The Country Bears

**The Country Bears** is a 2002 American live-action film directed by Peter Hastings. It is based on the Disney theme park attraction Country Bear Jamboree.

The film was released on July 26, 2002.

## Plot

The Country Bears, an all-bear country rock band, disbanded in 1991 after years of popularity. Beary Barrington, a preteen bear adopted and raised by a human family, feels different. His adoptive parents tell him his family love him unconditionally and that differences lead everyone to their purposes. When Beary's adoptive older brother, Dex, tells him the truth about his background, Beary runs away and ventures out to the Country Bear Hall, the Country Bears' former concert hall. Beary learns from the caretaker Big Al and the band's manager Henry Dixen Taylor that Country Bear Hall is threatened with destruction by greedy banker Reed Thimple. After many attempts to save Country Bear Hall, Beary suggests that Henry hold a benefit concert, and the two set out to reunite the group with the band's bus driver and drummer, Roadie. The Barringtons enlist police officers Cheets and Hamm to find Beary.

First, they recruit Fred Bedderhead, the harmonica and electric bass player, who works as a security guard on the set of pop singer Krystal's latest music video. Henry needs promotion, and Beary suggests the group's former promoter Rip Holland, whom Henry claimed had "stolen" the Country Bears. Henry phones Rip, who gladly agrees to promote the show. Fred mentions a talent show history where they defeated an armpit musician named Benny Boggswaggle, who angrily struck Zeb Zoober. Thimple approaches Big Al and learns about the Country Bears' plan and about Holland promoting the show.

Next, they approach the band's fiddler Zeb Zoober, who has spent years drinking honey and owes a $500 bar tab. Zeb wants to return but must pay his debt. Beary places a bet to let Zeb off the hook by beating the house band in a playoff. Zeb starts his performance poorly but wins after warming up. Officer Cheets and Officer Hamm approach Big Al for directions to where Beary went. Because of miscommunication, the officers think the bears have kidnapped Beary.

Tennessee O'Neal, the one-string guitar player, is now a marriage counselor. He is very reluctant to rejoin the band because he wants to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Trixie St. Claire, the band's keyboard player. After being chased by Officers Cheets and Hamm through a car wash, the Country Bears stop at a motel where Trixie St. Claire is performing. Tennessee sings a duet with her, and she comes with the band to their reunion.

They finally head out to find Ted Bedderhead, the lead vocalist and guitarist. They learn from Elton John that Ted, who appears very wealthy, is at a wedding at the local country club. After Ted has the other Country Bears members leave, Fred learns that he is only a wedding singer. Fred knocks out Ted and drags him onto the bus. Zeb claims Ted to be the reason for the band's disestablishment, but Ted claims he held them together. Ted says the real problem was Zeb's drinking, Tennessee's emotional outbursts, and Fred's immaturity. Beary reminds them that they claimed each other to be family, but Ted says it was meaningless publicity and tells him that he knows nothing about the real bears and that they are not a family. Beary realizes the real meaning of family and returns home, where he is happily reunited with his family.

The Country Bears read Beary's school essay about them and realize that Beary was right. Reconciling with Beary, Ted insists that they allow him to join them during the concert, but Thimple kidnaps the rest of the Country Bears and steals the bus. Thimple reveals he is really Benny Boggswaggle and seeks vengeance for stealing his chance at fame. Beary, his family and Ted track down and rescue the band, and they head to the concert together.

There, they discover that Thimple paid Rip to not promote the show. Big Al suddenly arrives and reveals, to everyone's surprise, that he promoted the show himself, and everyone is in a different parking lot. A surge of people rush in. Defeated, Thimple is thrown out of the building while vowing that his feud is not over. The money raised from the concert is enough to save the hall, and the Country Bears perform with Beary as a new member of the band.

## Cast and Characters

* Christopher Walken as Reed Thimple
	+ Michael Lawrence Morgan as Young Benny Bogswaggle
* Stephen Tobolowsky as Mr. Norbert Barrington
* Daryl Mitchell as Officer Hamm
* Diedrich Bader as Officer Cheets
* Alex Rocco as Rip Holland
* M.C. Gainey as Roadie
* Meagen Fay as Mrs. Norma Barrington
* Eli Marienthal as Dexter "Dex" Barrington
* Jennifer Paige as Waitress
* Jess Harnell as Long-haired Dude
* Paul Rugg as TV Reporter
* Krystal as Herself
* Don Henley as Himself
* John Hiatt as Himself
* Sir Elton John as Himself
* Queen Latifah as Herself / Cha Cha
* Willie Nelson as Himself
* Bonnie Raitt as Herself
* Brian Setzer as Himself
* Don Was as Himself
* Wyclef Jean as Himself
* Xzibit as Himself

### Voice Cast

* Haley Joel Osment as Beary Barrington
	+ Elizabeth Daily as Beary Barrington (Singing Voice)
* Diedrich Bader as Ted Bedderhead
	+ John Hiatt as Ted Bedderhead (Singing Voice)
* Candy Ford as Trixie St. Claire
	+ Bonnie Raitt as Trixie St. Claire
* James Gammon as Big Al
* Brad Garrett as Fred Bedderhead
* Toby Huss as Tennessee O'Neal
	+ Don Henley as Tennessee O'Neal (Singing Voice)
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Henry Dixon Taylor
* Stephen Root as Zeb Zoober

## Music

The original music was composed by Christopher Young, and the songs were written by Brian Setzer, John Hiatt, Jimmy Tittle, Krystal Harris and Bela Fleck as well as Elton John.

## Production

The Country Bears started when Disney VP of Production Brigham Taylor took his family to Disneyland and decided the ride would make a good movie. Many within the company were sceptical of the concept, however, Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group prexy Nina Jacobson was sold on the concept and immediately pushed the film into production with the blessing of then-Disney chairman Peter Schneider, a prime believer in all things synergistic. The movie was fast-tracked into production as the film would be cheap to make and there were fears of an impending writers strike leading to a shortage of releasable product.

The animatronic bear suits used in the film were created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

Principal photography began on March 15, 2001, and wrapped on August 21, 2001. It was filmed in Franklin, Tennessee as well as various locations in California. This was also Daryl Mitchell’s final film before he became a paraplegic from a motorcycle accident on November 10, 2001 8 months before the movies premiere.

## Reception

### Critical Response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a rating of 31% based on 85 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 10. The site's critic consensus states: "Despite all the celebrities on hand, this spin-off from a theme park attraction still feels tired and hokey." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on 21 critics, which indicates "generally negative reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a two out of four stars and said, "the formidable technical skills in The Country Bears must not be allowed to distract from the film's terminal inanity." Emma Cochrane of Empire Magazine gave the film a two out of five stars and said, "Too American, too country, too much like a slick, band extension cash-in, Country Bears hovers between cult video hit and utter rubbish, never being compellingly either."

Christopher Walken was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, but lost to Hayden Christensen for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

### Box Office

Budgeted at US$35 million, it grossed $16,990,825 in the US and an additional $1,021,272 overseas. The film was released on DVD and VHS on December 17, 2002. Though filmed in 1.85:1 widescreen, Region 1 DVDs present the film in full screen only though Region 2 and 4 present the film in widescreen.