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Bears | 2014 | G | - 1.2.0

Disney documentary that follows a family of Alaskan bears as two young cubs develop and learn to survive in the wilderness. Narrated by John C. Reilly. Directed by Alastair Fothergill & Keith Scholey. [1:17]

SEX/NUDITY 1 - A large male bear moves toward a female bear and seductive music plays as the narrator explains that her walking away is bear for "No." Two adult bears rub their heads together and seem to be nuzzling.
 Two bear cubs nurse and we see the mother bear's nipples and milk on her fur in a couple of scenes. Two tiny bear cubs move around on the mother's belly through thick fur while trying to nurse and we see the mother bear’s nipples.

VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - A bear cub falls asleep on a beach as the tide moves in and is awakened by the frigid water; his mother and sister are on the shore and he struggles to reach them as the narrator explains that the tide is very strong, and the mother bear wades into the water to help the cub to shore and he is unharmed.
 A huge male bear approaches a female bear and her two cubs and the female decides to run; the cubs follow and they seem to be getting away until another male chases them and the female must fight with him; the cubs run and hide as the male fights with the female and the male chooses to chase the cubs (they are shown later unharmed but there is a moment when we fear that one of the cubs might have been caught).
 A huge male bear circles a female bear and her two cubs and the mother stands her ground; the narrator explains that if she shows any sign of weakness the male will attack (there is no attack). A huge bear (we hear that he is over 1000 pounds) approaches a gathering of other bears (he seems to have a raw spot on his forehead) and a mother and her two cubs run away.
 A wolf stalks a female bear with two cubs and the narrator explains that the wolf will hope that one of the cubs lags behind so that he can grab it. A wolf stalks three bears and one cub growls and runs toward it hoping to scare it away; eventually the mother bear chases the wolf away. A narrator explains that food is in short supply as we see two female bears snarling aggressively at each other. A wolf creeps up on two sleeping bear cubs while their mother has gone fishing; the cubs wake up and charge the wolf trying to scare it away but it does not leave until the mother returns and charges it.
 Two male bears fight over a fish that one of them caught and we see the other bear leaving with the fish in his mouth (blood and tissue are seen) and the other limps away. Two male bears stand on their hind legs and fight with bites and batting and eventually one bear backs down (no blood appears to have been drawn). Two male bears fight for the best fishing spot and one bear smacks the other hard in the head before the other backs down.
 After traveling for a week, the family finds a group of other bears and one of the cubs seems fascinated with them; we watch as two bears snarl and bat each other with their huge paws (no injuries are shown). While walking on a snow-covered landscape, a mother bear grabs her cubs by the napes of the neck and tosses them, seemingly in play. A mother bear and her two cubs wade through water and one of the cubs is shaken off the mother's back when she dries her fur. Two bear cubs play and they stand on their two back legs and bat at each other.
 Bears stand in water waiting for salmon and we see the salmon jumping to get upstream; two salmon jump directly into the mouth of a waiting bear and others are caught and eaten; we see many fish with blood and tissue exposed when they are caught. Bears search for food and dig up clams that we see them eating; one cub gets his claw stuck in a clam and it won't let go (eventually he frees himself with no injury). We see rocks covered with mussels and a bear drags her claw against the rock to loosen them so she and her cubs can eat. A bear lifts a rock the that reveals rock eels that the bears eat and one rock falls and knocks a cub in the head (the bear is OK). A raven snatches a small morsel of fish as a bear eats his catch and a wolf grabs a larger hunk and sneaks away undetected. A bear catches and eats a fly mid-flight.
 We see tiny bear cubs moving around on the mother's belly through thick fur while they are still in their den trying to nurse. A bear scratches his backside. An avalanche barrels down a nearby mountain face very near where a mother bear and her two cubs are walking (they are unharmed).
 A narrator explains that almost half of newborn cubs do not survive their first year. A narrator says that if a mother bear does not eat, her milk will dry up and her cubs will starve. A narrator describes a large male bear as being very hungry and that he would eat anything, even bear cubs. Three bears arrive at a spot where there should be salmon and we hear that salmon has not arrived and there is nothing for them to eat.
 We see the film crew working among the bears and wolf as the end credits run and the animals move very close to the humans a few times (no attacks are seen).

LANGUAGE 0 - None.

SUBSTANCE USE - None.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Survival, diminishing food supply.

MESSAGE - Survival is a challenge.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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