Playing meet-the-press is not one of Justin Timberlake’s favorite roles. He’s not shy, just cautious about certain questions, especially ones relating to the reason why he’s hobbling around in crutches. The 29-year-old singer-turned-actor, whose ailment is the result of an injury sustained on a movie set, voices the character of Boo Boo, Yogi’s faithful pal and co-conspirator in the animated family flick “Yogi Bear.”
A 3D feature film adapted from the animated cartoons created in 1958 by Hanna-Barbera, it was one of Timberlake’s favorite television shows while growing up.
“Back when I was in school, I’d procrastinate doing my homework by watching cartoons, and ‘Yogi Bear’ was one of the staples of after-school television and Saturday mornings,” says the Grammy Award-winning artist. “Later, I found out that my parents grew up watching it too.”
Combining fully animated CG characters with a human cast, “Yogi Bear” is directed by Eric Brevig, whose credits include “Men in Black” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” Brevig is also well-known in CGI circles for directing the 3D hit “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.” Leading the film’s live-action cast are Anna Faris, who plays a documentary filmmaker and Tom Cavanagh as the park Ranger –Yogi’s nemesis. Dan Aykroyd voices Yogi, who along with Boo Boo attempt to stop their home from closing down as a result of financial mismanagement.
“There are two great themes that offset each other for young people in this movie,” adds Timberlake. “We are living in the age of technology, and it’s nice to know we are using 3D technology to school kids on the environment and how money is not the most important thing in the world. There’s a great way to reach young minds and right now it’s with big 3D movies.”
In “Yogi Bear,” the mayor has been squandering the city’s cash and plans to cover up his financial indiscretions by selling Jellystone Park. Families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors the park has always provided—and, even worse, Yogi, Boo Boo and all their friends will be tossed out of the only home they’ve ever known. To stop him, Yogi and Boo Boo join forces with Ranger Smith to find a way to save the park from closing forever.
Timberlake, who voiced a lead role in “Shrek the Third,” was fortunate to have the opportunity to actually work with Aykroyd in the same space, an uncommon occurrence in the animation world, where isolated solo recordings are the norm.
“It really made a difference that Dan and I got to work together rather than coming in one at a time and just reading the parts, for there’s a really nice relationship that they have,” says Timberlake on working with Aykroyd. “We both felt honored to pay tribute to multigenerational characters that are going to be introduced to young minds for the first time and we were encouraged to give them a new spin. There are some jokes that are a little more modern that will play better with young people,” he continues. “It was a very cool collaboration and we had a lot of fun doing it and I think it made a difference to the performances.”
Now a fully fledged actor, the Emmy- Award winning artist previously starred in Nick Cassavetes’ crime drama “Alpha Dog,” alongside Christina Ricci and “Black Snake Moan” with Samuel L. Jackson.
With a successful clothing line and several charitable pursuits through his Justin Timberlake Foundation, Timberlake is receiving numerous accolades for his work in the box office hit “The Social Network,” and became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Nsync, the third highest selling boy band of all-time.
“I kind of learned how to sing when I was kid imitating singers on the radio like Al Green and Michael Jackson,” Timberlake says. “I am the only child and I would entertain my parents by imitating Scooby Doo and Boo Boo. I would imitate all the cartoon voices,” he continues. “I grow up with them and laughed at them as a kid and I felt nostalgia and that is the biggest reason why I did it.”
Timberlake will next star in the comedies “Friends with Benefits,” with Mila Kunis and Emma Stone, and “Bad Teacher,” with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, both due out next year.
