Cinematographer Warwick Sloss films two brown bears as they graze in the meadows of Katmai National Park, Alaska.By Peter Hartlaub
Having a rough week with the kids? I know a mother grizzly bear that would be happy to trade places.
“Bears” features a grizzly named Sky, who travels from snow-covered mountains to salmon spawning grounds, protecting two cubs that we’re told each have a 50 percent chance of dying before adulthood. Food is hard to find, and papa bear is nowhere to be found – presumably robbing picnic baskets somewhere with no plans to contribute child support.
The new Disneynature film lacks the fortuitous plot turns found in previous Disney documentaries, resulting in some awkward (and possibly deceptive) editing. But the movie has a strong protagonist and impressive footage, and the educational core is unsullied. It’s impressive in this age of Pokemon battles and special-forces-skilled Madagascar penguins that a G-rated documentary can still command a 6-year-old’s attention for 86 minutes.
“Bears” plays like an ursine Roger Moore documentary, set out to prove that every word in those Berenstain Bears books was a lie. On paper, Sky’s journey in the Alaska wilderness with her cubs Scout and Amber is as harrowing as a Cormac McCarthy novel. Starvation is an imminent reality, and foes including a cannibal-minded outcast bear roam the countryside. For reasons never made completely clear, Sky appears to have been exiled from the main bear community.