The Little Bear Movie is a 2001 Canadian-American direct-to-video animated adventure film based upon the book series of the same name written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. It was co-produced by Nelvana and Wild Things Productions. The film was released on direct-to-video on August 7, 2001, in the United States and Canada. [8] [9]
Official description
Maurice Sendak's beloved Little Bear has captivated generations of children. Now the playful cub and his friends take their greatest adventure yet - in their first feature-length movie!
Little Bear and Father Bear go camping in the wilderness where Little Bear encounters all kinds of new sights and sounds: an eagle's flight, a wolf's howl... and a wild little bear named Cub fishing in a stream. Even though they're from different worlds, Little Bear and Cub become fast friends.
When Little Bear learns Cub was separated from his parents, he organizes a search party to find them. Joined by Duck, Cat, Owl, and Hen, Little Bear and Cub begin an unforgettable journey rich with wonder, delight and friendship.
Summary

Little Bear and Cub, just after they first met.
Little Bear and Father Bear go camping and meet a young bear named Cub. After tussling around in a stream with Little Bear, Cub chases after Little Moose. Then, Little Bear is met by Mountain Lion who attempts to kill Little Bear. Luckily, Cub comes back and saves Little Bear from getting eaten. After having breakfast, Father Bear, Little Bear, and Cub set off for Little Bear's house.
After returning home and having lunch, Cub meets Cat, Owl, Duck, and Hen. When Little Bear and his friends learn that Cub's parents got lost during a bad storm a long time ago, they decide to go on a search party to find Cub's parents. During the journey, they meet up with Moose, another friend of Little Bears.

Cub meeting Cat, Duck, and Owl.
Little Bear, Cub, and Duck get separated from Moose and the others. Luckily, they then run into Cub's best friends Poppy and Pete, two silly foxes who took care of Cub when he lost his parents. The next morning, they cross a canyon on the way back to the others. When they get to the Canyon, Mountain Lion spies on them and attempts to eat Duck, but Poppy and Pete save her.
Mountain Lion is scared off by Cub's parents. Cub and his parents are reunited and Little Bear is found by his family and friends. After saying goodbye to Cub, Little Bear heads home and on the way back to the house it starts snowing. The following spring, Little Moose, Poppy, and Pete visit Little Bear and his friends at his house.
Release and response
As of July 29, 2022, The Little Bear Movie has not been given a Tomatometer Score. Its Audience Score is 67%. [10]
Shawn Colvin, (performer) Marc Jordan, and Antony Vanderburgh (composers) were nominated for Best Original Song at the 2001 Video Premiere Awards for the song "Great Big World." [11]
Credits
Opening credits
- A Nelvana Limited Production
- Maurice Sendak's Little Bear
- The Little Bear Movie
- based upon the series of books written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
- STORY BY
- Else Holmelund Minarik
- SCREENPLAY BY
- James Still
- Raymond Jafelice
- Nancy Barr
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- Michael Hirsh
- Patrick Loubert
- Clive A. Smith
- Maurice Sendak
- John B. Carls
- SUPERVISING PRODUCERS
- Stephan Hodgins
- Patricia R. Burns
- Marianne Culbert
- LINE PRODUCER
- Tracy Leach
- FEATURING
- Kristin Fairlie as LITTLE BEAR
- MUSIC BY
- Lesley Barber
- DIRECTOR
- Raymond Jafelice
Closing credits
- DIRECTOR
- Raymond Jafelice
- FEATURING THE VOICES OF
- (in order of appearance)
- Little Bear.....Kristin Fairlie
- Father Bear....Dan Hennessey
- Mother Bear...Janet-Laine Green
- Little Moose...Max Morrow
- Cub...........Kyle Fairlie
- Mountain Lion..Wayne Best
- Mother Moose..Catherine Disher
- Cat............Andrew Sabiston
- Duck..........Tracy Ryan
- Owl...........Amos Crawley
- Cub's Mother..Alison Sealy Smith
- Cub's Father...Maurice Dean Wint
- Moose.........Ray Landry
- Poppy.........Cole Caplan
- Pete..........Asa Perlman
- "Great Big World"
- Composed by Marc Jordan
- and Anthony Vanderberg
- Performed by Shawn Colvin
- Shawn Colvin appears courtesy of
- Columbia Records
- "Everybody Wants To Paint My Picture"
- Composed by Marc Jordan
- and Anthony Vanderberg
- Performed by Shawn Colvin
- Shawn Colvin appears courtesy of
- Columbia Records
- Music for songs inspired by
- the underscore of Lesley Barber
- ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
- Ted Collyer
- Cynthia Ward
- STORYBOARD ARTISTS
- Charles E. Bastien
- Patricia Lewis-MacDougall
- Ted Collyer
- Annelies Davis
- Cynthia Ward
- Dan Poitras
- Frank Ramirez
- Raymond Jafelice
- STORYBOARD CLEAN-UP ARTISTS
- Maureen Shelleau
- Trevor Hierons
- STORYBOARD CO-ORDINATOR
- Jason Cooke
- DESIGN SUPERVISORS
- Will Makra
- Cynthia Ward
- DESIGNERS
- Mike Brooks
- Dale Desrochers
- Leif Norheim
- Mark Koren
- Neil McNeil
- Alex Naussbaum
- Michelle Houston
- Jan Tillcock
- F/X DESIGN
- Raymond Pang
- LAYOUT SUPERVISOR
- Ted Collyer
- LAYOUT ARTISTS
- Scott Bennett
- Joe Gosselin
- Sean Jeffries
- Kevin Klis
- Ed Lee
- Brad Markewitz
- Jim Nakashima
- Dan Poitras
- Dinah Postma
- Brian Poehlman
- Frank Ramirez
- Terry Rotsaert
- Joanne Rice
- Genni Shelby
- Ron Wilson
- Winky Wong
- LAYOUT CO-ORDINATOR
- Christina Helmer
- POSING SUPERVISOR
- Cynthia Ward
- POSING ARTISTS
- Sean Branigan
- Lee Cadieux
- Lynne Riest
- Mark Koren
- Lisa Luxton
- Joanne Rice
- Wendy Parkin
- Michelle Houston
- Maureen Shelleau
- Jan Tillcock
- BACKGROUND ARTIST
- Mei Tsao
- COLOR STYLIST
- Nassrin Monem
- ANIMATION SUPERVISORS
- Kevin Currie
- Maureen Shelleau
- CASTING DIRECTOR
- Karen Goora
- VOICE DIRECTOR
- Dan Hennessey
- CASTING ADMINISTRATORS
- Dee Shipley
- Karyn Tester
- CASTING CO-ORDINATOR
- Christine Geddes
- RECORDING ASSISTANTS
- Kerry Bones
- Edmond Chan
- Carrie Justason
- PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
- Ruta Cube
- PRODUCTION MANAGER
- Hugh Neilson
- PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR
- Amedeo De Palma
- PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
- Genna Du Plessis
- Dan Mokriy
- SCRIPT CO-ORDINATORS
- Karen Moonah
- Alice Prodanou
- DIRECTOR'S NOTES
- Dave Cox
- LIP SYNC
- Cathy Parkes
- DIRECTOR OF POST PRODUCTION
- Rob Kirkpatrick
- GENERAL MANAGER OF POST PRODUCTION
- Joe Scrivo
- POST PRODUCTION MANAGER
- Tracy Grant
- POST PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR
- Ann McGuire
- POST PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR
- Brian Marsh
- MUSIC PRODUCER
- Stephan Hudecki
- MUSIC EDITOR
- David W. Shaw
- MUSIC ASSISTANTS
- Amy Fritz
- Helena Werren
- PICTURE EDITOR
- Mark Sanders
- ONLINE EDITOR
- Brian Karn
- VIDEO CONFORM
- Doug Appeldoorn
- Brad Wall
- COLORIST
- Colin Moore
- AUDIO SUPERVISOR
- Scott Murdoch
- DIALOGUE EDITOR
- David W. Shaw
- SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR
- Scott Murdoch
- RE-RECORDING ENGINEER
- Ric Jurgens
- PRE-PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
- Liza Vespi
- TECHNICAL LEAD PRE-PRODUCTION
- Henry Watkins
- LEICA EDITING
- Darrell MacDonald
- Mark Sanders
- PRE-PRODUCTION EDITING
- Terry Carter
- Ken Hurlbut
- Kent Theaker
- Jeff Howard
- Steve Keeping
- Geoff Walton
- SCANNING AND PRINTING
- Jason Abrahams
- Voltaire Aquino
- DIALOGUE RECORDING ENGINEERS
- Mark Baldi
- Sal Grimaldi
- ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES
- Crunch Recording Group Inc.
- Dome Audio And Video Effects
- Hanho Heung-Up Co. Ltd.
- McClear Digital
- Magnet North
- Mercury Filmworks
- BUSINESS AND LEGAL AFFAIRS
- Suzanne Cross
- Carrie Dumont
- A Nelvana Limited Production
- in association with
- Wild Things Productions, Inc.
- and with the assistance of
- The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit
- ©2000 Nelvana Limited.
- All Rights Reserved.
- Nelvana is a trade-mark of Nelvana Limited.
- All Rights Reserved.
- presented in
- Dolby Surround
- NELVANA
- A Corus™ Entertainment Inc. Company
Uncredited
The following is a list of individuals who may have been involved in the creation of The Little Bear Movie. [12]
- FEATURING THE ADDITIONAL VOICES OF
- (in probable order of appearance)
- Greg Berg...Birds
- Patrick Pinney...Birds
- Debi Derryberry...Deer
- Jack Angel...Eagle
- Hen...Elizabeth Hanna
- PRODUCTION MANAGER
- Michael O'Brien
- SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR
- Steven Ahola
- VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR
- Kent McCormick
References
Little Bear's house; Little Bear (character); Father Bear; Pudding Hill (location); Mother Bear; Fisherman Bear; Moon; Wilderness (Wild country); Eagle; Little Moose; Cub; Mountain Lion; Mother Moose; Cub's Father; Cub's Mother; Space helment; Cat; Duck; Owl; Poppy; Pete; Hen; Owl's house; Moose; Cub's den
External links
- The Little Bear Movie at Little Bear - Official at YouTube
- The Little Bear Movie at IMDb
- The Little Bear Movie at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Little Bear Movie at Wikipedia