Bears
A warm, vividly filmed Disneynature documentary follows bear cubs and their mother through an eventful year of survival in the Alaskan wilderness.
Overview
Witness the incredible journey of a bear family as they navigate the challenges of survival in the wild.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- uplifting
- adventurous
- tender
- family movie night
- nature viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as sweet and beautifully filmed, with an admirably restrained approach to sentimentality and an engagingly concise runtime.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The cubs and their mother are followed from the end of hibernation through spring and summer, including the salmon run.
The cubs' lessons, play, danger, and dependence on their mother give the documentary a child-accessible dramatic arc.
Alaska's mountains, avalanches, coastline, wildlife, and salmon run are presented as breathtaking environmental set pieces.
The mother teaches two impressionable cubs how to find food and remain safe from avalanches, rival bears, and wolves.
Films like Bears, and why
To the Arctic
family-friendly wildlife documentary centered on young animals learning survival in a dramatic natural environment
Earth: One Amazing Day
beautifully photographed Disneynature documentary following a young animal through a challenging first year
Born in China
accessible nature documentary combining wilderness spectacle, animal behavior, and emotional family storytelling
Movie Details
- Directors
- Keith Scholey, Alastair Fothergill
- Release Date
- 2014-04-17
- Runtime
- 78 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (182)
Cast
- John C. Reilly
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Disney Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bears about?
- A warm, vividly filmed Disneynature documentary follows bear cubs and their mother through an eventful year of survival in the Alaskan wilderness.
- What is Bears like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bears as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bears violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bears as mild.
- What did critics think of Bears?
- Critics broadly praised the film as sweet and beautifully filmed, with an admirably restrained approach to sentimentality and an engagingly concise runtime.
- Which films are like Bears?
- Films with a similar feel include To the Arctic, Earth: One Amazing Day, and Born in China.
- How long is Bears?
- Bears runs 78 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bears?
- In United States, Bears streams on Disney Plus.
