Bears is a nature documentary, directed by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, and narrated by John C. Reilly. Produced by DisneyNature, this 77 min film is oriented towards younger children. Soft around the edges, Bears avoids gruesome scenes that typically accompany movies about wildlife. The filmmakers manage to put together a decent narrated plot, following a family of grizzly bears – a mom and two young cubs, as they venture from their hibernation home onto an Alaskan spring, summer and fall.
As an adult I found myself mostly enjoying the beautiful imagery. As much as I am concerned, much of the narration was unnecessary and actually took away from the power of the raw nature, captured for the big screen. Though John Reilly’s voice is very much befitting the subject matter, there is way too much monologue. But then again, my kids really enjoyed it; proof that the folks at Disney still understand which cards to play when it comes to the younger audience.