This Disney nature film, narrated by John C. Reilly, is the story of the first year of life in a family of three brown bears. Sky the mother bear previously dug her winter den high in a nearly inaccessible mountain in Alaska (Katmai National Park) and gave birth to her two cubs. Now it is time for her to leave her den and move her offspring down the snow-capped mountains. It is a rather arduous trek for cubs Scout (the adventurous one) and Amber (the more practical one). The trip is exciting but lurks with danger. Snow that sheltered the small family in the winter now becomes a deadly enemy in early spring, especially because of avalanches. And mother soon has to begin feeding to make milk for her young ones. Down at the Alaskan coast the snow has melted and the land is green. At a meadow there are other bears; they eat grass, their salad until they can get their real food: tasty salmon. There is an occasional fish. The dominant bear in the area is the behemoth Magnus, who at one thousand pounds is three times larger than Sky. Then there is the outcast bear Chinook, who was banished from the meadow by Magnus. Sky has to remain alert for these rival bears and even for predators.
In the mudflats near the water are some clams. There is peril for the cubs when the tides return, as they can be separated from land. Then there is the clash with Chinook, but the cubs escape. At another spot up the coast there are some salmon. It is now midsummer. The three bears leave the meadow and head for shore. Magnus steals a fish from Chinook. A new danger is the wolf, Tikani, who eyes the cubs but Sky drives him away.
Sky still needs to eat large quantities of salmon before summer's end, or else she will not have enough milk stored for the cubs during winter hibernation. When salmon seem to appear in larger numbers, Tinaki tries to grab a cub while Sky gathers fish, but is again repelled. After two weeks the main school of salmon, finally used to fresh water, swim upstream in order to spawn (sometimes a 30-mile trip against current!). In calm, shallow streams the salmon lay their eggs, but Sky still has difficulty in finding enough fish. When the rains come the water rises and the fish can really move. At the Great Falls the salmon finally gather in huge numbers. Then a raven caws, seeming to signal to Sky the whereabouts of the Golden Pond, her destination. At last the bears can finally eat their fill. Even Tinaki the wolf awkwardly learns how to fish and keeps away from the cubs.
In the late summer Scout and Amber have new winter coats. With the seasonal changes it is time for the bear family to return to the high country and prepare their dens for the long cold season and hibernation. The closing credits highlight the film crew and the animal stars. This is a Disney nature film, so you know it is a good one for the entire family. And the cinematography is of Disney's distinctive high quality. Enjoy this one!
