Movies About Bears
Yes, this is a list of 15 movies about/featuring a bear. That’s the list. Enjoy. I’m going to sort these movies into 4 different categories. First is…
Movies with a Bear Villain:
The Revenant- I feel like this is the first movie people relate to bears, which is funny because, looking at the rest of the list, I think it’s the one with the shortest amount of screen time for the bear. This movie features Leonardo DiCaprio in his Oscar-winning role as Hugh Glass, a fur trapper who is mauled to near death by a grizzly and his fight back to health.
Cocaine Bear- This movie is loosely based on a true story, in which a black bear swallows 75 lbs. worth of cocaine. In real life the bear overdosed and was stuffed and placed in a Kentucky mall, while in the film the bear goes on a killing spree. How fun.
The Edge- This 1997 survival thriller stars Anthony Hopkins & Alec Baldwin as men who crash land and must trek the Alaskan wilderness while being pursued by a Kodiak bear. This film also stars Bart the Bear, an animal actor known for non-bear centric movies like ‘White Fang’ (wolf-centered) & ‘Legends of the Fall’ (Brad Pitt-centered). He also appears in another movie later on this list.
Over the Hedge- I feel like a watched this movie a dozen plus times in a one year span and then never saw it again. This movie actually centers on a variety of animals including a raccoon (Bruce Willis), a turtle (Garry Shandling), a squirrel (Steve Carell), a skunk (Wanda Sykes), some possums (William Shatner & Avril Lavigne) & some porcupines (Eugene Levy & Catherine O’Hara). And it of course features a black bear (Nick Nolte) in the antagonist role because it is in the appropriate category. It also fits into and segways into our next category…
Animated Movies with a Bear:
Brother Bear- The first of a handful of Disney movies on this list, this film features Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai, an Alaska native who is magically transformed into a brown bear and bonds (in a brotherly way) with Koda, a young cub, voiced by Jeremy Suarez.
Open Season- This 2006 film from Columbia Pictures & Sony Animation stars Martin Lawrence as Boog, a domesticated grizzly bear released into the wild, that befriends Elliott (Ashton Kutcher), a deer with one antler. The film was followed by three sequels and a TV series, though the original two stars did not return.
Brave- This Disney-Pixar film follows a princess in the Scottish Highlands who seeks out a witch and accidentally turns her mother into a giant bear, as well as her triplet younger brothers. The film concludes with her mother (Emma Thompson) having to fight another giant bear, Mor’du.
The Jungle Book- Going with the original 1967 film (not the 2016 CGI remake), this story is based on Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 book. The film focuses on a young human boy, Mowgli who interacts with various animals, a tiger, a panther, an orangutan, a snack, some wolves, and of course, a bear. Baloo is a carefree sloth bear who sings what is probably one of the most popular bear songs, ‘The Bare Necessities.’
Kung Fu Panda- This film, that has spurred three sequels, 5 short films, 3 TV series, & 1 TV special, follows a panda who does kung fu. How, interesting that the most Jack Black character Jack Black has ever played is an animated panda bear?
Winnie the Pooh- Easily the most famous fictional bear is Mr. Winnie the Pooh. I really don’t have a specific movie in mind, so take your pick. Just not the new scary live action ones, or ‘Christopher Robin’ because then it wouldn’t qualify for this category, but it would fit in…
Movies with a CGI Bear:
Ted- Both ‘Ted’ & ‘Ted 2’ star Mark Wahlberg as a man who made a Christmas wish for his teddy bear to come to life, and it did. Seth MacFarlane wrote, directed, & produced the film and brought the character of Ted to life.
Paddington- ‘Paddington’ & ‘Paddington 2’ star Ben Whishaw as the titular spectacled bear, with a third film coming out later this year. The second especially film is quite revered and tell a very heartwarming story of a young marmalade loving bear who travels to London and finds an adoptive family and home to belong to.
Yogi Bear- This film actually isn’t considered to be the best, but it features one of the most famous bear characters there is, Yogi himself. Starring Dan Aykroyd as Yogi & Justin Timberlake as his sidekick, Boo-Boo, this tells the classic story of the bears in their home, Jellystone Park.
Other Bear Movies: I couldn’t come up with a segway for these extra films. Sorry to disappoint.
The Country Bears- I thought about sticking this 2002 Disney musical comedy in another category, but the bears aren’t CGI or animated, they’re puppets. Based on Disney’s theme park ride, Country Bear Jamboree, this film was a critical and commercial flop, but here it sits.
The Bear- No, this is not the TV show where Jeremy Allen White yells while cooking, though I understand your confusion. I would actually say this is the most bear movie of any movie. This 1988 adventure follows a young orphaned grizzly bear (Bart the Bear) who befriends a large Kodiak bear. The film features almost no dialogue and really is just the two bears doing their thing.
