I am afraid this is rather long, but when it comes to my beloved Bears I get rather pationate. Please read and "bear" with me.
The Movie:
The Plot:
This is world in which humans and bears live, work and play together and no one notices. A young bear named Barrie is adopted by a human family. He does not realize he is a bear until his older (human) brother (who is mad at him) tell him he is nothing but an adopted cub and is a bear, not a human. Hurt beyond belief, Barrie leaves his human family to find his roots. He comes across "The Country Bear Playhouse" a famous theater where a very famous Country/Rock band used to play. They where very popular several years ago and had Platinum Records and world tours. Then there was infighting and disagreements and the band broke up. There are two bears left at the Playhouse. Ruffus, the cartaker and Henry the MC. They tell Barrie that an unscrupulous human (played by Jeremy Irons) is trying to foreclose on the Theater as he wants to tear it down and build a Parking Lot. Barrie convinces Henry to travel with him to find the Bear Band members and convince them to come back to the Playhouse for a reunion concert to save the Theater.
Facts: The Bears are not aweful looking at all. They were built by the Jim Hensen Creature Factory and are some of the best animtronic figures this shop has ever done.
Some very famous country western and rock stars are providing the voices for the Bears. John Haley Osmot is doing the voice for Barrie.
The Country Bear Playhouse was built up at the Studio Park in the mountains outside Los Angeles. It is a complete theater and is huge and very detailed. It is a permanent set and will be used for theater events for employees and guests in the future.
The movie has gotten such postive response from previews that they are already talking about two sequels and a TV show.
They were stupid to close the attraction at Disneyland before previewing the film.
About the other films. The plot for Haunted Mansion is about a father and his child moving into a Haunted House and him being able to "Find His True Self" by dealing with the ghosts and his child. Has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual story behind the Haunted Manison.
No story line yet exits (that I know of) for the proposed Pirates Movie, but if they vear off as much as the Manison Movie, I could care less.
The Bear movie looks and sound incredible. I have talked to several people who were extras up at the ranch and they said the Theater was fabulous and the Bears are fantastic. True, they are different in name and look from the A/A bears of the shows at the Parks, but that is too be expected. Everyone who has seen them says they are better than the originals.
I personally hope this movie is such a mega hit that Disneyland will be forced to bring them back. I have heard they are already planning a live stage show in the unused Hunchback of Notre Dame Theater In The Round that is just sitting there unused except for a few private parties. There is also talk of the show beign updated and moved over to the Grizzly Peak area at DCA. I love the Bear Show and really hope they bring it back. Next time you go to The Magic Kingdom, please go into Frontierland and take in the show. Look closely at these A/A figures. They are some of the most elaborate A/A figures ever built. Just think of the technology that was invented to put on this show long before the computer technology that exits today made A/A figures so much easier to control. I was lucky enough at Disneyland to become friends with the Lead for the show and I have been privialged to video tape both the Vacation Hoedown and The Christmas Show with no one but me in the theater so I could walk around and shoot free without any noise to interfere. Let me tell you something. Being in that theater, just me and the Bears was the most chilling experience I have ever had. They looked right at me the whole time and I half expected Henry to stop the show and demand to know what I was doing in there all by myself. I felt privilaged to have called the Bears at Disneyland my friends and I miss them very much. A friend who is over at Tokyo Disneyland is video taping both there Christmas show and Vacation Hoedown. That should be a real hoot to see my beloved bears on tour in Japan, singing and talking in Japanese. I can hardly wait.
The Movie:
The Plot:
This is world in which humans and bears live, work and play together and no one notices. A young bear named Barrie is adopted by a human family. He does not realize he is a bear until his older (human) brother (who is mad at him) tell him he is nothing but an adopted cub and is a bear, not a human. Hurt beyond belief, Barrie leaves his human family to find his roots. He comes across "The Country Bear Playhouse" a famous theater where a very famous Country/Rock band used to play. They where very popular several years ago and had Platinum Records and world tours. Then there was infighting and disagreements and the band broke up. There are two bears left at the Playhouse. Ruffus, the cartaker and Henry the MC. They tell Barrie that an unscrupulous human (played by Jeremy Irons) is trying to foreclose on the Theater as he wants to tear it down and build a Parking Lot. Barrie convinces Henry to travel with him to find the Bear Band members and convince them to come back to the Playhouse for a reunion concert to save the Theater.
Facts: The Bears are not aweful looking at all. They were built by the Jim Hensen Creature Factory and are some of the best animtronic figures this shop has ever done.
Some very famous country western and rock stars are providing the voices for the Bears. John Haley Osmot is doing the voice for Barrie.
The Country Bear Playhouse was built up at the Studio Park in the mountains outside Los Angeles. It is a complete theater and is huge and very detailed. It is a permanent set and will be used for theater events for employees and guests in the future.
The movie has gotten such postive response from previews that they are already talking about two sequels and a TV show.
They were stupid to close the attraction at Disneyland before previewing the film.
About the other films. The plot for Haunted Mansion is about a father and his child moving into a Haunted House and him being able to "Find His True Self" by dealing with the ghosts and his child. Has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual story behind the Haunted Manison.
No story line yet exits (that I know of) for the proposed Pirates Movie, but if they vear off as much as the Manison Movie, I could care less.
The Bear movie looks and sound incredible. I have talked to several people who were extras up at the ranch and they said the Theater was fabulous and the Bears are fantastic. True, they are different in name and look from the A/A bears of the shows at the Parks, but that is too be expected. Everyone who has seen them says they are better than the originals.
I personally hope this movie is such a mega hit that Disneyland will be forced to bring them back. I have heard they are already planning a live stage show in the unused Hunchback of Notre Dame Theater In The Round that is just sitting there unused except for a few private parties. There is also talk of the show beign updated and moved over to the Grizzly Peak area at DCA. I love the Bear Show and really hope they bring it back. Next time you go to The Magic Kingdom, please go into Frontierland and take in the show. Look closely at these A/A figures. They are some of the most elaborate A/A figures ever built. Just think of the technology that was invented to put on this show long before the computer technology that exits today made A/A figures so much easier to control. I was lucky enough at Disneyland to become friends with the Lead for the show and I have been privialged to video tape both the Vacation Hoedown and The Christmas Show with no one but me in the theater so I could walk around and shoot free without any noise to interfere. Let me tell you something. Being in that theater, just me and the Bears was the most chilling experience I have ever had. They looked right at me the whole time and I half expected Henry to stop the show and demand to know what I was doing in there all by myself. I felt privilaged to have called the Bears at Disneyland my friends and I miss them very much. A friend who is over at Tokyo Disneyland is video taping both there Christmas show and Vacation Hoedown. That should be a real hoot to see my beloved bears on tour in Japan, singing and talking in Japanese. I can hardly wait.
