Bears (2014)

(On Cable TV, December 2014)  Disneynature is on a hot streak lately, and Bears is merely the latest in a strong line-up of nature documentaries that bring the latest available filmmaking technology to classic animal storylines.  Here, we follow a mother bear and her cub through a year of trials and tribulations.  (Don’t worry: everything turns out fine for both of them.)  The high-definition images are crisp and colorful, and the script does a nice job at anthropomorphising animal behavior in terms that make it accessible to the entire family.  John C. Reilly is perfectly cast as the narrator finding a good balance between the goofiest moments and the more dangerous ones.  Bears delivers exactly what it promises, and so pretty much cuts off any longer discussion of its merits: It’s perfect family viewing, often beautiful, frequently funny and ultimately entirely satisfying.