Customer Reviews

Raymond Briggs' The Bear [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have a 4 1/2 year old and 3 year old and we all have enjoyed watching this video for endless hours. We got it when the kids were younger, and the nice thing is, it doesn't matter if the kids can't talk yet because athe scenes and music tell the story without words. My husband and I enjoy it. Everyone who has seen this video at our house has asked how to get it. Even the grownups have their eyes glued to the screen.

I don't think these reviews really give the impression of how simply beautiful this film is. In 1998 when the film premiered on Channel 4 I was fourteen - there is no age barrier for The Bear. The visual imagery is in a class of its own, and Howard Blake's score must surely rate as one of the most heartfelt and beautiful of the last decade.

It's really hard for me to convey my enthusiasm for this picture - suffice it so say that, in my opinion, it surpasses The Snowman.

Do buy this film. Whether you're eight or eighty it will enchant. I'm off to watch it again.

Danny,
London, UK

The Bear originally did (as stated in the Amazon editorial review information) "embrace a lost art: the wordless narrative." That is what you get when purchasing the VHS version of this wonderful short film. However, when Buena Vista Home Video (Disney) got a hold of it for the DVD they added narration and sound effects. The film suffers for these changes. I own the VHS version and have enjoyed it as an adult and with my children. I was excited to learn of a DVD version and ordered it as soon as it was available. However, I am disappointed in these changes and encourage you to purchase the VHS over the DVD.

As for The Animal Train it is pleasant enough and my 3 year old, who loves trains, has watched it repeatedly. But, it is not in the same class as The Bear (the original VHS version).

I showed this to a class of kindergarteners and they all sat quietly for the 30 minutes to watch...an amazing feat! The art is beautiful and the story sweet. Don't miss it, whether you have kids or not.

My 2 year old loved this video! Refreshing because of its lack of dialogue, it allows children to think for themselves. Missing too, are the usual awful songs and cacophony of noise infused into childrens videos these days. You won't regret this purchase.

.... I and my 2 1/2-old boy have enjoyed watching "Bear" so much in the past so I was excited to get the DVD version. However, to my disappointment, it has added narration - the VHS version did not have narration. What the narrator does is to completely take away imaginabiltiy and mind-creativity of kids who watch it over and over with different interpretation of the story each time. I would have given it only one star, but "Animal Train" was very good so I am giving the DVD three star rating. (By the way, there is nothing against the narrator, Judy Dench who happens to be one of my and my wife's favorite actors)

The original cut of this video was breathtaking, and a magical part of my children's early childhood. We lost the original in a move, and were so happy to find it again in DVD format. Well. Somewhere over time, it was decided to add a narration that utterly ruins it. Now we have Dame Judi Dench in a voiceover that made my daughter groan, "it's like adding a sports announcer to a beautiful ballet". The music and animation told the story in a simple and artful way that is now ruined for us. What a shame.

When we first watched this as VHS with my daughter (several years ago) it was wonderful! The images and music combined to tell the story and also let her figure out what was happening on her own, using her imagination. In this version, the narration tells the story for you, so kids don't have to think, but not only that - it ruins the soundtrack and is very distracting. At some points it's hard to hear, so it sounds like someone talking just loudly enough to be disturbing. The vocals, so lovely during the skating scene, are now shortened and relegated to the background, barely audible, and the narration continues as someone talking over the music. I wish it had been left alone with just the images and the music as it was first made. It was much better then. If I could return this one, I would. Very disappointing!

This is a wonderful short animated film, perfectly enjoyable for a six year old girl and her old Dad. Mom likes it too. The story is cute, clever, funny, poignant and magical. I think its wordlessness allows a subtle complexity not seen (or noticed, anyway) in most videos directed at kids. (I have not seen The Snowman: is that the show Tilly and her family are watching when the bear sneaks into the room?.) I find the soundtrack, by Howard Blake, to be quite fine as a tone poem, independent of the visuals -- try turning off the picture, and hear for yourself. This score belongs on the programs of pops concerts everywhere; bass and tuba players might like the exposure. It is the music, really, that makes it all so magical; it carries the story much higher than the book itself was able to go. In fact, this is the only case I know in which the movie is better than the book. That's the most rare praise I can give it.

Raymond Briggs' "The Bear," originally released in 1999, is a delightful holiday spectacle that is unfortunately often overshadowed by the popularity of the previous Briggs' masterpiece, "The Snowman" (1982). It is true that there are many similarities between the two films; both take small children into the adventure of a lifetime in a magical winter wonderland, neither one relies on dialogue but instead on a lovely musical score, as well as a beautiful original song. Still, this is no reason to put "The Bear" aside because, as much as I loved "The Snowman" and as much as I believe that it is nothing short of a masterpiece, I somehow find parts of "The Bear" to be stronger in some ways.

Shortly before Christmas, a girl named Tilly drops her beloved Teddy Bear into the polar bear exhibit during a visit to the city zoo. That very night, Tilly practically cries herself to sleep as she misses her friend, and no other can replace him. Later that night, an enormous polar bear appears inside her very bedroom. The two become fast friends, but keeping such a large creature hidden from her two parents proves difficult. Tilly bathes the bear and offers him some food, in return, the polar bear carries her away into the streets of her own city, which are now empty and turned into a magical wonderland. Together, Tilly and the bear wander the streets, witnessing magical displays of lights and dancing and sliding on the ice at the park. The two are then joined by the enchanting apparition of the Ursa Major. When danger comes near, the polar bear is there to save Tilly, until the two must part; the bear leaves on a voyage to return to his home, at the North Pole. The Ursa Major is there to take Tilly home, who holds on to a small star shining bright in memory of her adventure.

"The Bear" is simply a delight. I personally found the visit to the lonely city streets during a cold winter night more magical than the snowman's visit to the North Pole in the 1982 film. The animation in "The Bear" is also as magnificent as that in "The Snowman," with its soft and warm storybook-like drawings and vivid colors. The story is very touching, and the ending manages to feel both happy and sad, once again, just like in the 1982 film. I found the musical score to be wonderful and very nicely combined with the action and animation. The song, "Somewhere A Star Shines For Everyone," beautifully sung through "la-las" during the ice dancing scene, is bound to kindle a Christmas heart and give it that magical holiday feeling, at least that's what it did for me. I should also point out the direct reference made to "The Snowman," as Tilly and her family sit to watch that particular film on TV, and viewers of "The Bear" are rewarded with a small bit of its lovely theme music.

So in conclusion, "The Bear" is definitely worthy of a full-score rating, because I believe it is all it could have been, if not more. It is definitely a holiday treasure I'll cherish as much as "The Snowman," and a number of other holiday classics. After several viewings, I've never been disappointed and have not found any flaws with it, so I'll just say that "The Bear" is definitely one to add to the Christmas film collection. Highly recommended!