Dark Heart
| “ | Time for a game of disappearing bears. | „ |
| ~ Dark Heart |
Dark Heart is the main antagonist of the 1986 animated movie Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation. He is a immensely powerful evil spirit with shape-shifting powers that seeks to destroy the kingdom of Care-A-Lot, along with the Care Bears themselves. Like many of the Care Bear villains he is pure evil (at least originally) and despises anything to do with kindness or love, and is as such vulnerable to the Care Bear Stare.
Dark Heart is arguably the most powerful and evil villain of the entire franchise. (Although he ended up redeeming himself). He seeks to erase all form of kindness and turn the world into a gloomy hell-hole. His true form seems to be that of a dark cloud with ominous red eyes. He displays a wide array of magic powers, being able to grant wishes, to create objects, to attack with red bolts of magic, among other things. A notable feature of Dark Heart is his ability to shape-shift into any kind of living being; ranging from small animals like frogs, wolves and foxes, to large ones like sea-serpents, vultures and rhinos. Whatever form he takes, Dark Heart has a red hue on his body. It also seems that whenever he shape-shifts he takes the weaknesses of the aspect he assumes, as he nearly drowned after falling from a boat under his human aspect. His most assumed form is that of a young ginger-haired human boy clad in red, which became his regular form after he lost his evil. Although extremely cruel, hateful and manipulative, Dark Heart displays a mischievous and carefree side; fitting the child-like aspect he favors. Strangely enough, he tends to be rather clumsy under this aspect, tripping several times with no reason.
In the beginning of the movie, Dark Heart appears under the shape of a gigantic sea-serpent to destroy the ship transporting the baby Care Bears and their Cousins, led by the founders of the two very first Care Bears/Care Animals, True Heart and Noble Heart. However, the Great Wishing Star drives him away and takes the ship to Care-A-Lot, granting them their caring powers so that they could protect the world against Dark Heart's evil and help people in need. Irked, Dark Heart promises to get his revenge one day.
When the Care Bears and Cousins are grown up, Dark Hearts finds his way to Care-A-Lot and appears under his child-like aspect, repairing the caring machine to gain the Care Bears' trust. He tries to capture them all during the ensuing party, only to accidentally fall on a glide. Enraged, he reveals his true form and prepares to destroy Care-A-Lot but they manage to drive him away with the Care Bear Stare. Then True Heart and Noble Heart run after him to stop him once and for all, leaving the Care Bears in charge.
Playing on the ambitions of a lonely girl named Christy, Dark Heart promises to make her the most popular child of her summer camp, on the condition that she would help him whenever he needs her. He vastly improves Christy's physical fitness, enabling her to she wins all the athletic contests and to become the Camp Champion, like she always dreamed. But he enlists her help against the Care Bears not too long after. He has her simulating an accident on a canoe and scream for help, capturing the Care Bears that rush to her rescue. During one incident, Dark Heart loses his balance on the canoe, hits his head and falls into the water, prompting Christy to pull him out. Startled that she would save him in spite of his evil nature, Dark Heart states that she should have let him drown but nonetheless continue his evil work. Now that most of the Care Bears are out of the way, he spreads his influence over the world and makes everyone become hateful and violent, much in the same way as the Evil Spirit of the first movie.
The remaining Care Bears and their Cousins sneak into Dark Heart's lair, only to fall into his trap and get all captured. Dark Heart encases most of the Care Bears and Cousins into red gemstones which he places on a chandelier; but he is confronted by a remorseful Christy and her fellow campers John and Dawn, and by True Heart and Noble Heart. Seeing that she is willing to lose her popularity to help her friends, Dark Heart takes away what he gave her but warns her to run away and save herself. After a fierce fight, Christy gets struck by Dark Heart's bolt of magic but she uses her last strength to toss a marble and make the chandelier crash on the ground, freeing Dark Heart's captives.
Upon seeing Christy lying unconscious, Dark Heart gets overcome with remorse and begs the Bears to revive her. Uniting together, the Care Bears and Cousins, John and Dawn chanted together, "We care!" even Dark Heart joining them, until he completely loses his evil when Christy wakes up. Vowing to do his part to spread caring and friendship, Dark Heart joins with Christy, John, and Dawn as a new member of the summer camp.
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Trivia
- Dark Heart is voiced by Hadley Kay.
- According to Richard Freedman of the Newhouse News Service, "This must be the first version of the Faust myth in which not only does Faust (or Faustina (Christy), here) manage to weasel out of the pact with the Devil, but succeeds in regenerating him, as well.". Elliot Krieger of Rhode Island's Providence Journal also took note of such a theme, headlining his review "Faust goes to summer camp". In regards to continuity issues, a reviewer in The Scarecrow Movie Guide observed a "montage showing the Care Bears and their Cousins growing up together from infancy to full Care Bear maturation—nullifying everything that happened in the first movie". Mike McLane of Florida's Gainesville Sun gave a few suggestions of the story line's possible religious subtext. He compared the Great Wishing Star to God, the Bears' "beautiful cloud kingdom" of Care-a-Lot to Heaven, and Dark Heart to Satan; he also hinted that the Bears protected humankind like angels did.
- There is a running joke in Nostalgia Critic's review of Care Bears 2, in which the critic would refer to Dark Heart as DAAARRRKK HEEAAARRRTT, mocking the way he pronounced it. He would also quote and refer back to Dark Heart's "time for a game of disappearing bears" line several times in this and other reviews.