I imagine that when Disney launched their DisneyNature movie department, some people expected them to produce nature documentaries chock-full of saccharine, corny sentiment, with animals presented basically as four-footed people with fur. While DisneyNature's "Bears" doesn't completely avoid that anthropomorphic expectation, it is surprisingly largely realistic and comprehensive in its portrayal of a mother grizzly bear named Sky and her two cubs, the rambunctious, independent boy bear Scout, and the more cautious "mamma's girl" Amber. The film begins in a winter mountain den, where Sky is nursing her newborns.
As spring struggles to break forth, the cubs have developed enough to leave the den. Skye then proceeds to lead them over majestic mountain scenery to plains and coastal lowlands to find food – especially the bear mecca Golden Pond swarming with salmon that have migrated from the sea to lay their eggs and die. The three bears' goal in life is to eat enough, especially fat and protein, to put on enough weight to hibernate through another winter.
"Bears" chronicles the first year of these three bears' lives and the adventures and obstacles they encounter on their way to their promised land. They meet two male bears, the sneaky rogue Chinook and the lordly, territorial giant Magnus, both willing to make a snack of Scout and Amber. The bears also meet a solitary light-colored wolf named Tanaka, who would also like to take a bite out of the cubs. Sky has her paws full defending her cubs from these predators, even daring to tackle Magnus in a ferocious fight. She also has to make sure the mischievous Scout doesn't wander too far away and get lost. Sky, Scout, and Amber have to be careful not to be swept out to sea as they dig for clams. They have to find a safe, salmon- fishing spot along the river on the way to the pond, away from other fishing bears. Most importantly, they need to find Golden Pond to harvest the fatty salmon and pack on enough pounds to survive another winter. Clearly, these three bears' lives are no fairy tale. Will they succeed in their trek? Well, this IS a Disney movie after all.
Again, "Bears" should be commended for showing how bears really live and interact and mostly resisting the temptation to make them too human. Every so often the narrator, John C. Reilly ("Stepbrothers", "Ricky Bobby: Talladega Nights", "Wreck-It Ralph") gives in to this temptation and makes the cubs seem like little kids (e.g. "Wait for me, Mom!" "He's got his game on.") but his narration is mostly otherwise straightforward and informative. We learn about the bears' diet (including grass), their dexterous claws (used to pry open clams), their acutely sensitive noses, their fishing techniques (including grabbing salmon in mid-air), and how a mother bear protecting her cubs is the most terrifying creature in nature. Although "Bears" does show some fierce animal brawls and attacks and salmon being eaten, these scenes are muted enough to merit the "G" rating. Not least important, the natural cinematography is stunningly magnificent. During the end credits, we witness the hazards the daring cameramen endured to get close enough to the bears and other creatures to film them.
Therefore, I think "Bears" is an exciting, suitable, and accurately educational nature film for all people ages 7 and up. Even for people, like myself, who have seen more than their share of "National Geographic" wildlife documentaries, "Bears" reinforces the harshness, rawness, splendor, and grandeur of nature. It may even convince the hidden environmentalist in all of us that bears and other wild animals richly deserve our respect and protection.
As spring struggles to break forth, the cubs have developed enough to leave the den. Skye then proceeds to lead them over majestic mountain scenery to plains and coastal lowlands to find food – especially the bear mecca Golden Pond swarming with salmon that have migrated from the sea to lay their eggs and die. The three bears' goal in life is to eat enough, especially fat and protein, to put on enough weight to hibernate through another winter.
"Bears" chronicles the first year of these three bears' lives and the adventures and obstacles they encounter on their way to their promised land. They meet two male bears, the sneaky rogue Chinook and the lordly, territorial giant Magnus, both willing to make a snack of Scout and Amber. The bears also meet a solitary light-colored wolf named Tanaka, who would also like to take a bite out of the cubs. Sky has her paws full defending her cubs from these predators, even daring to tackle Magnus in a ferocious fight. She also has to make sure the mischievous Scout doesn't wander too far away and get lost. Sky, Scout, and Amber have to be careful not to be swept out to sea as they dig for clams. They have to find a safe, salmon- fishing spot along the river on the way to the pond, away from other fishing bears. Most importantly, they need to find Golden Pond to harvest the fatty salmon and pack on enough pounds to survive another winter. Clearly, these three bears' lives are no fairy tale. Will they succeed in their trek? Well, this IS a Disney movie after all.
Again, "Bears" should be commended for showing how bears really live and interact and mostly resisting the temptation to make them too human. Every so often the narrator, John C. Reilly ("Stepbrothers", "Ricky Bobby: Talladega Nights", "Wreck-It Ralph") gives in to this temptation and makes the cubs seem like little kids (e.g. "Wait for me, Mom!" "He's got his game on.") but his narration is mostly otherwise straightforward and informative. We learn about the bears' diet (including grass), their dexterous claws (used to pry open clams), their acutely sensitive noses, their fishing techniques (including grabbing salmon in mid-air), and how a mother bear protecting her cubs is the most terrifying creature in nature. Although "Bears" does show some fierce animal brawls and attacks and salmon being eaten, these scenes are muted enough to merit the "G" rating. Not least important, the natural cinematography is stunningly magnificent. During the end credits, we witness the hazards the daring cameramen endured to get close enough to the bears and other creatures to film them.
Therefore, I think "Bears" is an exciting, suitable, and accurately educational nature film for all people ages 7 and up. Even for people, like myself, who have seen more than their share of "National Geographic" wildlife documentaries, "Bears" reinforces the harshness, rawness, splendor, and grandeur of nature. It may even convince the hidden environmentalist in all of us that bears and other wild animals richly deserve our respect and protection.