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By Kelly Hartog
Sneak peek: The new 3D film Yogi Bear sees Dan Aykroyd voicing Yogi and Justin Timberlake voicing Boo BooHe may have started off as a singer, but Justin Timberlake's undeniable talent has won him praise for everything from acting to producing.
But his golden touch may have let him down when it comes to his latest project - the 3D version of Yogi Bear.
Critics have slated the film following the release of the trailer, saying they 'feel sorry' for the star.
Dan Aykroyd takes on the title role as the voice of Yogi, and Justin Timberlake plays his trusty sidekick Boo Boo in the 3D full-length feature film from Warner Bros.
Combining live-action and CGI, the plot is reflective of these tough economic times.
Mayor Brown decides to sell Jellystone Park because it is losing business - leaving Yogi and Boo Boo homeless.
So they decide to team up with their nemesis Ranger Smith in an effort to save the park.
Helping hands: Yogi and Boo Boo (aka Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake) work together on a project in the trailer from Yogi Bear The film revamps the 1960's Hana-Barbera animated series with 21st century technology and other stars include Anna Faris, TJ Miller and Tom Cavanagh.
Critics are unimpressed.
'A combination live-action and CGI feature-length Yogi Bear adaptation in 3-D with Dan Aykroyd voicing Yogi and Justin Timberlake doing Boo-Boo: Sounds like a terrible idea, right?' writes New York Magazine.
'Well, here comes the first trailer to ... not at all disabuse you of that notion.
Animation meets live action: Ranger Smith played by Tom Kavanagh chats with Yogi and Boo Boo'It's been asked a million times about a million other half-baked remakes, but what is the logic behind making a movie adaptation whose target audience is, in the absolute best-case scenario, vaguely aware of the original source material?'
The Washington Post was equally dismissive.
'Just watching the first 30 seconds might make you feel sorry for Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Hanna, Barbera, Jellystone Park, Tom Cavanagh and any poor parent forced to pay upward of $8 to sit through 90-minutes-plus of this dumber-than-the-average-animated-fare dreck.'
Official poster: The 3D live animation film will be released in December in AmericaYogi Bear is directed by former visual effects supervisor Eric Brevig, who also directed critically-panned 3D Journey to the Center of the Earth.
However, Warner Bros has modelled its 3D Yogi Bear on the same format that saw their two productions of Alvin and the Chipmunks and G-Force bring in huge audiences.
The film is set to be released in the U.S. on December 17. [endtext]