Watch Santa and the Three Bears For Free

Good movie but grossly overrated

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Santa and the Three Bears (1970) ** (out of 4)Pretty bland animated film has two cubs sneaking out of their den and going to the home of the local forest ranger. Once there the ranger tells them the story of Santa Claus and when they return home they don't want to hibernate because they want to see the Jolly fat man. This causes their mother to get worried because she feels they're just going to be disappointed since there's really no such thing. At 46-minutes this film just goes on way too long and there's really not too many interesting things in it. Yes, the cubs are cute and yes there's a nice message to be had but I think most kids and especially their parents are going to be bored out of their minds. The biggest problem is the running time because there's so much stuff that happens here that could have been edited out without hurting the actual film or its message. We get way too many scenes where the cubs keep asking questions either about Santa or about other things and it just never really drew me into the story. The animation is nice and I thought the vocal performances were good but neither of these are strong enough to make the film worth sitting through.

Sweet holiday story of cute bear cubs 'Nakomi' and 'Chinook' who learn about Christmas, Santa Claus, and yuletide decorations from a Yellowstone National Park forest ranger much to the consternation of their nice Mom who is trying to hibernate for a couple of months.Cozy production, rich in color, with wintry atmosphere, lots of snow, and fireside warmth. Originally released with an introduction by actor Hal Smith ('Otis' on The Andy Griffith Show) whom also provides the voice of the park ranger. Other voices include Jean Vander Pyl ('Wilma' on The Flintstones) and actress Joyce Taylor.A Modern Sound Pictures film.

One of the best memories I have of my childhood is watching this movie every year with my Mom. A tradition in my house, this innocent tale about Santa made me a true believer. I got the DVD and watched it for the first time with my 3-year-old this Christmas, and at one point had to leave the room I got so choked up. It is so rare to find anything written for kids that is this innocent and clever anymore. No off-color potty humor jokes, or awkward moments of adult content hidden under the guides of child entertainment. Watching this movie today makes you very aware of an innocence lost among today's youth. Seeing my child react the same way I did at her age to this movie reminded me of the sense of wonder I had every year after watching this film. I was saddened to see it is no longer shown on TV. It figures. Get yourself a copy before it is too late and this film is lost forever! The film quality has really degraded over the years. I was really sort of shocked and saddened when I saw it, but it made me cherish the copy I have even more. I feel like I need to take extra care of it before this movie becomes extinct!

I remember watching this film as a child and thinking that it moved a bit slow, especially when compared to the Rankin & Bass Christmas specials. Unlike R & B specials it has no evil villain to fear or hero to cheer for. The songs were not as catchy either.However, now as an adult I seem to enjoy the laid back simple story. The songs are good and I like the introduction and ending with live actors. I think what makes me appreciate this special even more are the so called Christmas specials that are produced today. I have children of my own now and neither they or I like what we see today. Thankfully they too like the Christmas specials I remember from my childhood.This Christmas special is not aired that often anymore and it seems to drift in and out of availability for DVD and VHS purchase. If you see that it is airing on television you may want to record it as it hard to come by these days.