Barnes & Noble

Paws down, The Country Bears is the best live-action comedy ever based on a Disney theme-park attraction -- a sweet, cleverly cast surprise that's a subversively funny cross between The Jerk and The Blues Brothers. Taking its cue from the Disneyland original, the film relies on costumed characters rather than ursine computer-generation. Haley Joel Osment is the voice of Beary Berrington, a cub who worships the Country Bears, a legendary band that broke up a decade earlier following its "Hiber Nation" tour. When Beary, who has been adopted by humans, leaves home to find his birth parents, his pilgrimage takes him to venerable Country Bear Hall, the venue where his beloved band got their start. Discovering that it's about to be destroyed by a banker (a hilarious Christopher Walken) with a surprising old score to settle, Beary has an inspiration: reunite the long-estranged Country Bears for a benefit concert that will save their former stomping grounds. The film boasts a honey of a soundtrack: John Hiatt, Bonnie Raitt, and Don Henley all lend their voices, and Brian Setzer participates in a "Devil Went Down to Georgia"-type battle of the bands. From slapstick comedy to sly and surreal humor, The Country Bears is all-ages fun. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

This family musical enjoys the dubious distinction of being the first film ever based on a theme park attraction, the "Country Bears Jamboree" at Disneyworld. Beary Barrington (voice of Haley Joel Osment) is an adolescent bruin raised by a human family after he was found by a park ranger, abandoned in the forest. Curious about his biological roots, Beary travels to Tennessee to seek out his birth parents while attempting to locate the members of his favorite musical group -- a defunct country music act called the Country Bears -- along the way. Country Bear Hall, the famed venue where the band was launched, is facing imminent destruction at the hands of greedy banker Reed Thimple (Christopher Walken), but young Beary has a plan to save the hall by staging a reunion benefit concert. Beary's path takes him through a guitar duel, a vintage coffee house, and a car wash, as he's pursued by a pair of bumbling cops (Diedrich Bader and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell) trying to reunite him with his adoptive parents. Meanwhile, a panoply of musical legends including Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, and Queen Latifah appear Behind the Music-style to comment on the Country Bears' alleged artistic influence on their work. The Country Bears, the first in a pair of planned Disney projects based on the company's theme park rides (the second is slated to be based on "Pirates of the Caribbean"), co-stars Stephen Tobolowsky, Brad Garrett, Alex Rocco, and Stephen Root. Karl Williams

Product Details

• UPC: 786936202137
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Sound: THX-Supervised Mastering, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:28:00
• Sales Rank: 31,164

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