Trama

Beary Barrington goes on an adventure to save Country Bear Hall by getting the Country Bears back together for a reunion concert.

Based on a Disneyland attraction, The Country Bear Jamboree, this movie is one in a long line of live-action Disney family films. The movie is a satire of "Behind the Music" rock-and-roll bands. Beary, a young bear raised by a human family in a world where humans and talking bears coexist, attempts to trace his roots. He meets up with the Country Bears, a long-since broken-up band, a parody of bands like the Eagles. Beary helps the Country Bears reunite for one final concert, while searching for who he truly is.—Matt Dicker

The Country Bears, an all-bear country rock band, disbanded in 1991 after years of popularity. The band included Ted Bedderhead, the lead vocalist and guitarist, Zeb Zoober, the fiddle player, Tennessee O'Neal, the one-string guitar player and Fred Bedderhead, the harmonica player and bassist. The band was loved by the crowds and their shows were always sell-outs.

Beary Barrington (Haley Joel Osment), a preteen bear adopted and raised by a human family, feels different and does not fit into human society. His adoptive parents (Mr. Norbert Barrington (Stephen Tobolowsky), Beary's honorable and good-nature adoptive father. Mrs. Norma Barrington (Meagen Fay), Beary's excitable, yet easily worried adoptive mother) tell him his family love him unconditionally and that differences lead everyone to their purposes. They have not yet told Beary that he is adopted. Norbert says that people who love you no matter what, is your true family.

Beary's adoptive older brother, Dex (Eli Marienthal), tells him the truth about his background because Dex felt that his parents loved Beary more than they loved him. Dex says that Beary is tearing the human family apart and says that Beary does not belong with the family. Beary runs away and ventures out to the Country Bear Hall, the Country Bears' former concert hall. Beary was inspired by the Band's motto to be different and still blend in.

Beary learns from the caretaker Big Al (James Gammon) and the band's manager Henry Dixen Taylor (Kevin Michael Richardson) that Country Bear Hall is threatened with destruction by greedy banker Reed Thimple (Christopher Walken). The bears owe $20,000 to Reed's bank and Reed is unwilling to cut them any slack as they are 6 years behind in their payments. Reed promises to be back in 4 days with his wrecking crew. Beary believes that people have a higher purpose in life and that he was chosen to save the Country Bear Hall. After many attempts to save Country Bear Hall, Beary suggests that Henry hold a benefit concert, and the two set out to reunite the group with the band's bus driver and drummer, Roadie (M.C. Gainey). They take out the old tour bus from the shed as their transportation. Al stays behind to organize the concert, with the equipment and the tickets, while Henry and Beary focus on bringing the band back together.

The Barringtons enlist police officers Cheets (Diedrich Bader) and Hamm (Daryl Mitchell) to find Beary. Cheets and Hamm find Beary's photograph cute, and this bugs Dex as he cannot understand why his human parents are fussing over a missing wild animal.

First, they recruit Fred Bedderhead (Brad Garrett), the harmonica and electric bass player, who works as a security guard on the set of pop singer Krystal's latest music video. Krystal did not know that Fred was part of the Country Bears band. When she finds out (she found Fred's Harmonica in his belongings), she invites him to perform with her in her video. Fred gets really into his performance and makes "Stage Dive" (like he used to do in the old days, and was carried by the crowd), except this time there is no crowd and Fred falls flat on his face.

Henry says that the concert will need promotion from a professional, and Beary suggests the group's former promoter Rip Holland (Alex Rocco). Henry claims that Rip had "stolen" the Country Bears. Henry phones Rip, who gladly agrees to promote the show. Rip was only too happy to accept the gig as he was working out of an office supplies store, who were asking him to leave and never return.

Fred mentions a talent show history where they defeated an armpit musician named Benny Boggswaggle, who angrily struck Zeb Zoober (Stephen Root) with a chair. Thimple approaches Big Al and learns about the Country Bears' plan and about Holland promoting the show.

Next, they approach the band's fiddler Zeb Zoober, who has spent years drinking honey and owes a $500 bar tab at the Swarming Hive Honey Bar restaurant managed by Cha Cha (Queen Latifah). Zeb wants to return but must pay his debt to Cha Cha. Beary places a bet to let Zeb off the hook by beating the house band in a musical playoff, but if Zeb loses, Beary and the group would lose the tour bus. Zeb starts his performance poorly but wins after warming up.

Officer Cheets and Officer Hamm approach Big Al for directions to where Beary went. Because of miscommunication, the officers think the bears have kidnapped Beary. Al tells the cops that Henry "took" Beary in a tour bus with Roadie.

Tennessee O'Neal (Julianne Buescher), the one-string guitar player, is now a marriage counselor. Tennessee is a terrible counselor as he spends more time crying about the break-up with his own girlfriend Trixie, than focusing on his clients and their problems. He is very reluctant to rejoin the band because he wants to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Trixie St. Claire (Candy Ford), the band's keyboard player. As they have a meal at a restaurant, the bears watch the news on TV which says that Beary has been kidnapped and Henry along with Roadie are the main suspects. This is when Cheets and Hamm walk into the restaurant themselves.

Bears are chased by Officers Cheets and Hamm and evade them by hiding the tour bus inside a car wash. Cheets and Hamm follow them into the car wash with their squad car, but Hamm is sucked out when he rolls down the windows (as he could not see anything from the car front). Hamm is given the full car wash treatment, and his fake mustache also falls off. Cheets goes after Hamm to rescue him and is given the same treatment. Cheets are Hamm are then sprayed with hot wax and air dryers.

The Country Bears stop at a motel where Trixie St. Claire is performing. Tennessee sings a duet with her, and she comes with the band to their reunion. Beary calls Dex and tells him that he is never returning home. Dex now feels bad for the first time as he is missing his brother.

They finally head out to find Ted Bedderhead (Diedrich Bader), the lead vocalist and guitarist. Henry calls Ted who flatly refuses to meet the Bears. But Henry tells the group that Ted has agreed to be part of the reunion band. They learn from Elton John (who pretends to be a gardener) that Ted, who appears very wealthy (Ted lives at a huge mansion and drives around in a stretch Limo), is at a wedding at the local country club.

Cheets and Hamm get back to Beary's original home where Dex tells them about the Country Bears concert at the Hall. The cops refuse to believe that the Country Bears are back together.

After Ted has the other Country Bears members leave the wedding (and adds that he never agreed to be part of the reunion band and that he is done with the Country Bears), Fred learns that he is only a wedding singer. Fred knocks out Ted and drags him onto the bus. Zeb claims Ted to be the reason for the band's disestablishment, but Ted claims he held them together. Ted says the real problem was Zeb's drinking, Tennessee's emotional outbursts, and Fred's immaturity. Beary reminds them that they claimed each other to be family, but Ted says it was meaningless publicity and adds that the Country Bears are not a real family. Beary realizes the real meaning of family and returns home, where he is happily reunited with his family.

The Country Bears read Beary's school essay about them (which he had left on the tour bus) and realize that Beary was right. Reconciling with Beary, Ted insists that they allow him to join them during the concert, but Thimple kidnaps the rest of the Country Bears and steals the bus. Thimple reveals he is really Benny Boggswaggle and seeks vengeance for stealing his chance at fame. Beary, his family and Ted track down the tour bus, as Beary had left his tracking collar (from back when he was a kid) on the bus and Dex had the monitor back at home. After Ted and Beary rescue the band, and they head to the concert together.

There, they discover that Thimple paid Rip to not promote the show. Big Al suddenly arrives and reveals, to everyone's surprise, that he promoted the show himself, and everyone is in a different parking lot. A surge of people rushes in. Defeated, Thimple is thrown out of the building while vowing that his feud is not over. The money raised from the concert is enough to save the hall, and the Country Bears perform with Beary as a new member of the band.