We're Going on a Bear Hunt

A good story doesn't need fancy animation and I was looking for a beautiful story to be told in the simple lines of this short animation. But as the story progressed, I kept thinking to myself, "This is how children die!" This is not healthy exploration, but a bunch of kids taking unnecessary risks. There are at least two times, that if this was real life, these kids would not have made it. Yes, it's symbolic of a deeper meaning, but stories have to be believable, and this one is not believable. Still worth watching for the beauty that it could have been.

We're Going On A Bear Hunt (2016)-

I don't remember the book from my own childhood and that might be because it's a really boring story or because I never owned it. Either way there is no sense of nostalgia here for me and so this review is purely based on my thoughts of the film today.

It is a lot weaker than the others of the same type. For me 'The Snowman' (1982) will always reign supreme as the best short cartoon film, but that one does hold a lot of memories for me. However, even held up against the more recent films like 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea' (2019) or The Snail And The Whale' (2019), Bear Hunt just doesn't work for me. It is missing a key ingredient that I can't quite put my finger on.

It seems to try to include various facts about bears in an educational way, but would a bear really live in a cave on a beach? Or is that bit not one of the real facts and is the Bear in actual fact a metaphor for the recently deceased Grandad? Or is the cave just where the youngest child has lost his own Teddy bear? It's not altogether clear and I'm not sure what we are supposed to take away from it unless we are just supposed to enjoy it for the bright colours that might appeal to a very young audience, even then they aren't that bright (The colours, not the audience, necessarily?).

It was also odd that it was snowing at one point and they were wearing shorts. It didn't seem to know what season it was or where it was set and again it was unclear whether this was all just part of the imagined adventure or not.

Artistically, it was pretty and it wasn't overly cast with huge celebrity names, which made no difference as I've always said, but I do have to wonder if it is literature like this that might be giving us generations of youth with no real idea what a good story is. People that might buy 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' and actually enjoy reading it when they're older?

I wouldn't watch it again in any hurry and probably only when I've forgotten that I've seen it before.

346.76/1000.

Michael Rosen's 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' was a family and school favourite for years.

To this day it still holds up as a timeless and immensely charming piece of literature, with wonderful illustrations, that the whole family can enjoy. It is also one of those rare cases where repetition is not a bad thing. In 2016, 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' was adapted as a 30-minute animation, shown over the Christmas holidays.

Despite the initial scepticism as to whether a great, but admittedly slight, story like 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' would work this way, it turned out to be better than expected and passes the time nicely. Not a great adaptation as such, but stands more than serviceably on its own two feet.

With that being said, it is easy to see why anybody who grew up with 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' would be disappointed. 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' (2016) from personal opinion would have worked better as 10-15 minute short film. While there are bits that are recognisable and a good enough job is done making the most out of the lovely if repetitive text, some parts did feel like padding, that didn't always add to or enhance the storytelling as it could have done, stretched to fill a somewhat too long running time.

Can also definitely understand any criticisms regarding the darker and more melancholic ending. Thought it was rather moving myself, but at the same time it did feel at odds with the rest of the story tonally, which in comparison was lighter, more gentle and more upbeat.

However, there is no denying that 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' is very well made and beautifully animated, the level of detail and how gorgeously it was all drawn was staggering. The music is also a perfect fit, with an appropriate understated whimsy and lushness.

Execution of the story is not perfect, but there is still plenty of charm in the telling of it and there is always more than enough to keep the whole family's attention. As well as plenty to please both children and adults, neither ever too complicated or too simple, with enough moments to laugh, cry and aw over.

Furthermore, the characters carry 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' well and are endearing and the voice acting is very good all round. While Pam Ferris and Mark Williams are the most famous names, it was really interesting and an added bonus to have Rosen himself voicing the bear, and very well too.

Overall, a half an hour well spent but could have been shorter. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The music in this film is lovely, the animation is beautiful, the theme is deep and real. For anyone who has ever dealt with loss, this film resonates in a beautiful way. My three year old asks to watch this with me over and over, and loves it.

Captures the spirit of the book beautifully, right down to the last page. Needless to say, to expand this into a short feature means adding some new layers and dialogue but this merely adds depth and structure to the story. Weaved within is everything you want from the original book, alongside perfectly crafted animation that evokes perfectly the source material. Our family and three children loved it, notably our three year old who screamed with joy at the sight of "a bear".

Brought a tear to my eye. Loved it.