Watch The Bear That Wasn't For Free

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I just saw this last night on BOOMERANG. I could have turned it off, but it was like watching a train wreck. I had to research it and found that it was based on a children's book written in 1946; the author was said to be very unhappy with this animated version. The argument is always "But its for kids, not for adults, right!" Yes! There are so may quality animations for kids out there, why waste time on junk like this! It is everything that was wrong with the late 60's - 70's animation. Stuff like this almost killed the animation art form. In fact it was the last feature to be produced by the MGM animation group. P.S. - The lowest rank this form allows is "1 star", I wanted to give it "0".

Ever wonder how the psychedelic, existential mindset of the 60s transferred itself to the next generation? Well, this cartoon is your answer. Starting with the existential title "The Bear that Wasn't", kids and viewers of all ages are taken on a mind trip where self-identity conflicts with social identity, and modern-day bureaucracy and hierarchy are satirized and exposed. All of this is done through some of the most beautiful and artistic animation of Chuck Jones, with its use of autumnal colors, shapes, shadows and outlines, all set to a Sergio Mendes-esquire mid-late 60s jazzy score, with its own psychedelic overtones. Not to mention the unusual length of this 'cartoon'--10 minutes. There all other tasty little tidbits of that time period too -- the Bear has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth for most of the cartoon while he is bewildered at what is happening to him.To think that little kids might have been zoned in to this in front of the TV on Saturday morning, while eating their breakfast cereal. What could they possibly be thinking after watching this? They say the 1960s counter culture was largely influenced by the fact that college campus theaters would show European new wave films, and so here were all these college kids innocently going to the campus theater, just cause it was there, yet being exposed to these radically artsy subversive films. This helped sow the seeds of a counterculture and the era which brought the widest and most pervasive critique of the society and everything about it, its values, norms, etc.

"The Bear That Wasn't" is a very silly, yet very funny, MGM cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, who was probably more well known for his directorial work for the Warner Bros. cartoons (e.g., Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, etc.). This cartoon is based on a children's story by Frank Tashlin, who also was a cartoon director at Warner Bros. before making the transition into directing live-action feature films. The story is about an ordinary, average, everyday bear who hibernates, only to find that his cave has become the center of a newly-built factory, where he is actually mistaken for an employee! My favorite moments from "The Bear That Wasn't" include the following (you'd be better off not reading the rest of this commentary until after you have seen the cartoon). Every time the bear tries to explain that he is indeed a bear and not a factory worker, he is always given the same reply: He is NOT a bear but a silly man who needs a shave & wears a fur coat. With each succeeding superior that the bear is forced to visit, a group of secretaries - increasing in number with each visit - join in a chorus of "Come in!" The sight of all the factory workers filling the air with excessive cigarette smoke is quite funny considering the time period that this cartoon was made (the late sixties); for another sixties touch, just listen to the musical accompaniment.As a children's story, "The Bear That Wasn't" is very silly indeed, but it does teach a valuable lesson: Never let anyone denounce who you are and what you're worth.

I had never seen this ten minute long Chuck Jones cartoon before. It's one of his very best. The colors are mindbending, as are the animation and drawings. I felt alternately robbed that I had never seen it before, and happy that I finally did get to see it! 9/10