User reviews

Great little story that shows the hardships of motherhood in nature. The animals have names and there is a slight narrative thread with some of the recurring bears and other predators.

The movie features plenty of beautiful shots of nature be it the breathtaking Alaskan Alps or the beauty and colours of a meadow. You will also see breathtaking sights like the best avalanche ever filmed and some intense bear fights and close calls. There's also an amazing scene with an eagle being a dick to a falcon. The movie also features a slew of different animals like Wolves, Foxes, Ravens, Eagles, Falcons, Rock Eels, etc.

The movie does have 2 major flaws. First is John C. Reilly. He never really seems all that into it and almost every attempt at humor falls flat. Also his monotone voice when explaining things gets pretty dull and boring. Secondly a lot of the film seems to be at 0.5 speed. Not slo-mo but very close and most times it's just unneeded and it detract from what's happening.

This has been a green review.

I was delighted to find "Bears". What was so amazing about this movie were the close-up shots of many personal moments for this bear family. I just wondered throughout the entire movie how the film makers could have this repertoire with these wild creatures. Being a pro photographer myself, I could tell that the lenses they used were not extremely long telephoto lenses. This was better, more personal than a National Geographic documentary. The images were so sharp and colorful, it just lead me to want to visit, or live, in Alaska. The panoramas were huge, majestic, post card perfect. The narrative was helpful; I needed to know what motivated the bears through their journey; the narrative answered that. Violence between bears was muted compared to what I know they can do to one another. So, this movie is safe for little children I feel. Yes, they eat Salmon fish in the river, but I eat Salmon fish too, on a plate. Did you know that bears live at the top of the peaks of mountains? I didn't know that. They carve themselves out of their hiding place from the very top of a high mountain! This movie goes into the details of a bears life from its infancy. So, your heart will be touched and warmed up by their cute behaviors. Your city life woes will all melt away when you follow them through all of the problems that bears encounter during a year's time. Yes, I do feel that "Sky", the mother bear, should be nominated for an Oscar. If Snow White and her 7 Dwarfs were winners for the Oscar, "Sky" & "Scout" & "Amber" should also be considered. This movie has its villains and its funny friends. DisneyNature is a wide eye opening presentation. There was applause from the audience at its conclusion. I felt that this movie "brought me back" to a good feeling after I had been "crashed" by a scifi movie I had seen earlier. "Bears" is good family entertainment, and as I said, it will transport you to lush, clear and clean adventure in Alaska. Now I understand why people live there.

John C. Reilly narrates this Disney nature documentary about Sky, a female brown bear, and her two cubs, Scout and Amber, in Alaska. They climb out of their snowbound den and traverse mountains to greener pastures. It's a year in their lives. They scavenge for food and watch for predators. The big feast comes with the salmon run.

This has all the great Disney nature cinematography. It looks beautiful although the slow motion can linger a little too long. I'm less convinced about the Reilly narrations. His casual speaking voice is too colloquial sometimes. It's mostly fine except for the bears' voices which comes off a little sarcastic. There are stretches missing in the journey which could have added to the drama. There isn't much film about being lost in the woods for two weeks. That could have been great darkness before the dawn. The movie isn't that long and Sky's shocking thin appearance is jarring in its disconnection. That could have added some depth to the desperation. This is fine for the G-rated nature films for the kids.

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Disneynature has brought us some amazing documentaries in the past, including "African Cats" and "Chimpanzee". If there's one thing you can count on from these films, it's that they are absolutely stunning to watch, and their latest project, "Bears", is no exception. Following a year in the life of a brown bear (Sky) and her two cubs (Scout and Amber), we watch as they emerge from their den and go on an incredible journey for food that has them facing such dangers as avalanches, wolves, and even other alpha-male bears. It all comes down to a battle for survival as Sky desperately tries to find enough food to provide for her cubs to carry them through the next hibernation.

Narrated by Oscar-nominated actor John C. Reilly, "Bears" is a touching documentary that just goes to show how sometimes films with the simplest themes make for the most engaging experiences. It also manages to get quite tense in places; frequent long-shot vistas of fields and waterways harbor a succession of threats, which are freely milked for suspense.

There's not a whole lot of plot to be found here aside from following these bears from spot to spot on their quest for food, and yet, the documentary provides plenty of thrills as they come up against a number of obstacles. From the very start, you can't help but root for them on their difficult journey that has them traveling from the high peaks of the Alaskan peninsula to the shallow streams where salmon mass in great numbers. All the while, we're treated to the gorgeous backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness, made all the more amazing by the dazzling cinematography. Disneynature has once again gone above and beyond to bring us this footage, spending two years and braving several precarious moments capturing over 400 hours of it. Whittling that down to just 78 minutes must have been a herculean task, but in the end, it's wonderful to see that it was worth all the hard effort that went into it. An early avalanche sequence and Myriad shots involving a salmon hunt are particularly impressive. "Bears" is a visual experience through and through, one that offers eye-popping delights at every turn.

Not without a few contrivances as it caters to younger audiences, "Bears" is nonetheless an earnest, adorable real-life adventure. Despite the bracing beauty of the wilderness, and the respite provided by cubs at play, the film is primarily a sobering treatise on survival, narrated from the perspective of a family of three bears, giving their plight for survival a sense of sincere thematic heft. The only drawback of this visually brilliant, highly engrossing documentary is that it aims to be too kid-friendly at times, and downplays some of the harsher realities of bear life. But that doesn't take away much from what is undoubtedly an entertaining display for nature movie fans, animal lovers, and anybody in general who enjoys a good documentary.

With its touching story, beautiful scenery, and stunning camera- work, "Bears" becomes another worthwhile documentary in the Disneynature library. Kids and adults alike will be drawn into the plight of Sky and her cubs as they trek across the Alaskan wilderness in search of nourishment while facing down whatever stands in their way.

"Bears" is one of a series of documentaries produced by Disney's "Disney Nature" division, and this one focuses on a mother bear and her two cubs, following them over the course of a few seasons. It begins as they awaken from winter hibernation, and watches as the mother tries to protect her offspring and show them how to obtain food, which sometimes looks to be in short supply. There are also dangers to overcome, such as the threats posed by bigger and meaner bears, a rogue wolf, and nature itself.

Overall, a good if not great film. It's marked by exemplary filmmaking, with top notch photography of many beautiful Alaska locations. It benefits from an engaging cast of animal characters. Although, like so many things aiming for a family audience, it does tend to get awfully precious. This viewer thought that giving the animals character names like "Sky", "Scout", and "Amber" was overly cute, and the film IS manipulative, to be sure, with some overstated music. Actor John C. Reilly recites the narration, and while his recitation is amiable enough, the stuff he has to utter can be incredibly goofy. "Hey, Mom! Wait up!"

This viewer would imagine the other Disney Nature documentaries pretty much follow the same formula, although the intentions are certainly admirable. Any film that aims at young viewers and attempts to teach them respect for Mother Nature and the animal kingdom is alright in his book.

Seven out of 10.

I admit I was not familiar with the Disneynature brand, until one day I purchased a Disney blu-ray disk on which there was a trailer for "Bears". The trailer impressed me so much, that when I saw the "Bears" blu-ray disk, it was no brainer to buy it.

We just watched it last night, the whole family. The movie it a total triumph of technology in every way, so if you are an audio- and videophile, this disk is simply a must-have. First we begin with breath- taking views of nature in high-definition. Everything we saw was a pure honey for the eye - things we could not imagine to see on a screen when I was a kid. The movie uses a combination of different filming techniques for showing different sceneries, starting with aerial breath- taking landscapes of the Alaskan mountains, amazingly shot close-ups of different animals and wonderful slow-motions of swimming salmons.

Unfortunately I cannot say very much for the audio, as my two-years-old kid was making too much noise while we watched and also sometimes there was a narrator voice, however there was a pleasurable sound, especially I liked very much how the water and the footsteps in the shallow waters were recorded. Kudos also for the stone-falling and the claw-scratched mussels sounds.

As for the movie itself, kudos for Disney for few things. First, as this is a family movie, they managed very well to get rid of the violent scenes - animal fights were gently censored and only few delicate scenes were shown. Second, the bloody scenes were censored - there were almost no blood shown in the entire movie, with only very few exceptions - I noticed just one scene where a bear caught a salmon, but this scene was not really bloody. In general it is still appropriate movie for the whole family. Then we come to the story, which of course in a 100% Disney style was told very well, with both tension, some drama, action, humour and finally a nice happy ending, even with a moral of the story. The main keywords however, are "cute" and "heroes".

I cannot miss to mention, that this must be a well budgeted movie, as they seem to had plenty of good resources to use, both technical and human talents. The result is that we have the chance to see a movie about the brown bears, showing their life in a way only few other movies succeeded (like "The Bear" 1988). So for what I paid for this disk, it worth every cent, as I had a wonderful experience watching it.

I recommend this movie to every one, regardless the age. I will definitely look for the old Disneynature movies and I cannot wait for the "Monkey Kingdom" blu-ray disk to come out!

Bears are such wonderful and wonderfully varied animals, they can be very dangerous but also very cute. Personally like John C Reilly as an actor, he has proven that he can be very funny but also capable of pulling off drama poignantly (especially evident in the title role in the 'Wreck It Ralph' films and as Oliver Hardy in 'Stan and Ollie'). Have said more than once too about loving Disney and nature documentaries, though some of the DisneyNature documentaries fare a lot better than others.

2014's 'Bears' is neither one of the best ('Earth', 'Oceans'), nor is it one of the worst ('Elephant', 'Born in China'). Along with 'Monkey Kingdom' and 'Penguins', 'Bears' is around solid middle which is a good distinction to be in. It does fall short of being a great documentary with a few things that could have been better or things that there could of been less of, but there are so many great things and nothing is executed disastrously. Even its Achilles heel.

The good things will be started first. What DisneyNature documentaries have in common is that they are extremely well made. Calling 'Bears' extremely well made is not doing it justice enough, it actually looks absolutely stunning. The scenery is majestic in colour and scope and while it is beautiful for the eyes it is sometimes suitably unforgiving. The bears and all the other animals that feature are captured absolutely beautifully on film and a great job is done making them look as great as possible. All enhanced by the photography, which at its very best is just jaw dropping. The music on the most part is fine, it fits well tonally and doesn't feel too overused or melodramatic. Did appreciate that some values and messaging were included, they were relatable ones and they were not laid on too thick.

A major star in 'Bears' is the bears themselves. There is a wide variety of them, big and little and cute and more predatory and they are all interesting in personality and information. Actually found myself learning a lot about them, so 'Bears' did do better than most DisneyNature documentaries in the educational aspect and providing facts that illuminate. Their personalities all shine too and are immensely engaging, as well as suitably varied in emotions. As well as being educational, they also have an emotional journey with tense but not too disturbing struggles. Tonally, 'Bears' is just about right, occasionally it is on the juvenile side (other DisneyNature documentaries did this worse though) but unlike 'Born in China' it is very easy to tell which audience was intended and it doesn't try to do too much. Many parts excite and there are no dull stretches.

Was rather mixed on the narration, certainly didn't hate it but didn't love it either. It does entertain and inform and Reilly delivers with a lot of enthusiasm. Do agree though that there could have been less of it, especially in the emotional moments where it was completely unnecessary. Some of it is too over-explanatory, explaining what was going on when it was very clear what was happening, and with some clumsy attempts at jokey humour that jarred on occasion.

Occasionally, 'Bears' is a little intrusive in scoring.

In conclusion though, well executed and close to being great. Would have been if the narration was better done. 7/10

Hello, I am from the Yukon Canada, and having seen Brown Bears in the wild, I was looking forward to viewing these wonderful creatures filmed by Disney Nature. I was looking forward with great excitement to seeing the Movie based on the movie trailer. However the Narration was at a preschool level, and yes i understand Disneys desire to appeal to family audience. However less narration and more overall scenery and how the scenes were filmed would have been enjoyable. Overall great Film except for narration, i will be enjoying the film once again on DVD with sound in mute mode, over and over as the bears are still the most majestic creatures.

"Bears" is an okay choice for a family audience looking for a nature documentary. Adults, either by themselves or with other adults, may find a few problems with it. For one thing, while this adult was wanting to learn more about bears, the movie is less educational than you might think. The documentary certainly shows over and over that bears have to constantly struggle in the wilderness, but I wanted to learn more than just that. Also, the documentary on occasion suffers from some juvenile dialogue. But I think the reason for both of those problems is that the filmmakers were trying to appeal to kids in the audience. Had the documentary been more informative and more sober in its narration, kids would probably get bored quickly. And I will admit that the documentary has some strengths. The photography is stunning, there are some exciting moments, and I will admit I was never bored. And at 77 minutes, the movie does not outstay its welcome. It's not the best nature documentary I've seen, but it's far from the worst.

Disney has been putting out a nature documentary on Earth Day for the past several years in order to raise awareness and funds for wildlife conservation. It's an extremely noble ambition, creating docs that are appropriate for children to help raise a generation of environmentally conscious people. Unfortunately in their latest, what we get is the Disney-fication of natural science. Instead of just giving us stunning visuals and fascinating facts, we're force fed a personified, half-hearted narrative, leaving Bears to be neither entertaining nor informative. Bears follows a mother and her two newborn cubs as they live out their first year, looking for food and trying to survive the dangers of the world. This mostly amounts to walking around. Animals strolling along beautiful scenery can be nice for a 30 minute TV episode or short doc, but not for a full length movie. The movie is somewhat aware of this and tries to construct a story to fill the space, but it's syrupy in its sweetness. While Reilly does a decent and mildly funny job with the voice-over, the script is too on-the-nose and corny. Worst of all, I'm not sure it's wise to personify animals by making them heroes (bears) or villains (wolves/bad bears) when their natural state is engaging enough. As a fan of Earth and Oceans, I think I expected more from Bears. Our world is a wondrous and complex place, and we get that in Bears with some awe-inspiring cinematography and some engaging natural moments. Nonetheless, while Bears is undeniably gorgeous, unfortunately it's also undeniably dull.

Beautiful-looking documentary from Disney. It's harmless fluff. There's no footage of bears killing other animals (besides fish) and the few bear fights they show result in no bloodshed. I'm not sure why it was even made as you can find such nature documentaries on television all the time. Still, it is pleasant to watch. There is a somewhat annoying narration from John C. Reilly. I get that Disney wanted this to appeal to kids so having a comedian with a silly voice is understandable from a marketing standpoint. But the documentary does have serious moments and Reilly pretty much ruins all of those. It's worth watching if you love animals and nature footage. But be prepared for it to be slow-moving and a little too cutesy at times. If you have kids, they will likely enjoy it more than you do.

This Disney nature film, narrated by John C. Reilly, is the story of the first year of life in a family of three brown bears. Sky the mother bear previously dug her winter den high in a nearly inaccessible mountain in Alaska (Katmai National Park) and gave birth to her two cubs. Now it is time for her to leave her den and move her offspring down the snow-capped mountains. It is a rather arduous trek for cubs Scout (the adventurous one) and Amber (the more practical one). The trip is exciting but lurks with danger. Snow that sheltered the small family in the winter now becomes a deadly enemy in early spring, especially because of avalanches. And mother soon has to begin feeding to make milk for her young ones. Down at the Alaskan coast the snow has melted and the land is green. At a meadow there are other bears; they eat grass, their salad until they can get their real food: tasty salmon. There is an occasional fish. The dominant bear in the area is the behemoth Magnus, who at one thousand pounds is three times larger than Sky. Then there is the outcast bear Chinook, who was banished from the meadow by Magnus. Sky has to remain alert for these rival bears and even for predators.

In the mudflats near the water are some clams. There is peril for the cubs when the tides return, as they can be separated from land. Then there is the clash with Chinook, but the cubs escape. At another spot up the coast there are some salmon. It is now midsummer. The three bears leave the meadow and head for shore. Magnus steals a fish from Chinook. A new danger is the wolf, Tikani, who eyes the cubs but Sky drives him away.

Sky still needs to eat large quantities of salmon before summer's end, or else she will not have enough milk stored for the cubs during winter hibernation. When salmon seem to appear in larger numbers, Tinaki tries to grab a cub while Sky gathers fish, but is again repelled. After two weeks the main school of salmon, finally used to fresh water, swim upstream in order to spawn (sometimes a 30-mile trip against current!). In calm, shallow streams the salmon lay their eggs, but Sky still has difficulty in finding enough fish. When the rains come the water rises and the fish can really move. At the Great Falls the salmon finally gather in huge numbers. Then a raven caws, seeming to signal to Sky the whereabouts of the Golden Pond, her destination. At last the bears can finally eat their fill. Even Tinaki the wolf awkwardly learns how to fish and keeps away from the cubs.

In the late summer Scout and Amber have new winter coats. With the seasonal changes it is time for the bear family to return to the high country and prepare their dens for the long cold season and hibernation. The closing credits highlight the film crew and the animal stars. This is a Disney nature film, so you know it is a good one for the entire family. And the cinematography is of Disney's distinctive high quality. Enjoy this one!

One of the latest Disneynature's documentary ventures. There's nothing wrong to call it a grizzly version of 'To the Arctic'. Because both films are about the mother bears and their new born cubs' first year of survival in the wilderness, but the differences are the fur and habitat. Shot in Alaskan coast side, the film crew followed the bear family for one circle of a year's season to capture the beginning of the life journey of newborn cubs with their mother.

Like the Disney films famous for fairy tales and children friendly, Disneynature films as well not too far behind. Their films are not like we watch on Animal planet and Nationa Geography, the uncut and harsh version of animals' survival in the jungle. But a cute and enjoyable little epic tale. This film was narrated by our own jolly fellow John C. Reilly. Some of his lines were too good for kids and family, I mean comical. Like other Disneynature films is a must see for children. Hope along with kids, the adult would have a nice time.

8/10

I have noticed something after seeing several of the recent Disney nature documentaries. Several of them are perfect--among the best films of their type ever made. This would include "African Lions" and "Crimson Wing". However, there also are some that instead of showing the footage and providing intelligent narration, they instead try to tell a story and often ascribe human feelings, actions and emotions on the animals. It's as if the narrator is expected to entertain the audience instead of letting the footage speak for itself. The worst of these that I've seen is "Born in China", a film whose narration is simply inane. While "Bears" isn't nearly as bad as "Born in China", unfortunately, its great footage is often overshadowed by the occasionally dopey narration. It is quite strange that such a scientific and informative film is shackled with insipid narration at times.

The film begins as a mother brown bear (also known as a 'grizzly') awakens in her den with her two cubs after a long winter's hibernation. From here, the film follows them as the bears fatten up and grown as they head for the next hibernation in Alaska's wilderness.

As far as the narration goes, John C. Riley's voice is fine. However, at times he sounds like Kyle Naughton Jr. from "Talladega Nights"--with some dopey lines which must have embarrassed Riley as he spoke them. It also reminded me a bit of Fred Willard as he narrated the dog show in "Best in Show"...and was just not at all appropriate for the movie.

The bottom line is that this is a film which is enjoyable and filled with great footage BUT also unfortunately Disney felt a strong need to entertain audiences with clever jokes and comments. The films are neither scientific nor informative. And, these ultimately diminish from the overall quality of the viewing experience and make the documentary less enjoyable...and at times a bit annoying as well. Disney please stop trying to entertain us with these nature documentaries and just let the wonderful footage speak for itself!

The photography deserves superlatives that haven't been bastardized, cheapened and ground down into nothing, but I don't know any. So, simply, the imagery is just stunning. John C. Reilly as narrator was a weak choice and his narration is definitely geared to entertain young folk, but it is good-natured enough to be excused, although the movie would have worked just fine without any narration at all. As it is, he provides all of the anthropomorphic fantasy you expect in a Disney flick. "Chimpanzee" still stands out for me as the pinnacle of Disney Nature (anthropomorphic fantasy) films.

I love Disney's Nature movies! They get SO close and it's amazing! The crew on these kinds of films do such an excellent job. These films are always so beautiful. I believe that Disney's Oceans was just documentary without extras, but in this film, the bears have names and you get little jokes with it. (Little funnies = extras). I enjoy the song that Olivia Holt sings for the movie also. I want Disney Nature to do films on all the animals lol :). Holy Crap! Magnus, the alpha bear, was SO HUGE!!!! They said he weighed 1,000+ pounds. Wow. I am looking forward to seeing Disney's Monkey Kingdom. I haven't seen Chimpanzees, but it is probably just as great as the others.

We all have heard about the big bad bear or seen a lovable teddy bear, but do we really know much about these hibernating creatures. In the movie Bears you are taken right up close to see how they come into the world and fight all the obstacles. A mama bear and her two cubs come out and fight for survivor. There are some amazing shots and really takes you front and center in a bears life. You soon realize that these cuddly creatures are softies but can be really tough. I loved this film and it makes me be more in aw in the wonders of nature and the obstacles that all of god's creatures have to over come to survive. A perfect film for kids of all ages or anyone that just want to learn more about bears. The funny man John C. Reilly serves the perfect narrator of some of the most important lessons a bear needs to know.