The Country Bears

Released	2002
Duration	88 min.
Director	Peter Hastings
Written by	Mark Perez
Music	Christopher Young
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures
Rated	G

The Country Bears is a 2002 feature film from Walt Disney Pictures. Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided the animatronic Bears used for the film, which were performed by Henson puppeteers/suit performers.

Based on an attraction at Walt Disney World (and formerly Disneyland), the Country Bear Jamboree, The Country Bears was the first in a series of attraction-based movies which include The Haunted Mansion, and the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. It is also one in a long line of live action Disney family films. The movie is a satire of Behind the Music rock & roll bands. Beary, a young bear raised by a human family in a world where humans and talking bears coexist, attempts to trace his roots. He meets up with the Country Bears, a long-since broken-up band, a parody of bands like the Eagles. Beary helps the Country Bears reunite for one final concert, while searching for who he truly is.

Unlike Disney animation, where the stars' voices are recorded first, it was the puppeteers who worked closely with the director and it was their voices that were captured during the entire shoot as they operated the animatronic heads. This gave the Bears the ability to improv and be directed as on-set performers. The stars' voices were recorded later.

For the movie's premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, the Bears performed a live rock concert entitled The Country Bears Live. And for a limited run, they performed before showings of the film. This was done to a pre-recorded track, with animatronic puppeteers operating the faces on the side of the stage.

Plot[]

“One of the most heartwarming family adventures ever, this hilarious comedy is packed with fantastic fun and foot-stomping music for the whole family. For Beary Barrington, The Country Bears' young #1 fan, fitting in with his all-too-human family is proving im-paws- ible. When he runs away to find Country Bear Hall and his heroes, he discovers the venue that made them famous is near foreclosure. Beary hightails it over the river and through the woods to get the Bears in the Band back together for an all-out reunion concert to save Country Bear Hall. And on the way to find his place in the world, Beary learns that true families are made up of those people who love you the most.”

Creatures[]

Cast[]

Christopher Walken as Reed Thimple
Stephen Tobolowsky as Norbert Barrington
Diedrich Bader as Officer Cheets
Daryl Mitchell as Officer Hamm
M.C. Gainey as Roadie
Alex Rocco as Rip Holland
Meagen Fay as Mrs. Barrington
Eli Marienthal as Dex Barrington
Queen Latifah as Cha Cha
Paul Rugg as TV reporter
Jess Harnell as fan
Elton John as "Ted's gardener"

Cameos[]

Don Henley, John Hiatt, Wyclef Jean, Queen Latifah, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Brian Setzer, Don Was, and Xzibit make cameos as themselves in the documentaries about the Country Bears.

Several of the puppeteers had cameos in this film. Julianne Buescher, Jodi St. Michael, and Terri Hardin appear in the Swarmin Hive Honey Bar (Buescher was a waitress and St. Michael had a tattoo of Tennessee on his arm, painted by Buescher). Brian La Rosa, along with his wife Bess, appear as patrons at Trixie's nightclub.

Crew[]

Director: Peter Hastings
Writter: Mark Perez
Producers: Jeffrey Chernov, Andrew Gunn and John G. Scotti
Cinematography: Mitchell Amundsen
Film Editing: George Bowers, Seth Flaum and Dean Holland
Casting: Ruth Lambert
Production Design: Dan Bishop
Art Direction: Maria L. Baker
Set Decoration: Kathe Klopp
Costume Design: Genevieve Tyrrell
Puppeteer Coordinator: Michelan Sisti

Creature Shop[]

Animatronic Bears Designed and Built by: Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Creature Shop Creative Supervisor: David Barrington-Holt
Creature Shop Production Supervisor: Sally Ray
Design and Art Director: Peter Brooke
Project Manager: Julie Zobel
Electronics Supervisor: Jeff Forbes
Animatronics Design: John Criswell
Mold & Foam Department Supervisor: Phil Jackson
Creature Shop Coordinator: Jim Edson
Creature Shop Set Coordinator: Vinnie Deramus
Sculptors: Jaremy Aiello, Joe Coldwell, Lee Romaire, Mario Torres, Mark Wahlberg
Moldmaker: Rick Bongiovanni, Corey Czekaj, Joe Gomez, Cleve Gunderman, Jeff Thomas
Foam Runner: Ken Niederbaumer
Bear Suit Fabrication Leads: Susie Cox, David Fedele, Scott Johnson, Karen Lafler, Karen Mason, Robin McCarthy, Sarah Rubano, Letty Sandoval, Jill Thraves
Bear Suit Fabrication Assistants: Kristin Willet, Simone Williams, Annalise Boise, Consuelo Duran, Alex Ferguson, Pat Simon, Maria Smith, Marion Held-Bixby, Monica Moran, Claire Mulroy, Tamera Woodard
Bear Hair Department: Stephanie Williams, Jack Bricker, Vanessa Dionne, Justin Ditter, Deborah Galvez, Karin Hanson, Rick Lalonde, Ron Pipes, Lynne Watson
Animatronic Technicians: Patrick Gerrety, Samara Hagopian, Jeff Jingle, Frank Langley, Gary Martinez, Paul Berg
Creature Shop Assistant Coordinator: Tom Lenoci

Released	2002
Duration	88 min.
Director	Peter Hastings
Written by	Mark Perez
Music	Christopher Young
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures
Rated	G