If you grew up in the late 80s or early 90s, you probably remember the iconic poster of a tiny cub looking up at a massive grizzly. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, this film is a bit of an anomaly. It’s not a documentary, but it’s not a talking-animal Disney flick either.

The plot is simple: A mother bear is killed in a rockslide, leaving her cub alone. The cub eventually attaches himself to a massive, battle-scarred male grizzly who is being pursued by two hunters. There is almost no human dialogue. Instead, the "script" is written in the language of growls, whimpers, and the stunning visual storytelling of the French Alps (standing in for British Columbia).

In a world of Skibidi Toilet and 15-second TikTok loops, The Bear hits different. It demands attention. It’s "slow cinema" for kids who are used to constant dopamine hits.

Watching this movie is an exercise in empathy. Because the bears don't talk, kids have to rely on body language and sound to understand what they’re feeling. It’s a masterclass in emotional intelligence disguised as a nature adventure. It also uses real animals (mostly), which provides a grounded reality that even the best CGI in The Lion King (2019) can’t replicate.

You might think a movie with no dialogue would bore a kid raised on MrBeast, but The Bear has a way of sucking them in.

Check out our guide on why slow media is good for kids' attention spans

Let’s be real: this is an 80s movie, and 80s movies for "kids" were often low-key traumatic. The Bear is rated PG, but it pushes that rating to the limit.

The opening scene involves the cub’s mother being crushed by a boulder. It’s loud, sad, and sudden. Younger kids might find the cougar attack later in the film too frightening, and the overall "survival of the fittest" vibe can be a bit much for the preschool set.

This is the perfect age to introduce the film. They’re old enough to handle the "circle of life" realities and can appreciate the complexity of the hunters' characters. They'll also find the cub’s "hallucination" scene (where he eats some fermented mushrooms and sees neon frogs) hilarious and weird.

If you have a teen who is into film or photography, this is a must-watch. It’s a masterclass in how to tell a story without a single line of exposition.

Before you hit play on The Bear, there are a few things that might catch you off guard if you haven't seen it in twenty years.

The hunters in the movie aren't portrayed as mustache-twirling villains. They are men of their time, and the movie actually shows a moment of profound mercy and connection between the hunter and the bear. It’s a much more nuanced take on hunting than you’ll find in Bambi.

There is a brief scene where the large male grizzly mates with a female bear. It’s not graphic—it’s just bears being bears—but there’s a lot of loud grunting and "action" that might lead to some awkward questions from your 10-year-old. Just a heads up.

Yes, there is a dream sequence where the cub eats psychoactive mushrooms. It’s very 80s, very trippy, and honestly a little bit out of place, but it’s a talking point about what animals eat in the wild.

Learn more about navigating animal death in movies

This movie is a conversation starter. If you watch it together, here are a few ways to dig deeper:

If your family connected with the raw, naturalistic vibe of The Bear, here are a few other recommendations that hit a similar note:

While it’s sci-fi, the themes of an outsider learning to survive in the wilderness and forming an unlikely bond with an animal are very similar. The The Wild Robot movie is also a fantastic companion piece.

For a more modern (and real-life) look at the bond between humans and the natural world, this Netflix documentary is stunning and emotionally resonant.

For older kids (12+) who are fascinated by the "survival" aspect of The Bear, this reality show is the gold standard for showing what it actually takes to live in the wild.

The classic survival novel. If they liked the "man vs. nature" tension of the hunters in the film, they will devour this book.

Ask our chatbot for more "survival" themed books and movies

The Bear (1988) is a rare film that respects a child's intelligence. It doesn't feel the need to fill every silence with a pop-culture joke or a musical number. It’s a heavy, beautiful, and sometimes "gross" look at the natural world.

Is it "brain rot"? Absolutely not. It’s the antidote to it. It’s a movie that stays with you long after the credits roll, and in 2025, that’s a rare thing indeed.

Next Steps:

See our full WISE score and parent reviews for The Bear (1988)