapped bulge, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth is as much about young Sarah’s (Jennifer Connelly) march to womanhood as it is about her trek to the castle of Bowie’s androgynous Goblin King. Sporting a squeeze-your-cares-away smile but nevertheless two-faced, Lots-O’ puts a whale of damper on Buzz and company’s plans in this love-showered threequel, standing as a sad symbol of toy outgrowth gone awry. Lots-O’-Huggin Bear, voiced with a growly twang by Ned Beatty, is one formidable, issue-laden villain, whose trauma of being jilted by a past owner feeds a hunger to make life miserable for good toys everywhere. Don’t be deceived by that welcoming gaze or pink, untainted appearance. Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear in Toy Story 3 (2010). Next time you snuggle up with your childhood friend, remember these teddy bear stars, who strive to prove there’s more to them than mere fluff. Either way, they’ve leapt from the uncertainty of the toy-store shelf to the immortality of film, assuming the roles of confidant, booby trap, and even surveillance vessel. Some of these characters (don’t call them props!) make only brief appearances, while others prove central to the story being told. Longtime pal and enabler of Mark Wahlberg’s man-boy, Ted may be the screen’s most naughty plush companion, but he owes a certain debt to his cuddly, uh, forebears. Seth MacFarlene releases his first feature on the world this weekend in the form of Ted, a transgressive raunchfest in which the writer/director voices the fuzzy, f-bomb-dropping title character.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |