The Bears and I (1974) User Reviews

Disney succeeds in the Great Outdoors.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 10 November 2012]

When a likable young white man (Patrick Wayne) moves up to the Canadian outback, he finds the natives not so welcoming and wonders why. He makes easier friends of the three abandoned bear cubs after one of the nastier Indians kills the mother. The cubs stick to him like oatmeal on a newly painted wall, even though he has every intention of releasing them into the wild once they are old enough and trained to take care of themselves. He falls in love with them as if they were household pets. But baby bears aren't really puppies, and the Indian leader (Chief Dan George) warns him that their land will be plagued with tragedy until all the bears are released into the wild.

It takes a couple of misadventures for Wayne and the bears (mostly quite harmless and entertaining) until he is able to make them ready to accept living as bears should. The sight of one of the poor cubs being pushed down the snowy mountain (by another one of the cubs) in a sled as Wayne chases after him on skis unfortunately without poles is a comedy delight. The conflict explodes when Wayne learns that the parks department (lead by veteran character actor Andrew Duggan) wants the Indians to move off the land so they can develop it for a tourist attraction. The Indians, lead by George, hold fast, and tragedy as he predicted does break out. This is pleasant family fair, as Disney succeeded in adventure stories more than comedies.

The Bears Should Have Done The Narration

[boblipton · 5/10 · 29 March 2019]

Patrick Wayne heads out to an Indian settlement to speak to Chief Dan George; Wayne had been a buddy of the Chief's son, killed in Vietnam. Wayne wants time to think about his life, so he holes up in a cabin. There he succors three orphaned bear cubs and gets in the middle of a squabble between the US Parks Department and the Indians. The Parks Department wants the land for a national park, and the Indians look on it as their home.

It's a good movie in terms of story and camerawork. The area around Chiko Lake in British Columbia, standing in for US wilderness, is beautiful, and the performers -- including the three bears -- are good-looking and move well. Where the film falls down is in the dialogue direction. Wayne drones, and the voice-over he performs, written by Jack Speirs, is annoyingly cute. The story movies which voice-over narration improves are very rare. Usually they are a kludge to fix a problem that should not exist. In this one, with its year-long story, the narration helps tighten the movie. Even so, there's too much of it and poorly performed.

Good 70s Disney's live-action

[parkerbcn · 7/10 · 13 May 2021]

The live-action movies from Walt Disney Pictures in the 70s (and for different reasons those of the 80s) are some of my favourites of the studio, when it's searching for a way, after Disney's death, to continue with their style and at the same time adapt to the modern cinema that is exploding everywhere. This film is a good example of a story that feels like one of their classic "True-Life Adventures", but mixed with more contemporary problems of colonialism and human-wildlife conflicts. Unfortunately, the best way (quality wise) to watch the movie today is on Disney +, but the version there is quite censored.

Typical of Disney product of the time

[Wizard-8 · 26 March 2010]

Upon watching "The Bears And I", one will see just how far the Disney company had gone downhill eight years after Walt Disney's death. To be fair, not all of the movie is bad. It's a rare '70s movie that shows a Vietnam vet to be well-adjusted and not suffering from any post-combat problems. The scenery is nice, the bears are adorable, and Patrick Wayne, though a little stiff, makes a likable character. Also, it's always nice to see Chief Dan George. And speaking of Native Americans, it's interesting that unlike other '70s movies dealing with Native Americans, this movie doesn't always portray them as 100% sympathetic. Though despite positive stuff like this, much of the movie is a chore to sit through. For one thing, there's too much unnecessary narration, when silence would have been enough. There are also too many similar scenes of the bears making mischief - the movie seems to be repeating itself at times. There's also forced slapstick, bad looping done in the editing room, and an unbearable long subplot of the local Native Americans being threatened with eviction - it would have been better if the movie would have stuck with the bears (though at the same time made sure they gave the bear scenes some variety.) If Walt Disney had been alive when this project was proposed, I'm sure he would have wisely killed the project, or at least sent the screenplay back for some serious rewriting - he usually had a good idea as to what kind of projects would attract an audience.

Parks and Wreck

[southdavid · 6/10 · 12 April 2021]

The idea of watching everything on Disney Plus has exposed me to a fair bit of rubbish. In particular, a lot of pretty terrible live action films that were churned out in the 1970's. It was with some trepidation then that I approached "The Bears and I" which it appeared might manage to be the magic double header of both animal abuse and stereotypical portrayals, but in actuality was entertaining enough to keep my attention.

Bob Leslie (Patrick Wayne) returns the possessions of his late army buddy to his Native American father Chief Peter A-Tas-Ka-Nay (Chief Dan George). Leslie decides to stay in the area for a while and starts to work on a cabin near a lake. When hunters kill the mother of three young bear cubs, he decides that he can't just leave them to fend for themselves, so begins to feed and care for them. This action puts him at odds with the tribe, who believe bears to be sacred and better dead than subservient to man. The tribe also has the problem that the Parks department want to convert the land to a national park, and they think that Leslie could be a good go-between.

This is one of the films where the producers (I assume) chose to use trained bears, rather than attempting to cobble a story around naturally shot footage. So, Patrick Wayne (son of John) gets to interact with the bears on a closeup basis. That interaction really makes up the bookends of the film - with the fight for the Native American land - sitting in the middle. There's the odd moment when I wasn't 100% on the cubs safety. Particularly in a scene involving an upturned canoe. I quite liked Wayne here, he narrates the story as well as playing the lead and he makes Leslie just the right side of likeable rather than naive idiot. (Though occasionally it's pretty close)

The middle of the film focuses on the land issue which has a few moments that don't ring true. The demolition of the houses before the relocation has been completed, for one and the fact that things don't escalate wildly when the films villain, played by Michael Ansara starts taking potshots at the building crew.

Look, I don't think this is some lost gem (with do apologies to my reviewing colleagues that did) but it's generally watchable and has some lovely landscapes to look at. Plenty of films on Disney Plus don't manage that.

Breathtaking scenery

[maccas-56367 · 7/10 · 16 April 2020]

"A man seeking peace and quiet finds himself father to three bears."

Well, with that synopsis, I was instantly sold. This was a simple, easy to watch Disney live action film from the 1970s. I didn't even know John Wayne had a son, but Patrick Wayne is the lead here - oddly reminding me more of Charlton Heston than the Duke.

The acting is incredibly wooden, and often awkward. Thankfully (and somewhat amusingly), Wayne has better chemistry with the bears and wilderness than he does his human co-stars.

"The Bears and I" isn't the type of film you watch for technical aspects. You won't find any Oscar awards here. Instead, you'll experience some of the most breathtaking scenery put to film. The British Columbia landscapes and wilderness are the real stars of the film here - besides the bears of course!

Scratch, Patch and Rusty were fantastic. You can't help but watch with a smile at times - even though it's often super cheesy. The Native American angle also added an interesting element to the story. Reminded me a tiny bit of a Disney-esque "Jeremiah Johnson". The John Denver song suited it perfectly.

God-awful adaption of a really good book

[tord-1 · 2/10 · 9 February 2004]

Robert Franklin Leslie's book The bears and I has continued to be a favourite of mine for over a quarter of a century, together with books like Nevil Shute's Trustee from the Toolroom, Hugh Lewin's Bandiet, Mark Vonnegut's The Eden Express and Maclean's HMS Ulysses, all stories about unusual people doing unusual deeds, two of them fictional and three autobiographical. The two fictional stories have a true ring to them, Maclean even writes that his book is based on his brother's experiences during WWII!

But this Disney film version turns a true story into a Keystone Cops event, where the original deals with the magic of nature and the coming rape of the virgin BC wilderness,an exploitation that Leslie and his Indian friends try to stop.

The Disney version is just a film about three cuddly bear cubs, where the Indians naturally are evil and the white men oh so nice, clean-shaven; naturally 100% Politically Correct (even before the expression was coined) and very, very Disney!

Happily, Disney has later made great things, like Tron, A Bug's Life and Lilo & Stitch (Lilo & Stitch: the movie is, on the other hand, awful)!

Unexpected gem

[slofstra · 8/10 · 27 March 2002]

This is one of those tattered movies you pick up from the Family 50 cent racks. Surprisingly good movie. Music by John Denver and good performance from Chief Dan George. Also serves as a gentle introduction to concerns about the environment and native issues for younger folks. Strength of the movie is the story-line.

Not even close to the book!

[bevinb-31623 · 2/10 · 30 June 2023]

Sometimes you read a fantastic book, then you find out there is a movie based on it. So you are excited to watch. This movie is a HUGE disappointment compared to the book. No one who read the book and then watched the movie would even know they are supposed to be the same plot if they didn't have the same title. First, the book is set in northern BC, in Canada, but the movie sets it in USA at some place called Whitebird Lake. And the scenery there, while spectacular, is nothing like the actual setting at Babine Lake and Takla Lake. But the main issue is that the book concentrates on the relationship between the bears and the author, and the movie makes the major storyline into a conflict between the indigenous people and the white man. There is some of that in the book, but it is not the main storyline as it is in the movie. In the movie Larch Ataskanay is deceased before the story even starts. In the book he is alive and a prominent character. And some of the ridiculously unrealistic animal sequences....sigh.

One of the Last Great Disney Adventure Films

[Hollywood_Yoda · 9/10 · 4 September 2019]

Much like the films of the 1960s, The Bears and I has that same nostalgia feeling. Later films wouldn't feel the same. The narration adds to the value in my opinion. Very similar to Charlie the Lonesome Cougar in a few ways. Patrick Wayne was great as Bob Leslie, the man who fosters the bears.

I suppose you have to be a fan of the Disney narrative to truly enjoy this picture. Only a true loyal fan can see that this isn't a bad movie. It's what we've come to expect from Disney of the time period, family oriented stories with a touch of class and heart.

Doesn't do enough to separate itself

[r96sk · 5/10 · 21 August 2020]

Fails to hit the right notes.

'The Bears and I' holds a storyline that we've basically seen before with these Disney animal-filled films, so there's nothing fresh or majorly interesting there. Likewise with the animals themselves, it's the studio's second release in four years that is about bears; see: 'King of the Grizzlies'. This one has a secondary plot involving Whites and Native Americans, another thing we've already seen numerous times.

Cast-wise it's alright, with Patrick Wayne leading as Bob. Chief Dan George (Peter) and Michael Ansara (Oliver) are OK, though Valentin de Vargas' character of Sam is ill-written. These type of productions always tend to be rather light with the human cast anyway.

The animals are cute and the overall message with them is positive, though you could again raise issues with welfare concerns. The writing and dialogue, meanwhile, is below par. To me, this is paced too slowly and doesn't do enough to separate itself from past films from Disney.

A great looking, well told story.

[pmtelefon · 9/10 · 23 November 2019]

I haven't seen "The Bears and I" in many, many years. Shame on me. Wow, this movie really hit the spot. The story, acting and animals are all great. The standout of this movie is the location photography. It's truly beautiful. I remember I had the book when I was a kid. I wish I could read it now. "The Bears and I" is that good.

Quite enjoyable

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 18 February 2022]

"The Bears and I" is a Disney film starring Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's handsome son who appeared in a variety of films over the years, such as "SInbad and the Eye of the Tiger" and quite a few of his father's later films.

Like some other viewers, I must admit some trepidation when I watched this film on Disney+. After all, the 1970s saw a LOT of terrible live-action Disney films. Fortunately, it turned out really well and was a nice surprise.

The story begins with Bob (Wayne) arriving out in the wilderness where some natives live. It seems Bob was friends with the Chief's son..and they bonded while on tour in Vietnam during the war. Sadly, the Chief's son died...and Bob was bringing some of the guys' momentos to the father. So far, so good...Bob and the local tribe hit it off just fine. However, through the course of the story, again and again, misundersandings break out between Bob and the natives. First, when one of the annoyingly hot-headed Indians kills a female bear, Bob decides to adopt the trio of young bears instead of letting them die...yet the tribe think this is wrong. Second, when goverment agents arrive because they want to put a national park on this land, the tribe assumes Bob is in league with them when he actually isn't. What's to become of both these prblems and poor old Bob?

I liked the film for many reasons. It reminds me a lot of Marty Stouffer's nature video about him raising an orphaned grizzly cub. I also liked how the white folks and natives BOTH were not 100% good nor bad...and you could understand where all the distrust arises. Overall, a very enjoyable a dn compelling movie. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, but why did they cast Michael Ansara as one of the triebsmen...as he actually originally hailed from the MIddle East?! Fortunately, the rest of them were natives...so it's not all bad.

Excellent film for learning about animal husbandry and native land rights

[thomasyork-41662 · 8/10 · 13 January 2024]

I thought it would just be a feel good Disney film about pet bears, full of hijinks and mishaps and cute animal shots. There was certainly a lot of that, but much more. The animal welfare part reminded me of the real story of Grey Owl who cared for beaver cubs and raised them. He adopted them after killing their mother and afterwards became an advocate for saving the beaver in Canada at a time when their pelts were in high demand. In this film, the man adopts bear cubs and raised them. It's a pro-animal rights film, so I enjoyed it. It raises the ethical issue of why it's wrong to adopt wild animals.

But The Bears and I is more than that. It tackles the thorny issue of native land rights. It is reminiscent of the Werner Herzog movie Where Green Ants Dream, which is about a confrontation of aboriginals and a mining corporation on what the natives deem sacred land. Rather than demonize white men or natives, the movie takes a neutral stance, showing the fundamental difference in values, the culture clash. I was riveted by this story and would highly recommend the film. I'm surprised I'd never heard of it before. It's well worth watching.

Great movie !

[mailmanfharnum · 8/10 · 31 January 2020]

9 years old when it came out. Haven't forgotten about it. Obviously it made an impression. Thinking the bears were named Patch scratch and itch. Been 45 years. I may have a name wrong.. Cant find their names on line...