Disney Nature brings you another heart-touching documentary, after “Earth” and “Ocean”, a story about the life of an Alaskan bear family, and all the phases in their lives that they have to go through while growing up and learning to be independent.
Plot: It is the story about a mother bear, Sky and her two cubs, Amber, and Scout, as they emerge from hibernation from their den in a mountain slope. As winter is coming to an end, they have been shown trying to travel down the snowy mountains down to the meadows and the rivers so that they can gather food together. In the area around the river, the bear family gets to meet the other bears who are also there in the meadow for the same purpose. However, the mother and her cubs have to face many other dangers as they learn how to hunt for food and protect themselves from other animals.
The documentary makers, Fothergill and Scholey seem to know the exact way they can make the audience rapt with their film. The way we see the tenderness between the mother and her cubs have been shown, the playfulness a the cubs play among themselves rolling down the snowy slopes, the gaze of the protective mother looking out for her babies, and also the impending danger from other bears and foxes, they have all been shown with such intimacy and precision, it is impossible to not feel emotionally involved with the bear family. Each and every scene has such warmth and depth that it makes for a delightful watch.
The narration by John C. Reilly is a very big plus point as he manages to do it in a very sensitive way. His tone throughout is so friendly and easy on the ears, especially because of him smoothly switching between scientific facts and humorous commentary about the animals acting like humans at times. His not-to-serious voice is ideally suitable for setting such a comfortable mood for the whole documentary.
The cinematography is the most incredible element of this documentary. The close-up shots of the bears where you can see each and every strand of fur on the cubs to the wide shots of the tumbling avalanche and the beautiful Alaskan meadows and rivers, they are all equally breath-taking. The secrets to some seemingly impossible shots like the movement of the salmon fish underwater and then flying into the mouth of the bear, all in slow motion, has been shown in a short behind-the-scenes after the credits roll out at the end. It is also very much suitable for young children as it carefully avoids any hard violence, all the while managing to keep the suspense and the feel of it.
Verdict: I give this heart-warming chronicle about the courageous mother and her adorable cubs, 4.5 out of 5 victories.