Brown Bears - Teddy Bears Picnic
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Brown Bears - Teddy Bears Picnic
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Brown Bears - Teddy Bear Picnic is a documentary about bears that shows fighting, mauling each other, dead bear cubs and other dead animals, and sexual activity between bears. It's not as innocent as the title might suggest. The narrator humanizes and objectifies a female bear who is bathing, saying that "a beautiful young lady is quite a draw." Her suitor is "admiring the bather from the safety of the bushes." After a tooth and claw fight with a rival suitor, the winning male "confidently turns on the charm," and pursues her in the woods. Before he mates with her, the narrator says: "Finally the female is ready to give him what he wants." The mating takes place under the observation of the camera, and is shown in different angles and speeds. Then "the female is on her own," because male bears "play no parental role." When male and female bears fight, according to the narrator, it's called "foreplay." A pair of Russian men have brought bear cubs in cages to a remote island to release them in hopes that they will survive. There is no scientific rhyme or reason for this, and the documentary keeps checking in on the cubs, saying, "hopefully they'll adapt."
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What's the Story?
BROWN BEARS - TEDDY BEAR PICNIC is a documentary show about bears in their wild habitat. They are shown waking up from hibernation, clambering among rocks, rivers, and fields in search of food, and eating prey. Baby cubs are released by humans into the wild and are filmed as they struggle to survive. Mating rituals are shown and discussed, as is parenting and survival of bears in the wild.
Is It Any Good?
This visually interesting, but oddly curated documentary show can't really be taken seriously. In Brown Bears - Teddy Bear Picnic, a mother bear emerges from a cave, shaking off a winters' sleep with a cub in tow. Though she's hungry and hankering for food, the mother bear takes the time to nurse her cub before going on the hunt for sustenance. This is all well and good. But her peer, a younger bear, is being stalked by a young male bear as she bathes in a lake. Thanks to the creepy narration sequence, the natural order of things -- animals in the wild do mate and reproduce, after all -- is sexualized in a way that raises red flags.
Another questionable interpretation occurs when men transporting two cages of baby cubs land on an island to release the cubs into the wild. They drop some apples and fish in hopes that the cubs will learn how to eat on their own. There is no plan for these animals -- just a drop off and maybe a check in later. "Hopefully they'll adapt," the narrator says. Such haphazard behavior makes this feel like less of a documentary show and more of a circus.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork in Brown Bears - Teddy Bear Picnic. How do bears work together to ensure their survival? Do you have a team you can count on?
Bears in wildlife are fun to watch -- from a distance. Do you love reading and learning about animals? Which books are your favorites?
The narrator says that humans see themselves in bears when they observe their behavior. Do you relate to a certain animal? What do you do to learn more about your favorite animals?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 28, 2021
- Network: HBO Max
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: September 14, 2021
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