• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About | Press
  • Up the Waterfall
  • Media Kit

ZANNALAND!

Magical Adventures & Memories

  • Latest News
    • Top Stories
    • Disney News
    • Disney Movie News & Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • Places to Explore
    • Walt Disney World
    • Universal Orlando Resort
    • Disneyland Resort
    • Orlando Area Resorts
    • Disneyland Resort Paris
    • Disney Cruise Line
  • Things to Do
    • Disney Dining
    • Disney Special Events
    • D23 Expo
    • RunDisney
    • Travel, Theme Parks, and Resorts
    • Florida Theme Parks & Attractions
      • Universal Orlando Resort
      • Medieval Times
      • LEGOLAND Florida
      • Busch Gardens
      • Sea World Orlando
    • Orlando Area Resorts
    • Central Florida Family Entertainment
  • Up the Waterfall Podcast

Disneynature Bears: A Must-See Visual Treasure

17 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

Disney BearsI make it no secret that I am not a fan of animal movies. That’s not to say I don’t love movies with animals or nature in them, rather, I am not a fan of watching the “circle of life” in action. I can barely handle eliminating the errant spider that may enter my abode, much less watch a fierce lion take down a gazelle or a chimpanzee mom abandon her  baby (no clue if that’s a plot line of Chimpanzee, I still never saw it!). My tender heart just can’t take that much pulling on its strings. Call me a softy, call me a dreamer that can’t handle reality, but I kind of just like happy bunnies and rainbows in my animal films. So I managed to avoid each Disneynature film thus far, which I know, sounds like a crime as both a Disney and, well, nature fan. I can assure you, I love nature, I love the outdoors, beautiful scenery, the mysterious beauty that is the animal kingdom and all its inhabitants. I just can’t handle them getting eaten or abandoned. I made it through, I think, 2 episodes of Meerkat Manor before I wanted to fly to wherever that was happening and hug them all. I once saw a special on Japanese Snow Monkeys and their babies that pretty much traumatized me for life. Anyway, you get my drift, I don’t want to see animals in peril.

Cut to Disneynature Bears. For some reason, I really wanted to see it. As I watched the previews, the bears kind of spoke to me, even more than chimps, who we are supposed to be so close to genetically, and cats, who I love as a rule. Bears seemed, somehow, like us. Maybe it’s the eyes, or the eyebrows, or maybe I could relate to the volumes they seemed to speak, without saying a word. Plus, baby bears are pretty darn cute.

In addition, this particular film has a portion of the proceeds going to support our National Parks, a cause with which I feel a great kinship. Even before dating a man who is capital O Obsessed with National Parks, I always had a great love for them. Growing up, I had calendars of some of these beautiful locations. I did not grow up close to any National Parks, and in fact, I’ve only visited one, Acadia, briefly. However, I have always felt connected to nature, instantly rejuvenated by it, and consider it, in a way, my church. How better to get close to God than to be in a place inexplicable and ungoverned by man, where things grow and live and thrive and survive – or don’t – whether we are paying attention or not. So, to put my silly avoidance of the reality of animals lives in the wilderness aside, and to support our National Parks, and in turn, the great work that Disneynature does, it seemed like a simple decision. One which I am very glad I made.

Disney Bears

Bears is a wonderful film, simply put. Taking place along the mountain ranges and coast of the Alaskan peninsula, the beauty of the surroundings is just breathtaking. Add to that the wonderful insider’s view at just what these bears go through over the course of a year, and it’s a powerful combination. We follow a mother bear, Sky, and her two cubs, Amber and Scout. Of course, giving names to the animals in Disneynature films instantly gives you a connection and a bond with them. You aren’t just watching a bear on a screen, you’re watching Sky, as she struggles to figure out motherhood, solely on her own, amid the countless perils which lurk in the Alaskan wilderness.

The story was quite interesting, as I really had no idea of bear’s habits, nor the dangers they faced. To see them emerge from hibernation, trek across frozen, snow-covered mountains, through avalanche areas, just to wait for salmon season, is mind-boggling. When you add two newly-born cubs on that same journey, it’s even more amazing. I won’t give everything away, but I will say that I only cried once. So I consider that a victory as far as me and nature films go.

Disney Bears

I did have a couple of issues with the movie, but more the narration and ‘story’ than anything else. I get that the filmmakers want these films to be accessible to everyone (and in fact, at my screening, there were more than a few small children in attendance). I also get that they want there to be a story and not just random footage of bears. But, I wasn’t a huge fan of the narration trying to turn the bear family into a very human one, with talk of “mother-daughter sushi lunches’ and other silliness like that. That could just be me though. I just thought the story of the bears themselves and certainly their surroundings stood tall on their own, without the need of making it ‘cute’ for us as the audience.

There was an implied story with a raven, which sort of led the bears we were watching to various locations. I’m not sure if this was coincidence, or genuinely how things happened, or contrived by the filmmakers. I actually did enjoy that element, but me wondering if it was ‘real’ or not took away from my appreciation of it. If it was real, though, it’s pretty amazing how animals work together like that. One of my favorite scenes was toward the end, right before the salmon began to spawn. There were at one point 13 bears on the screen, all standing, staring at the water below them. It was visually stunning to see these immense creatures, all seemingly frozen in place, waiting for the culmination of their year-long journey. Quite awe-inspiring to see.

Together, the scenery, the music, and the bears themselves lend to a cinematically beautiful film, which I am very happy to have seen, and recommend. I left knowing more, and wanting to learn more about animals and visit more of our great country.

Bears opens tomorrow, April 18. For every ticket sold in the opening week, Disneynature will make a donation to the National Park Foundation, so please go this week and help keep America’s Greatest Idea well cared for. Here’s more about the movie’s conservation efforts:

 

 

You can share your thoughts on Disneynature Bears on social media with the hashtags  #MeetTheCubs and #DisneynatureBears,  “Like” Disneynature on Facebook: Facebook.com/Disneynature and follow Disneynature on Twitter: Twitter.com/Disneynature.

 

Disclosure: I attended a free media screening of Disneynature Bears but my review and my opinions are my own. Go see it! 🙂 

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies & Books, Reviews, Top Stories Tagged With: Alaska, America's Greatest Idea, Bears, Bears movie, Disney Bears, Disneynature, Disneynature films, Earth Day, Jane Goodall, john c reilly, Meet The Cubs, National Parks, nature films, The National Park Foundation

About Suzannah Otis

A child of the 80's, Zanna climbed trees and roller-skated till the streetlights came on. She sipped her her first iced coffee at age 10 and never looked back. Growing up outside of Boston, all of these things shaped her life, as did the original EPCOT Center, which brought her where she is today.

Zanna is the mother of 2 adult humans, a 13-year old (also human), and 6 (yes, 6) cats. She is also the wife to one husband, who lovingly puts up with all of the above. Zanna tries to find that one little spark in everything, and thanks you very much for taking the time to read this.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa McGuire says

    18 April 2014 at

    You and I are of like mind on the Disney nature films. I cannot watch true life animal films. I think I saw “Born Free” when I was a young girl and it still makes me cry. My son is just the same, and between us, we cry even at the commercials for the Disney Nature films. I’m a huge national park fan. We live her a lot of local parks, and my husband has made it his mission to take the kids to any and all national parks we pass whenever we’re doing a driving trip to somewhere. We have National Park “passports” and get them stamped at each one. I love that proceeds go to the National Parks (america’s greatest idea). If you only cried once, I imagine that my son and I are going to as well. That’s actually a really good measure. I am inferring that the family of three survive their perils. I want you to spoil more, but won’t ask you to do it openly in the comments. Thanks for being brave and going to see this for nature film scaredy cats like myself. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to Our Up the Waterfall Disney History Podcast

Up the Waterfall podcast

Get Some Park Candy!

Park CandyUse code ZANNA at checkout for 10% off your entire order!

FAVORITE VLOG

https://youtu.be/jUQvxcguh9o

Click below to SUBSCRIBE to our latest Vlogs & LIVE Shows!

Recent Posts

  • D23 Events for 2023 – Destination D23 Returns to Walt Disney World
  • Hocus Pocus Cottage in Salem, MA Airbnb – Book this Unique Stay for October 20, 2022
  • LIVE Updates from the 2022 D23 EXPO in Anaheim California
  • Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I Airplane Makes its West Coast Return for D23 Expo 2022
  • Lilly Singh and Raven-Symoné To Host ‘Disney’s Epic Entertainment Showcase: The Musical: The Extravaganza!’
  • ICE! To Return to Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando for 2022
  • DIS Con 2022 Fan Expo Will Take Place at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
  • Disney+ to Highlight Upcoming Content Throughout D23 Expo Panels
  • D23 Expo 2022 Full Schedule Lineup – Including Muppets Christmas Carol
  • LEGOLAND Florida Brick-or-Treat presents Monster Party

Zannaland Archives

Recent Vlog

https://youtu.be/aRB70OJelLc
DisneyStore.com

Subscribe to our podcast

Free Shipping on New Kate Spade Collection now at shopDisney.com!

Copyright Zannaland © 2023