''Little Bear'' is a Canadian children's
animated series
An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...
produced by
Nelvana Limited
Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...
in association with the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
. It is based on the ''
Little Bear'' series of books, which were written by
Else Holmelund Minarik
Else Holmelund Minarik (née Holmelund; September 13, 1920 – July 12, 2012) was an American author of more than 40 children's books. She was most commonly associated with her '' Little Bear'' series of children's books, which were adapted for t ...
and illustrated by
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 200 ...
. In the United States, the show premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
as part of the
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
block on November 6,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
until the final episode aired on June 1,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
. The show also aired on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
on Saturday mornings from September 16,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
until September 15,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
.
Every half-hour episode of ''Little Bear'' is divided into three seven-minute segments. Most segments are new stories, but some are retellings of Else Holmelund Minarik's books (both she and Sendak were "closely involved in the creative process" when developing the new stories).
A direct-to-video feature film titled ''
The Little Bear Movie
''The Little Bear Movie'' is a 2001 animated adventure film based on the television series '' Little Bear'', which in turn is based on the book series of the same name which was written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Senda ...
'' was released in 2001.
Plot
Set in the North American wilderness around the end of the 19th century, Little Bear goes on exciting adventures and learns new things with his friends Emily, Duck, Hen, Cat, and Owl. Mother Bear is a homemaker who looks after Little Bear, while Father Bear, a fisherman, is typically away on his ship, fishing.
Episodes
Characters
Main
*Little Bear (voiced by
Kristin Fairlie
Kristin Louise Fairlie (born April 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. In 1998, she won a Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble for her lead role in the Showtime original movie ''The Sweetest Gift''. As a voice actress, Fairlie has voiced the roles ...
) is a six-year-old small, curious, and imaginative
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
cub who lives in the forest with his family and friends. Throughout the series, he has grown somewhat, as his voice is slightly deeper, and he rarely takes naps. He is the only character whose parents are shown other than Duck's mother in one episode, who is a chicken, as well as Emily’s parents briefly in the episode where they met. Little Bear lives in a stucco, wood, plaster and brick house. He is always kind and loves to play and explore with his friends. His catchphrase is "Hmmmm... Interesting!"
*Emily (voiced by Jennifer Martini) is a seven-year-old little girl who is Little Bear's best friend. She carries around a doll named Lucy everywhere she goes and is very attached to her. In the summer, Emily vacations with her parents by the river near Little Bear's home. Emily eventually moves to the forest permanently and lives there with her grandmother.
*Owl (voiced by Amos Crawley) is a male owl who is sometimes pompous, yet very sensible. He lives in a treehouse, and can be quite serious at times. Although Owl enjoys fun games, he will only participate if the gameplay is logical and rational; reading is his main hobby.
*Duck (voiced by
Tracy Ryan) is a female duck with yellow feathers, an orange beak, and a long neck. Slow and smart at the same time, Duck is one who gets herself into comical situations. She lives in a nest, although in one episode, she expressed longing for a house and tried to live in a house boat. It floated downriver filled with frogs and Duck lived happily in her nest. She loves playing "princess" and pretend. She was hatched in a nest of chicks, because "some eggs got mixed up", and Little Bear taught her to fly when she was a duckling. Although Duck never has any ducklings of her own, she is sometimes seen babysitting a group of them.
*Cat (voiced by Andrew Sabiston) is a laidback, slothful male cat who enjoys prowling at night, playing tricks on passersby, and eating. When his friends and he must get to a certain place in the woods, Cat often leads them through one of his shortcuts. His catchphrase is "Boo!"
*Hen (voiced by
Elizabeth Hanna
Elizabeth Hanna is a Canadian film and television actress, most notable for her voice acting work in animated films. She later complemented her voice acting skills by becoming a speech-language pathologist. She is also the voice of Miss Biscuit ...
) is a fussy, feisty chicken who lives in a large chicken coop. She is classy and sophisticated, and enjoys cleanliness, though her several nieces and nephews often mess up her spotless house. However, she never turns down the opportunity for fun. Hen has also been shown to be fond of opera, but she seems to be not good at singing it.
*Mother Bear (voiced by
Janet-Laine Green
Janet-Laine Green (born December 31, 1951) is a Canadian actress, film director, director, film producer, producer and teacher, active for over 25 years. Best known for her roles in ''She's the Mayor'', ''Seeing Things (TV series), Seeing Things'' ...
) is Little Bear's mother. She enjoys cooking and is always there to help Little Bear if he needs it. She also seems to be very tidy and does not like it when the house becomes messy. She normally wears a pink shirt and a blue skirt with a white apron.
*Father Bear (voiced by
Dan Hennessey
Dan Hennessey (born August 25)https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Dan-Hennessey/ is a Canadian voice director and voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe The Zoo Factory (with John Stocker, Bruce Gord ...
) is Little Bear's father and Mother Bear's husband. His occupation is a fisherman and sometimes takes Little Bear out fishing. He has been to many places and likes to keep things that are old, even if they have to be thrown away. He usually wears a blue suit with a purple tie and brown shoes. Throughout the run of the show, he is sporadically absent, as he is away, fishing.
Recurring
*No Feet (voiced by
Rick Jones) is a friendly, gentle, green male
garter snake
Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus ''Thamnophis'' in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus ''Thamnophis'' can be found from the sub ...
that lives in Mother Bear's garden. Little Bear gets along with him very well.
*Grandmother Bear (voiced by
Diane D'Aquila
Diane D'Aquila (born October 23, 1952) is an American-Canadian actress. She has appeared in both television and film roles, but is best known for her stage appearances at the Stratford Festival.
Early life
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, D'Aquil ...
) is Little Bear's maternal grandmother and Mother Bear's mother, and Grandfather Bear's wife. She likes to cook and tell stories.
*Grandfather Bear (voiced by
Sean McCann) is Little Bear's maternal grandfather and Mother Bear's father. He once worked at a circus with his wife and sister. He wears a green suit coat, but with khaki slacks and a dark red tie with brown shoes.
*Rusty Bear (voiced by
Dan Lett
Daniel Frederick Lett (born April 16, 1959) is a Canadian actor. He has acted in films, theatre and television. His principal roles have been in the series '' F/X'', ''The X-Files'', '' E.N.G.'', '' Street Legal'', ''Wind at My Back'', and '' Mad ...
) is Father Bear's younger brother and Little Bear's uncle. He mentions that he lives in the woods and that he would prefer to live there because it is quiet and peaceful. He is a very large bear, slightly taller and huskier than Father Bear. He has a deep voice, wears overalls, and has a red handkerchief around his neck. He is only seen in a few of the ''Little Bear'' episodes. Little Bear is fascinated with Rusty's outdoor ethic, and whenever he shows up, Little Bear is tempted to emulate his rustic character.
*Granny (voiced by
Kay Hawtrey
Katharine Mary Craven Clark ( Hawtrey, November 8, 1926 – June 11, 2021) was a Canadian actress.
Hawtrey was born on November 8, 1926 and educated at Toronto's Trinity College. She began her career at Hart House Theatre and then went to Engla ...
) is Emily's grandmother, with whom she and her parents live with in the summer and then permanently, has traveled the world, and has many odd pieces of furniture. She is the owner of Tutu.
*Tutu (voiced by
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as ''The New Batman Adventures ...
) is Emily and Granny's dog. She acts very hyper and she can understand humans. According to Granny, she only speaks French, yet she understands English.
*Mitzi (voiced by Ashley Taylor) is a five-year-old, mischievous, sometimes rather unthoughtful, tomboyish
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
, who lives in a treehouse in the forest around Little Bear's home. She feels bad after slighting somebody's feelings or misleading them. She sometimes has green or white eyes. Mitzi is the last to join the supporting cast, not appearing until the end of season two.
*Moose (voiced by Ray Landry) is a male
eastern moose
The eastern moose (''Alces alces americana'') is a subspecies of moose that currently ranges throughout Eastern Canada, New England and northern New York State. It inhabits boreal forests and mixed deciduous forests. It is the third largest North ...
, who sometimes helps Little Bear and his friends when they are in need.
Others
*Four
northern river otter
The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that only lives on the North American continent, along its waterways and coasts. An adult North American ri ...
siblings sporadically appear; they reside in the local river and are balloon heads. They are frequent in episodes focusing on water activities.
*Mermaid is a
mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
whom Little Bear occasionally meets when he goes to the lake; she is friendly and takes Little Bear to see places underwater.
*Frog is a male frog that dispenses
zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
-like wisdom between his meditations. He resides at Little Bear's favourite swimming spot, Hop-Frog Pond. He is also very wise, and a good friend to Little Bear.
*Little Ick is a baby
raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
who only appears in an episode where his mother went to visit his grandmother and dropped him off with Mother Bear. Little Bear and Little Ick form a bit of a sibling relationship together, such as Little Bear feeling left out because Mother Bear seems to be paying more attention to Little Ick. Little Ick is the baby raccoon's nickname from Little Bear because "Ick" is the only thing the baby can say.
*Marshmallow is a baby white
skunk
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
who is found by Owl and Little Bear in an episode, and she plays with Duck, Little Bear, Owl, and Cat in the episode "Little Footprints". In the episode "The Wedding", she is the
flower girl in Mr. and Mrs. Skunk's wedding.
*Mighty is a
humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...
who is an old friend of Father Bear's. He appears in the episode "A Whale of a Tale" where Father Bear takes Little Bear fishing. He tells Little Bear the story of how he met Mighty when he accidentally caught him in his fishing net. A storm appears and Mighty and his son, Little Whale, help pull Father Bear and Little Bear back to shore. Mighty also appears in Little Bear's dream in the episode "Fisherman Bear's Big Catch". Although he only appears in a few episodes, Mighty is in the opening credits of the show.
*Mr. Wind is a cloud. He is the cold, angry wind that blows down from the north.
Telecast and home media
The show premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
as part of Nick Jr. block in 1995 until the final episode aired in 2001 in the United States. The show was also aired on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
on Saturday mornings from September 16, 2000 until September 8, 2001. Nickelodeon's sister channel Noggin (now
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
) aired repeats from 2001 to 2018. In Canada,
CBC aired the show in the 1990s until the early 2000s. Also, Corus-owned
Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language specialty channel for preschoolers aged 2 to 5 that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from YTV's former preschool block, " The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of ...
formerly aired the show. It has been re-aired on various foreign channels, including
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
ABC2
ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment progra ...
(Australia),
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
(Ireland),
TV2 (New Zealand) and
Children's BBC
BBC Children's and Education is the BBC division responsible for media content for children in the UK. Since the launch of specially dedicated television channels in 2002, the services have been marketed under two brands. CBBC (short for Chil ...
(United Kingdom).
Streaming
In 2015, ''Little Bear'' was added to Nickelodeon's
Noggin
Noggin may refer to:
General
* Noggin or gill (volume), a unit of volume
* Noggin (cup), a small cup
* Noggin, slang for head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, an ...
app in the United States.
The show was added to
Paramount+
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
(which was called CBS All Access at the time) in January 2021.
All seasons of the show including the movie are free to watch on the official Little Bear
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel.
VHS
*Meet Little Bear (1997)
*Family Tales (1997)
*Winter Tales (1997)
*Parties & Picnics (1998)
*Goodnight Little Bear (1998)
*Friends (1999)
*Summertime Tales (1999)
*Little Goblin Bear (1999)
*A Kiss for Little Bear (2000)
*Little Bear's Band (2000)
*Rainy Day Tales (2000)
*Little Sherlock Bear (2001)
*The Little Bear Movie (2001)
*Let's Play a Game (2001)
*Little Artist Bear (2002)
*Campfire Tales (2002)
*Snacktime Tales (2002)
*Feel Better, Little Bear (2003)
DVD
Canadian releases:
*Outdoor Fun (2002)
*Mysterious Moments (2002)
*Hooray for Little Bear (2002)
*At Home (2003)
*Dreams and Make Believe (2006)
*Mother and Father Bear (2006)
*Exploring and Other Adventures (2006)
*Seasons (2005) Slim case
*New Friends (2005) Slim case
*Parties and Picnics (2005) Slim case
*Grandmother's House (2005) Slim case
*Tales for Rainy Days (2009) Slim case
*Meet Mitzi (2009) Slim case
2012 release by Treehouse
*Seaside Adventures
*Summer Sandcastles
*Search for Spring
*Dress Up Time
*Mother Bear's Special Day
*Follow the Leader
*Winter Games
*Father's Day
U.S. releases:
*The Little Bear Movie (August 7, 2001)
*Feel Better, Little Bear (October 7, 2003)
*Rainy Day Tales (June 7, 2005)
*Little Bear's Band (June 7, 2005)
*Halloween Stories (August 22, 2006)
Film
In 2001, the show was adapted into a
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
film, again produced by
Nelvana
Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...
, called ''
The Little Bear Movie
''The Little Bear Movie'' is a 2001 animated adventure film based on the television series '' Little Bear'', which in turn is based on the book series of the same name which was written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Senda ...
''. It was distributed by
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global.
The division oversees PPC's home entertainme ...
in the U.S. The film's featured song, "Great Big World", was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2001 Video Premiere Awards.
Music
Austrian composer
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
's Allegro vivace from his Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major is used as the theme tune to ''Little Bear'' (used in the Canadian broadcast of the series). The theme was arranged for brass, wind, and strings by composer
Arnold Black. A separate opening theme consisting of a classical woodwind ensemble was used in the American broadcast of the series. The music score in the series is composed by
Lesley Barber
Lesley Barber (born 1962) is a Canadian composer of music for film, theatre, chamber and orchestral ensembles and she is also a conductor, pianist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Barber is best known for composing the film scores for '' Ma ...
. There are also excerpts of works by composers
Chopin,
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
,
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
and
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
.
Other media
Live show
In Canada, ''Little Bear'' was adapted into a live theatrical show, ''Little Bear: Winter Tales''. It originally toured across Canada in 2007 and returned in late 2009. Both tours were presented by Paquin Entertainment, and were produced by
Koba Entertainment
Koba Entertainment is a producer of original musical theatre based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. To date, they have produced numerous Canadian and U.S. tours for such famous children's properties as Bubble Guppies, Max and Ruby, Toopy & Binoo, ...
.
Video games
In 1999,
The Learning Company
The Learning Company (TLC) was an educational software company founded in 1980 in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Fremont, California. The company produced a grade-based line of learning software, edutainment games, and productivity ...
developed two "edutainment" games based on the ''Little Bear'' franchise, "Rainy Day Activities" and "Preschool Thinking Adventures". In 2000, the company developed another game, this time for a younger audience, titled "Toddler Discovery Adventures".
References
External links
*
{{Teddy bears
1990s Canadian animated television series
1995 Canadian television series debuts
2000s Canadian animated television series
2001 Canadian television series endings
Canadian children's animated adventure television series
Canadian television shows based on children's books
Television series by Nelvana
Animated television series about bears
Animated television series about children
Animated television series about families
CBC Television original programming
Nick Jr. original programming
Treehouse TV original programming
Nickelodeon original programming
Canadian preschool education television series
Animated preschool education television series
1990s preschool education television series
2000s preschool education television series
English-language television shows