A Bear Named Winnie (2004) (TV)

Director:

John Kent Harrison

Writers:

John Goldsmith (writer)
John Kent Harrison (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

12 December 2004 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Based on the true story of a Canadian soldier, enroute to World War I from Winnipeg, who adopts an orphaned bear cub at White River Ontario...

Plot Keywords:

Bear Cub | Bear | Canada | England | Inspiration

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Michael Fassbender	...	Lt. Harry Colebourn
Gil Bellows	...	Col. John Barret
David Suchet	...	General Hallholland
Stephen Fry	...	Protheroe the Zookeeper
Jonathan Young	...	Macray
Aaron Ashmore	...	Corporal Randy Taylor
Ted Atherton	...	Captain Elliot
Robert Gauvin	...	Sgt. Major Picard
Joshua Ballard	...	Timmy
Miriam Smith	...	Timmy's Mother
Arne MacPherson	...	Wallace
Nathan Valente	...	Evans
Stan Lesk	...	George
Chris Sigurdson	...	Major Crawford
Carson Nattrass	...	Captain Osbourn
Jon Ted Wynne	...	Conductor
Paul Christie	...	Officer #1
Grahame Merke	...	Officer #2
Chad Bruce	...	Officer #3
Robert Huculak	...	Company Captain
Mark Burgess	...	Father
Samson Weiss Willis	...	Young Boy
Glen Thompson	...	Dispatch Rider
Michal Grajewski	...	Freckle-Faced Private
Rebecca Gibson	...	Nurse Susan
Evelyne Anderson	...	Matronly Woman
Emma Campbell	...	Mrs. McGuiness
Chrislyn Austin	...	Muriel
Stephen Eric McIntyre	...	Tanner
Dave Leader	...	Cowboy Wrangler
Larry Martineau	...	Fiddler
Geordie Cheeseman	...	Bugler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kalyn Bomback	...	Background Performer (uncredited)
John Brown	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Cory Cassidy	...	Officer (uncredited)
Roy MacEachern	...	Canadian soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
John Kent Harrison

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Goldsmith		writer
John Kent Harrison		writer
Simon Vaughan		story

Produced by
Justin Bodle	....	executive producer
Gub Neal	....	supervising producer
Kim Todd	....	executive producer
Kim Todd	....	producer
Devan Towers	....	executive producer
Simon Vaughan	....	executive producer
Simon Vaughan	....	producer

Original Music by
Charlie Mole

Cinematography by
Jean Lépine

Film Editing by
Ron Wisman

Casting by
Heike Brandstatter
Coreen Mayrs

Production Design by
Craig Sandells

Art Direction by
Laura Souter

Set Decoration by
Maryam Decter

Costume Design by
Charlotte Penner

Makeup Department
Lori Caputi	....	key hair stylist
Celina Clements	....	assistant hair stylist
Jennifer Machnee	....	assistant makeup artist
Doug Morrow	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Jeff Bessner	....	post-production supervisor
Ellen Rutter	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Antoniuk	....	first assistant director
Emily Drake	....	trainee assistant director
Richard Duffy	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Ricardo Alms	....	lead carpenter
Ricardo Alms	....	props maker
Andrew Beck	....	key scenic painter
Mark Burym	....	on-set carpenter
Greg Gardner	....	graphic artist
Kim Hamin	....	assistant property master
Sheldon Johnson	....	scenic carpenter
Robert Kestler	....	on-set dresser
Ray Peterson	....	props builder
Christopher Saborowski	....	head greensperson
Brian 'Smitty' Smith	....	construction coordinator
Chris Sol	....	head carpenter
Sherry Starkell	....	art department coordinator (as Sherri Starkell)
Mark Stratton	....	property master
Kathryn Stuart	....	lead set dresser

Sound Department
Justine Angus	....	adr editor
Jennifer Brass	....	foley assistant
Jean-Raphaël Dedieu	....	sound editor
Don Dickson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anthony Faust	....	adr mixer
Peter Hodges	....	sound editor
Leon Johnson	....	production sound mixer
Paul Morrow	....	boom operator
Alan Sallabank	....	sound editor
Virginia Storey	....	foley artist
Mark Wright	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Mark Gebel	....	key special effects
Tim J. Langevin	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
George Barbour	....	digital artist
Gavain Browne	....	digital effects artist
Alan Church	....	visual effects supervisor
Sarah Cloutier	....	visual effects producer
Tom Collier	....	lead compositor
Jared Jones	....	digital compositor
Jason Korber	....	visual effects: pre-vis
David Margolis	....	digital compositor
Clive Milton	....	visual effects executive producer
Kate Porter	....	digital compositor
Brendan Taylor	....	visual effects coordinator

Stunts
Andrew Simpson	....	stunt double
Rick Skene	....	stunt coordinator
Sean Skene	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Patrice Dagenais	....	dolly grip
Patrice Dagenais	....	key grip
John Durica	....	lead electric
Allen Fraser	....	still photographer
Christopher M. Gower	....	best boy grip (as Christopher Gower)
Casey Harrison	....	assistant camera
Jason Heke	....	second assistant camera
Clermont Lapointe	....	gaffer
Martin Lapointe	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Sharon McIntyre	....	lead grip
Jim McNulty	....	generator operator
Brian Sanders	....	first assistant camera (as Bryan Sanders)
Paul Suderman	....	camera operator
Shauna Townley	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera

Casting Department
Errin Clutton	....	casting associate: Canada
Ally Day	....	casting assistant
Kathy Driscoll	....	casting: Winnipeg (as Kathleen Driscoll)
Stephanie Gorin	....	casting: Toronto
Kathleen Howell	....	casting associate: Toronto
Jennifer Koenig	....	casting associate: Winnipeg
Patricia Kress	....	extras casting assistant
James Moore	....	casting assistant
Lori Stefaniuk	....	extras casting
Craig Stokes	....	casting: UK
Karen Williams	....	casting associate: Toronto

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Penny Charles	....	wardrobe designer
Nadine Falk	....	extras costume coordinator
Alan Flyng	....	costume supervisor: UK
Patricia J. Henderson	....	assistant costume designer
Lauren D. Martin	....	truck costumer
Heather Neale	....	set costume supervisor
Julie Pederson	....	costumer
Lauren Rauch	....	truck costumer

Editorial Department
Bob Ablack	....	color corrector
Ron Wisman Jr.	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Andrew Pearce	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
John Bekavac	....	transportation coordinator
Karver Kaminsky	....	transportation captain
John Bekavac	....	picture car coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Chantel Bourrier	....	set production assistant intern
Dave Brown	....	firearms safety coordinator
Cory Carson	....	assistant animal trainer
Lisa Craik	....	assistant accountant
Colette Desjardins	....	production accountant
Dana Dubé	....	animal trainer
Danishka Esterhazy	....	director observer
Natasha Fowler	....	production coordinator: UK
Patrick Irwin	....	executive: Box TV
Kirk Jarrett	....	horse wrangler
Ruth LaBarge	....	animal trainer
Scott Layton	....	assistant production coordinator
Dave Leader	....	horse wrangler
Tamara Mauthe	....	production coordinator
Allan McGowan	....	security officer
Alanna Mills	....	script supervisor
Bernard Narvey	....	location manager
Cameron Neuman	....	production accountant
Janet Remy	....	production administrator
Russell Roth	....	key craft services
Jocelyn Shindle	....	office production assistant
Andrew Simpson	....	animal coordinator
Leslie Stafford	....	unit publicist
Cliff Sumter	....	assistant location manager
Justin Thomson-Glover	....	executive: Box TV

Production Companies

• Original Pictures
• Power
• Powercorp

Distributors

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) (2004) (Canada) (TV)
• Monarch Home Video
• Powercorp (2004) (worldwide) (all media)

Special Effects

• Stargate Films Inc.

Other Companies

• Angel Studios  score recorded at
• Angels the Costumiers  costumes
• Animal Insight  animals supplied by
• Mayflower Studios  adr recorded at

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic material and brief language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Birds Hill Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Original Pictures

Trivia:

At White River Ontario (on the north shore of Lake Superior) there is a park and a large monument to Winnie the bear who became Winnie The Pooh.

Goofs:

Continuity: World War I started in August 1914. The Canadian Expeditionary Force wouldn't have embarked until many weeks later. Yet all the scenes are in bright and warm summer weather.

A better than average animal picture

I've already nitpicked about a few minor errors. But on the whole this is a pretty accurate, well produced and heart tugging movie that explores a little known tidbit of Canadian history. CBC hopes it will become an annual Christmas favourite. Interesting they cast David Suchet and Christopher Fry rather than Canadian actors. Do they perhaps want star names to help foreign sales? Okay, the ending is a little drippy. But again, this isn't a documentary but a fuzzy feel good animal movie and in that genre, it works well. Again hats off to CBC for fulfilling its mandate to produce original Canadian drama. (FYI-I meant to vote 8 but accidentally hit 9. It's very good but not that good.)