Disneynature Bears

by Al Kessel

One of Walt Disney's passions was nature, and his True-Life Adventures movies. Documenting, and creating inspiring and emotive stories based on the subjects, Disney brought everything from seals, to lions, to water birds and more to audiences who would otherwise never had witnessed such marvels of nature. Aside from the family fun antics Walt presented, he also gave us something more valuable than a lot of people realized: EDUCATION. Through these films, Walt Disney introduced the important concepts of conservation and living WITH nature, in a way only Walt could have.

That tradition continues today through The Walt Disney Studio's Disneynature series. Most recently, Disneynature Bears. 

Magnus

Filmed in the Kitmai National Park in Alaska, Bears follows a family of Brown Bears (otherwise known as Grizzly Bears) as momma bear Sky struggles to keep her two new cubs Amber (the 'stick to momma's side daughter) and Scout (the 'hey, what's that do?' get in to trouble son). As is usual in a Disney nature type movie, film crews followed around this trio of Grizzlies and told their 'story' in dramatic and exciting ways. 

The movie starts in Sky's den, where she's nursing her two very young cubs. Winter is over, and now Sky must take her cubs from the mountain peak where they hibernated for the winter, all the way down to the coast and lowlands so they can feed and store up enough fat for the next winter. Along the way, Sky teaches her younglings how to survive, hunt and protect themselves from danger. They encounter a VERY dominant male Grizzly by the name of Magnus, an outcast (and kind of grumpy) male by the name of Chinook (who tries to EAT our little baby cubs!!), a hungry gray wolf named Tikaani (who also tries to eat our little baby cubs!) and a host of others. Guided by a mysterious raven, Sky leads her little ones on a quest to find enough salmon to get them through another winter. 

Narrated by John C. Reilly (Wreck-It-Ralph, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step-Brothers and more), Disneynature Bears is exactly what you'd expect from a feel-good Disney movie. Full of excitement, drama, action, and yes, even ROMANCE! Reilly does a great job of voicing this movie as well. He brings just enough wit and balances it with just enough seriousness, that it really does add something great to the movie. 

Disneynature Bears also has a host of great Bonus Material as well:
(Available on Blu-Ray, Digital HD & DMA)

• Welcome To Alaska - Journey with the filmmakers into the Alaskan wilds to film Sky and her cubs. 
• The Future For The Bears - Experience the thrill of living with the bears during production, and the importance of protecting the wilderness to ensure their survival...and our own!
• A Guide To Living With Bears - Learn how the team interacts safely with these magnificent creatures
• How Did They Film That? - Get an inside look on some of the extreme filmmaking that went into getting shots high in the mountains and under frigid cold water
• "Carry On" Music Video by Olivia Holt

(Available on DVD)

• "Carry On" Music Video by Olivia Holt

So...to sum it all up, I LOVE nature films. Always have. But, there's something very special for me in any nature film Disney creates. Probably because I remember watching all of the Disney nature shows as a kid. And because I just love the....well, LOVE Walt Disney and the Disney company has always had for nature. It's heartwarming to see a company as huge as Disney actually put so much effort and care into educating people and getting so many to join in the fight to protect our planet. Joyce and I both loves Disneynature Bears. On a scale of 1-10...it rates an 11 from both of us (cuz, you know, 11 is better.) - Al