Gentle Ben (2002 film)

***Gentle Ben*** (also known as ***Gentle Ben: The Movie*** and ***Gentle Ben: Terror on the Mountain***) is a made-for-television film based on the book of the same name by Walt Morey. It was produced by Animal Planet in association with Alpine Media and Hallmark Entertainment and premiered on March 25, 2002. A sequel, *Gentle Ben 2*, followed in 2003.

## Plot

Mark Wedloe is sent from his home in Los Angeles to spend time with his uncle Jack in the country while his parents are away providing medical need to people in Indonesia. Mark is introduced to many of the residents, including Jack's partner Peete, who helps him protect the local wildlife; Dakota, who runs the local shop; Gittis and Norwood, a pair of conservationists studying the local wildlife; and Ashley Benson, a girl his age who befriends him. Ashley's father, Fog, is putting a bounty out for a bear he believes is responsible for killing his sheep. Soon after, Jack receives a call from the State Department informing him that Mark's parents have disappeared in the rainforest, leaving Mark devastated and Jack uncertain of suddenly taking on the role of being a full-time parent. Mark later meets and is befriended by a local hermit named Cully, who tells him of a bear he raised some years ago.

Meanwhile, a black bear residing in an abandoned gold mine falls into a shaft and becomes trapped. Mark and Ashley find the bear while hiking and feed it, but Mark convinces Ashley not to tell Jack for fear that he will tell Fog, who soon loses two more sheep. Mark soon begins visiting and feeding the bear on a regular basis, and soon uses a wooden ladder to help it climb out of the shaft.

The next day, Jack and Mark are visited by Ms. Washborough from Social Services to see about Mark's condition, and she is concerned when Jack expresses his uncertainty of the situation. Mark tries to hide the bear from them, teaches it tricks and comes to believe that he is not responsible for the sheep killings due to his gentle nature and being trapped in the shaft at the time of the attacks. They then spot Gittis and Norwood tranquilize a fox and suspect them of being poachers, but Mark is caught and brought back home to Jack. Ashley informs Jack and Fog about the bear, whom she also believes is innocent of the killings. Mark tries to tell Jack about what he saw, but Jack is furious with Mark for being with a wild animal and grounds him, while Fog tells Ashley to remain with Dakota while he goes looking for the bear. Mark and Ashley both sneak out to help the bear escape from Gittis and Norwood.

Ashley rubs her clothes on the bear to carry his scent and ditches her jacket to distract the dogs while Mark leads the bear towards Grizzly Valley, in hopes that he will be safe. Jack and Peete find evidence in Gittis and Norwood's truck confirming them to be poachers, vindicating Mark's claims, and start tracking them after Ashley doubles back to inform them of Mark's destination. Fog finds his daughter's jacket and joins Gittis and Norwood in looking for the kids and the bear, but he soon begins to suspect their motives when he sees their dogs aggressively react to a deer. Fog's party catches up with Mark and the bear at the Three Sisters at the same time as Jack and Peete and attempt to shoot the bear. Mark knocks Gittis' gun away and he explains how the bear is harmless and was trapped in the mine at the time of the killings. Jack explains they also found evidence of a dog or wolf in the area, while Mark also states how he saw Gittis and Norwood having to restrain their dogs from killing the fox they shot earlier; Fog recalls how Ashley told him the same thing about the bear and, having observed the dogs' behavior, coupled with Jack's information, realizes that the dogs are the ones responsible for killing his sheep. Gittis holds the three men at gunpoint, but is startled by the bear, and Fog knocks out Norwood for calling Ashley a liar, and they are taken into custody. Sometime later, Mark and Ashley name the bear Ben after Mark's father. Peete remarks that it will be an interesting journey for Mark and Ben.

## Cast

* Dean Cain as Jack Wedloe
* Corbin Bernsen as Fog Benson
* Ashley Laurence as Dakota
* Reiley McClendon as Mark Wedloe
* Cody Weiant as Ashley June Benson
* Gil Burmingham as Pete
* Martin Kove as Cully
* William Katt as Gittis Malone
* Stephen W. Bridgewater as Norwood Malone
* J. Karen Thomas as Ms. Washborough
* Bonkers the Bear as Ben