King of the Grizzlies (1970) User Reviews

Bear kingdom

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 14 March 2022]

Am a big fan of nature documentaries, whether films or series, and there are many exceptional nature documentary series and films out there. Some obvious, some not as well known today. Some people don't like it when animals are humanised, with the adjective manipulative sometimes coming up. Mostly don't have a problem with this myself, it is always interesting to see animals in life-like situations and behaving in a way that are relatable and it makes the animals easy to relate to too.

This has been done better elsewhere than in 'King of the Grizzlies'. Don't get me wrong, to me 'King of the Grizzlies' was on the whole pretty good with many great things. Seeing grizzly bears portrayed in this way and that there is more to them than the dangerous ones often heard of was interesting and wouldn't say no to seeing this more. When it comes to documentaries on bears, there is a preference for the True Life Adventures short film 'Bear Country'.

'King of the Grizzlies' is a bit too over-deliberate in stretches, meaning that some parts drag, personally didn't find the human element particularly necessary particularly with it not being used heavily.

Did think too that the narration writing was a touch too on the cutesy and too jokey side, which was also the case with some of the True Life Adventures feature length films.

However, 'King of the Grizzlies' is beautifully shot and also cannot complain about the scenery, the mountains look majestic. The music is atmospheric, haunting in the more dramatic moments and tranquil when in softer moments (the latter of which there is more of). While there were reservations about the narration writing, there weren't any issues with Winston Hibler's delivery which was suitably good natured, suitably laid back at times and doesn't sound bored. Shorty is good fun too.

Really liked the gentle tone of the storytelling, though the film doesn't shy away from showing the challenges and not sugar-coating it. The journey of the grizzly bear is cute, moving and relatable, as was the grizzly bear himself. Also found myself learning a good deal and the material felt fresh, did not find myself talked down to or talked at.

Concluding, worth seeing if not a must. 7/10.

More For Science Class Rather Than Family Movie Night. A Conflicted Recommendation.

[filmbuff-05706 · 7/10 · 18 November 2022]

I live near a used DVD store, and I purchase many of my DVDs there due to their closeness and great selection. King of the Grizzlies was there and it drew my attention for being an old Disney movie.

My Grandma/guardian and I love old Disney movies like Swiss Family Robinson, Third Man on the Mountain, and The Ugly Dachshund, and she loves animal movies, so for that, and the $4 cost, I picked it up.

My Grandma and I just watched it, and it wasn't what we expected. It wasn't bad, keep that in mind, and I wouldn't mind seeing it again, but it was quite unusual for a Disney film.

King of the Grizzlies follows a grizzly bear with 2 cubs. We see them grow up, and then befriend an Indian man named Moki who considers the male cub to be a brother.

King of the Grizzlies has many cute moments with the bear cubs, and the human parts make for watchable drama.

There were also some funny moments. In one part, the narrator tells us that male bears find a female to mate, and then abandon them after she gets pregnant. My Grandma and I were both like: "Human males aren't much different!"

However, the film did have some flaws. For one thing, there is way too much narration. The movie's cover made the movie look more like a drama, but it turns out it was more of a documentary. Comparing Disney movies, it felt more like Earth, and we were expecting something like Rascal.

And when I say "too much narration", I mean about 97% of this movie's dialouge was narration. The other 3% is about a man the bears meet and some friends of his. I'm not saying there should have been NO narration (witness the mating part), but it was overkill for a movie that was supposed to entertain families.

Unless you don't mind a Disney movie being a documentary, this is fine. I like the DisneyNature movies, like Earth, but this one was unexpected as a documentary and dull at times. King of the Grizzlies is sure to bore the target Disney audience as a result, but older Disney fans should give this a watch.

Like I said, King of the Grizzlies isn't bad, it just wasn't what I thought it would be. With different expectations in mind, I might like it more upon a second viewing. I don't usually recommend 7/10s, but for those who want to see cute bears and don't mind the narration, King of the Grizzlies is worth the 93 minutes of your time.

At best, this is better for a Science Nature class rather than family movie night.

Pleasant wildlife story for a quiet evening's viewing

[dsboud · 26 April 2002]

John Yesno as Moki, Chris Wiggins (I) as The Colonel and Hugh Webster as Shorty in a pleasant enough family film, more of a grizzly life?s documentary with a sparse human element wrapped around it than an actual movie, about the life of a male grizzly from cub to adult. During his life as a cub, he loses his mother and is rescued from certain death by a Cree Indian, Moki, and released in the high mountains surrounding the ranch Moki works on for the Colonel. The story shows the viewer a gentle, laid back view of the life of a typical bear with beautiful high mountain scenery and a glimpse of the rugged life of those intrepid souls who went west with a dream and established the big cattle ranches that eventually lead to the settling of the wide open country once owned by the Indians and animals, who unlike these, lived together in harmony. Good for a time when you just want a quiet nature story and great mountain photography as not much in the way of excitement happens until near the end when the big bear?s future becomes very uncertain after he crosses the tough rancher. 2 our of 4 stars db

By the hour mark I was practically begging for the end to come

[r96sk · 4/10 · 3 August 2020]

Like almost all of Disney's film/documentary productions up until this point, 'King of the Grizzlies' is unfortunately a bore.

These are an odd thing, they are somewhat difficult to review as there is barely anything film-related to them - it's just a manufactured documentary made to look like something else. It's tough to make it work as a film to be honest, especially with the animal welfare concerns.

This files under the same category as 1961's 'Nikki, Wild Dog of the North' and 1962's 'The Legend of Lobo', the latter is slightly better than the other two but even so they are all pretty poor. In fairness, this one actually starts off mildly interesting but by the hour mark I was practically begging for the end to come.

There is one moment which is kind of enjoyable, it involves Shorty (Hugh Webster). It's basically a scene that the Benny Hill theme song wouldn't sound out of place in, to the point of it showing potential for a shenanigan-filled production where Wahb the bear constantly interrupts Shorty's plans for a settlement or something - I reckon that would've been funny - perhaps repetitive? - to watch.

The very small and minor cast are meh, as is narrator Winston Hibler. Jacques Fauteux and Rex Allen do decent jobs in the earlier mentioned productions, Hibler doesn't quite hit the same level as those two; even if he is the best part of this.

Not one I'd recommend, that's for sure.

Disney family movie about bears, will any survive the first 20 minutes?

[magneticwhimsy · 9 July 2018]

Like most Disney family movies, this one begins by killing off 2/3's of the bear family in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Real quality entertainment for the whole family, right? Only if your family enjoys seeing the animal characters in the family killed, which should be any American family I guess.