Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 Canadian-American animated fantasy film produced by LBS Communications, Inc. and Nelvana. The third animated feature from Nelvana, it was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder and produced by Nelvana's three founders (Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith). It stars the voices of Alyson Court, Cree Summer, Maxine Miller and Hadley Kay. In the second film based on the Care Bears franchise, a character called The Great Wishing Star (voiced by Chris Wiggins) tells the origins of the Care Bears, and the story of their first Caring Mission. True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse lead the other Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins, as they come to the aid of Christy, a young camper who is tempted by an evil shape-shifting figure named Dark Heart. This is also the first appearance of the Care Bear Cubs, who also had their own line of toys.
A New Generation was made over a seven-month period at Nelvana's Toronto facilities, with additional work handled by Taiwan's Wang Film Productions, and involved several crew members who had worked on the original Care Bears Movie. Patricia Cullen served as composer, and Los Angeles musicians Dean and Carol Parks worked on the film's six songs. The Samuel Goldwyn Company, the US distributor for the first film, was originally set to release the sequel, but demands from the film's producers caused the company to give up. To the chagrin of Goldwyn's founder, the worldwide distribution rights were then acquired by Hollywood studio Columbia Pictures.
Upon its release in March 1986, A New Generation gained mostly negative critical attention; some of its key elements received comparisons to the German legend Faust and J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. The film grossed only $8.5 million in North America, about a third of what the previous instalment earned, and over $12 million worldwide. It was released on video in August 1986, and on DVD in April 2003. It was the last animated feature released through Columbia Pictures until Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in 2001. It was followed by The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland in 1987.
