Overview
An orphaned bear cub's journey through the wild teaches the power of family and survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- scenic
- tense
- wistful
- family movie night
- nature film evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's mature, immersive wildlife filmmaking and emotional animal performances, while some found its anthropomorphism and dream sequences limiting or tonally inconsistent.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The bear cub and adult bear are presented as expressive protagonists, with dream sequences and emotional behavior standing in for inner life.
The bears' horseplay, struggles, movement, and survival are filmed in the wilderness with almost no human dialogue.
An orphaned bear cub is taken in by an adult male bear and must survive alongside him while hunters pursue them.
The film interrupts its naturalistic wildlife imagery with heavily stylized dream sequences and special effects.
Films like The Bear, and why
The Call of the Wild
shared wilderness adventure, animal-centered storytelling, family accessibility, and survival themes
The Jungle Book
shared anthropomorphic animal perspective, emotional coming-of-age arc, and natural-world peril
Born Free
shared wildlife drama, orphaned young animal protagonist, and visually immersive wilderness setting
White Fang
shared family adventure, animal companionship, and tension between wildlife and human hunters
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Jacques Annaud
- Release Date
- 1988-10-21
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (542)
Cast
- Tchéky Karyo
- Bart the Bear
- Douce the Bear
- Jack Wallace
- André Lacombe
- Bozo the Bear
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- 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 The Bear about?
- An orphaned bear cub finds protection and a surrogate family in the wild as hunters close in around the rugged mountain wilderness.
- What is The Bear like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Bear as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Bear violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Bear as mild.
- What did critics think of The Bear?
- Critics broadly praised the film's mature, immersive wildlife filmmaking and emotional animal performances, while some found its anthropomorphism and dream sequences limiting or tonally inconsistent.
- Which films are like The Bear?
- Films with a similar feel include The Call of the Wild, The Jungle Book, Born Free, and White Fang.
- How long is The Bear?
- The Bear runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Bear?
- In United States, The Bear streams on Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
