The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (1973)
While the rest of the world is getting ready for Christmas, all the bears in Bearbank are getting ready to sleep… except for Ted E. Bear. Ted gets curious about the holiday, and sets out to learn the meaning of it from Santa Claus himself.
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Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
With Casey Kasem's death a few weeks ago, I decided to watch whatever of his movies and TV shows I could find on the internet and review them in chronological order. So I'm still in 1973 when he narrated this-a DePatie-Freleng animated holiday special about one bear's search for Christmas. His name is Theodore Edward Bear (voice of Tom Smothers) who gets laughed at by his entire community-especially his workmates at his honey plant. I'll stop there and just say that having remembered enjoying this when I was a kid, I got my memories renewed just seeing this again after so many years of missing it. I especially was once again laughing at Artie Johnson's commentary as Professor Werner von Bear which is still hilarious! But the special also provides plenty of warmth during the second half courtesy of Smothers, Kasem, and Santa Claus (voice of Robert Holt). So on that note, The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas is still worth seeing, all these years later!
This cartoon, directed by Pink Panther regular Hawley Pratt, features a bear who manages to stay awake for Santa, despite what the title may lead you to believe.Theodore E. Bear (get it?) works in a honey factory (wait...doesn't it come from bee farms?) and decides he doesn't want to hibernate for winter. He is laughed at and mocked but is determined to find out what Xmas really is.The animation is similar to the minimalistic schemes found in Pink Panther but there is plenty of dialogue and a decent amount of characterization. Not quite a classic, but pleasant festive viewing.
This is my absolute favorite Christmas special. I have not gone a year without watching it. There are several stories about bears not wanting to hibernate through Christmas. But this one is unique and not one of the others holds a candle to it. I have a VHS but would love a DVD. This special is cute, funny, and catchy. Ted is my favorite character ever (aside from Mickey). In fact, I still have a plush Ted E. Bear that I got when I was one for Christmas. I wouldn't give up my Teddy for anything! I seem to be the only person out there who has one of these bears. My poor Ted lost his clothes and bow-tie. But he looks great for being almost 30 years old!
I grew up watching this movie from 3 years old until I was about 12. At the time I thought it was a great cartoon, but 10 years later, after losing my original tape and paying $20 for a new copy at a pawn shop, I love this movie even more. Now I understand the story and it is the most touching Christmas special and it completes my Christmas holiday. If anyone is lucky enough to see this, please do, it will be worth it.