Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend with your family? Would you want to do something that would help support our national parks? If you answer “yes” to either of these questions you should consider taking the family to see the newest Disneynature film, Bears, which is in theaters today (April 18, 2014).
Disneynature has released other beautiful films including Wings of Life, Chimpanzee, African Cats, Earth, Oceans, The Crimson Wings and of course Bears. Their next film, Monkey Kingdom, swings into theaters next year.
Bears is the story of a mother bear named Sky. She survived the harsh winter in an underground cave along with her two cubs – Amber and Scout. When the snow starts to melt and things begin to thaw out, Sky knows it’s time to take her cubs on an incredibly journey to find food.
It’s true what they say about “survival of the fittest”. Sky soon learns that getting food for her hungry cubs is not as easy as it would seem. She needs to deal with other bears for prime fishing spots, as well as protect her young from hungry bears who would love to gobble them up instead of fish, most especially a HUGE bear named Magus (he’s the “big bully on the block”) and an outcast named Chinook.
Another predator that Sky has to watch out for is a very hungry wolf name Tikanni who is always lurking around the cubs.
Amber and Scout are typical “children” – always getting into mischief, most especially Scout. Amber tends to stick close by her mother’s side.
The family has to struggle and go hungry a lot the time because the world can be a cruel, harsh place – especially for the young. Sadly only half of the bear cubs born survive their first year. Starvation and predators are their worse enemies.
The film is not all about struggling. There are plenty of times where the family finds food – and plenty of it. I don’t want to give away anything but let’s just say it does have a happy ending.
I learned a lot about bears from watching this film. The film shows you the daily life of bears during the course of a few months when the winter snows have melted and the bears needs to eat as much as they can to build up enough fat reserves to survive another long, cold, harsh winter.
It was amazing to see just how much Sky cared for her children. Have you ever heard someone say “don’t mess with mama bear” when referring to a human mom and her children? I have. And it’s true. Don’t mess with a mother bear when it comes to her young. She will fight for them to the death.
It was amazing to see just how much Sky sacrificed for her children. You can tell that there is a lot of love there. People might not think that animals can feel love and other emotions. I believe they can. Sky exhibited a lot of love and devotion towards her children. It was truly amazing to see.
This is a wonderful movie for the whole family. You don’t have to like bears to appreciate this magnificent film. Of course once you see this film you are going to be fans of these big, furry creatures. 
There are a few scenes where bears are fighting. That might be a little intense for very young children. Aside from that the movie is very family friendly. Its rated G. It runs for a little over an hour and a half and is narrated by actor John C. Reilly.
Bears opens in theaters today (April 18, 2014).
Here is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
If you see the film during opening week (April 18 – 24, 2014), Disneynature will make a donation, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, to the National Park Foundation. The foundation helps protect our national parks and the wildlife who calls them home, including bears like Sky, Amber and Scout. I hope you will consider going to see the film during opening week to help support a wonderful organization.
For more information about the National Park Foundation visit www.NationalParks.org.
There are other ways you can help too.
The Disney Store is also contributing to the National Park Foundation. For every plush from the DisneyNature Bear film that is purchased, $1.00 will be donated to the National Park Foundation (campaign ends May 11, 2014). You can find the plush bears here – Amber and Scout. You can see my plush Amber at the L.A. Zoo here – Visiting a real life bear at the L.A. Zoo in honor of Disneynature Bears. Scroll down towards the bottom and you’ll see my plush at the zoo. They are adorable and would make a wonderful new “friend” for your child or grandchild.
A company that makes cases for iPads and iPhones created special cases in honor of this film. They are donating 20% of the sale of these cases to the National Parks Foundation. This is just one more way you can help save bears like Sky, Amber and Scout and many other wildlife creatures.
To learn more visit www.DODOcase.com.
There is a fabulous educational guide all about bears found on the Disneynature website. This 93 page guide is FREE and can be downloaded on the Disneynature website (scroll down to where it says Educational Guides). The guide is not only great for educators it’s also wonderful for parents to share with their children, as well as the whole family. As an adult I learned A LOT about bears from the guide too.
Also on the Disneynature site you’ll find videos, photo gallery, information about Bears and other Disneynature films and more.
If you would like to learn more about Disneynature and the film Bears you can check out their Facebook and Twitter pages. They can even be found on Pinterest. The official hashtags are #DisneynatureBears and #MeetTheCubs.
I also have a wonderful 23 page activity “booklet” that you can download for FREE and enjoy with your family. Simply click on the text link below.
Disneynature Bears Activity Pages
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I attended a free screening in order to do this review. My travel expenses were covered. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
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