The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine

The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine is the second animated television special to feature the Care Bears characters. It was made by Ottawa's Atkinson Film-Arts studios, and premiered in syndication in April 1984. The special introduces three new Care Bears characters; Grams Bear, Hugs, and Tugs.

Plot
Paul, a young boy, vows to get even with his bullies. The mad scientist Professor Coldheart tricks him into fixing his "Careless Ray Contraption" after his henchman Frostbite accidentally breaks it. The Care Bears, led by Tenderheart Bear, set out to stop Coldheart's plan of freezing the town's children in town using his machine. Hugs and Tugs, two baby Care Bears are kidnapped by Coldheart and trapped in ice. After learning this from their caretaker Grams Bear, the Care Bears must not only stop Coldheart and convince Paul to abandon his desire for revenge, but also rescue Hugs and Tugs.

Overview
The special, a follow-up to the previous installment The Land Without Feelings, sees the return of the ten original Bears, the Cloud Keeper, and Professor Coldheart. it introduces Baby Hugs, Baby Tugs, their caretaker Grams Bear, and Professor Coldheart's dwarf henchman, Frostbite.

Cast

 * Les Lye as Professor Coldheart
 * Anna MacCormack as Grumpy Bear, Funshine Bear, Cheer Bear & Bedtime Bear
 * Noreen Young as Baby Hugs
 * Abby Hagyard as Friend Bear, Wish Bear & Love-A-Lot Bear
 * Bob Dermer as Frostbite and the Cloudkeeper
 * Dominic Bradford as Paul
 * Brodie Osome as Lumpy
 * Rick Jones as Tenderheart Bear, Birthday Bear & Good Luck Bear

Release and reception
The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine aired on over 100 U.S. TV stations in April 1984, and was sponsored by the Kenner company. That same year, it won an award for Best Children's Program at the 13th National ACTRA Awards. A tie-in book based on the special (ISBN 0-910313-15-6) was written by Arthur S. Rosenblatt, illustrated by Joe Ewers and published by Parker Brothers as a part of the Tales from the Care Bears series.

The special was released on VHS and Beta by Family Home Entertainment in May 1984. This, and The Land Without Feelings, were among the ten best-selling children's videos on the U.S. market in 1985. It was released for the first time on DVD, as a special feature, on MGM Home Entertainment's 2007 re-issue of The Care Bears Movie. The print featured on the disc is the syndicated edit, not the original broadcast version.

In 1987, Don R. Le Duc referred to Freeze Machine as a "shallow merchandising marvel".

In fall 2008, the special edition of The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine has been released on DVD. Additionally, the version featured on this DVD is not the rare original version, but the more common one seen as part of the later syndicated run of the regular DIC and Nelvana series (which was also seen on the Disney Channel and, later, Toon Disney).