Bear and Friends (franchise)

***Bear and Friends*** is an American media franchise created by Gabriel Combs for YouTube. The series chronicles the adventures of Bear, Dog, and Unicorn in the fictional town of Pet City. Its popularity has made it a media franchise consisting of three feature films and two short films. It is one of Combs' highest rated and most popular series.

## Development

### Inspiration

The inspiration of the series draws from Combs' enjoyment of watching videos made with stuffed animals, particularly *SML* (the older videos) and *Mario Muffet Adventures*. He had already owned the plushes that would become the characters Bear, Dog, and Unicorn. During quarantine due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, Combs decided to film a video with the three plushes, which would become the first episode of the series, "The Sleepover!", with Kadence Lovett providing the voice of Unicorn. Combs and Lovett had so much fun making the video that they decided, due to other kids being bored due to quarantine too, that they would create a series to entertain people during quarantine.

### Filming

Each episode, other than The Sleepover, was filmed the day before release. They were all filmed in the BAF house, though some episodes such as The Playground Adventure! and its sequel were filmed at the playground of Lovett's school. The series' popularity inspired Combs and Lovett to produce more seasons, with Niko and Kamden Lovett joining the cast as new characters to grow out the series' cast to a wider level.

## Television series

 *Bear and Friends* | 1 | 8
 2 | August 11, 2020
 3 | October 4, 2020
 4 | March 23, 2021
 *BAF Shorts* | 1

### *Bear and Friends* (2020-present)

*Bear and Friends*, the series that started the franchise, is set in the fictional town of Pet City and follows the adventures of Bear, Dog, and Unicorn as they meet new friends, celebrate holidays, and go to new locations.

### *BAF Shorts* (2020)

*BAF Shorts* is a cancelled spin-off series of *Bear and Friends*. Like the original series, it follows the adventures of Bear, Dog, and Unicorn. The series' humor led to a negative reaction from fans, causing the series to get cancelled.

## Films

*Main article: Bear and Friends (film series)*

 *Unicorn: A Bear and Friends Story* | February 10, 2021
 *The Bear and Friends Movie* | November 3, 2023

### *Bear and Friends: The Movie* (2020)

*Main article: Bear and Friends: The Movie*

In the first feature-film in the series, Bear, Dog, and Unicorn are hunted by Principal Steinbeck, who declares a war on them after being arrested following the events of"Unicorn Goes to School!". The film mainly features segments of adventures that the friends go on, with them all being brought together to serve as a loose plot for the film. The film also introduces the reveal that Steinbeck is the background cameo character Gerald from the series.

### *Unicorn: A Bear and Friends Story* (2021)

*Main article: Unicorn: A Bear and Friends Story*

The film serves as a spin-off of the series, focusing on the character Unicorn on her own adventure. The plot follows Unicorn as she reunites with her long-lost cousin Josh and sets out to rediscover her past and figure out who she is. She is also being hunted by her ex-boyfriend Mario, who seeks revenge for their break-up years ago. The film also introduces Unicorn's Mom, who is revealed to have survived when she was assumed dead.

### *Bear and Friends: A New Adventure* (2021)

*Main article: Bear and Friends: A New Adventure*

The plot follows Bear as he attempts to recover the memories of Dog and Unicorn after they are knocked out by Steinbeck in an attack. Once again, Steinbeck pledges a war against them following his arrest. The film was originally set to serve as the conclusion to the series, but the ending was deemed "unsatisfying" and "rushed" by fans of the series, so the cast is set to return in future projects.

### *The Bear and Friends Movie* (2023)

*Main article: The Bear and Friends Movie*

On January 1, 2023, an announcement video was made on the *Bear and Friends* YouTube channel, revealing that a new film under the title *The Bear and Friends Movie* was in the works, with the entire cast set to reprise their roles and new actors set to possibly appear in cameo roles. It began filming on May 30, 2023, and wrapped on September 7. The film was released on November 3, 2023.

## Reception

### Series

 4 | 36% (1,430 views)

The first season was met with a generally positive response for its episode plots, casting, performances, humor, and charm, though some criticized the pacing. The season received an 88% Like vs. Dislike Score, based on 1,777 reviews, with an average score of 8.87 out of 10. The YouTube Algorithm reads, "A fresh new comedy with a fun direction by Gabriel Combs, *Bear and Friends* is a fun, funny delight for viewers with nothing to do during quarantine."

The second season was met with positive reviews, with praise for its episode plots, casting, humor, performances, and heart, with many considering it to be “even better than the first season”. The season received a 91% Like Vs. Dislike Score, based on 1,295 views, with an average score of 9.021 out of 10. The YouTube Algorithm reads, "*Bear and Friends*' sophomore season ramps up the charm and humor to a whole new level and, in some ways, even improves on its first season."

The third season received a mixed response, with praise for its episode plots, casting, performances, Halloween themes, humor, and heart, though the pacing and finale received criticism. On the Like Vs. Dislike Scale, the series received a 52% score, based on 1,120 views, with an average score of 4.961 out of 10. The YouTube Algorithm reads, "*Bear and Friends*' third season suffers from pacing, but the humor and charm keep this uneven season above mediocrity."

The spin-off series, *BAF Shorts*, received mixed reviews, with praise for the returning cast and plots, but with criticism for the unfunny humor and runtime. On a Like Vs. Dislike Score, the series currently holds a 22% score. The first episode received a 16% score, criticizing the story, performances, pacing, and humor. The second episode received a 21% score, stating that it was a slight improvement over the previous episode, but the humor, pacing, and performances still received criticism.

The fourth season received a mixed-to-negative response, with praise for its casting, performances, and humor, though the pacing, episode plots and inconsistent tone was criticized. It is widely considered the worst season of the series. On the Like Vs. Dislike Scale, the season received a 36% score, based on 1,430 views, with an average score of 2.99 out of 10. The YouTube Algorithm reads, "*Bear and Friends* officially hits an all time low in a highly uneven fourth season that plunges the series into mediocrity."

### Films

 *The Bear and Friends Movie* | 97% (4 views)

*Bear and Friends: The Movie* received a mixed response from fans, with praise for the performances, humor, and faithfulness to the series, but with criticism for its story and inconsistency. On a Like Vs. Dislike Scale, the film received a 49% score, based on 392 views, with an average of 4.55 out of 10. The site reads, “*Bear and Friends: The Movie* is enjoyable enough to entertain fans of the series, but for everyone else, it's an uneven mess with no entertaining story in sight.”

*Unicorn: A Bear and Friends Story* received a generally positive response, with praise for the plot, performances, casting, humor, and heart, with some calling it the “best Bear and Friends movie”. On the Like vs. Dislike Score, the film received a 94% score, based on 433 viewers, with an average score of 9.1 out of 10. The YouTube Analytics read, "Loveable characters, a fun plot, and a great soundtrack make *Unicorn: A Bear and Friends Story* an improvement over its predecessor, and a great movie in its own right."

*Bear and Friends: A New Adventure* received a mixed-to-positive response, with fans praising the plot, casting, performances, humor, representation, and emotional weight, though the pacing and ending received criticism. On the Like vs. Dislike Score, the film received a 75% score, based on 124 views, with an average score of 6.91 out of 10. The YouTube Analytics read, "Improving on its predecessor in many ways, *Bear and Friends: A New Adventure* ends the series on a slightly uneven but mostly high note while maintaining the charm that makes the series so enjoyable."

*The Bear and Friends Movie* generally critical acclaim, with fans lauding its story, performances, humor, themes, direction, soundtrack, character development, and emotional weight. It is widely considered an improvement over its predecessors and the best film in the franchise. On the Like vs. Dislike Score, the film received a 97% score, based on 4 viewers, with an average score of 9.753 out of 10. The YouTube Analytics read, "A hilarious and emotional return to form for the franchise, *The Bear and Friends Movie* sets a fresh new direction for the franchise while delivering on everything fans could ask for."

## Notes

* The series serves as Combs' first original television series, with *Bear and Friends: The Movie* serving as his feature-film debut.
* *Bear and Friends: The Movie* serves as Niko Lovett's directorial debut.
* *Unicorn: A Bear and Friends Story* serves as Combs' directorial debut.
* *The Bear and Friends Movie* serves as Kadence Lovett's directorial debut.