We Bare Bears

We Bare Bears
Created by Daniel Chong
Based on The Three Bare Bears by Daniel Chong
Directed by Manny Hernandez
Robert Alvarez (animation)
Voices of
Theme music composer Ivan Barias
Opening theme "We'll Be There", performed by Estelle
Composer(s) Brad Breeck
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 49 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Daniel Chong
Producer(s)
Running time 11 minutes
Production company(s) Cartoon Network Studios
Release
Original network Cartoon Network
Picture format HDTV 1080i
Audio format Stereo
Original release July 27, 2015 (2015-07-27) – present
External links
Website

We Bare Bears is an American animated television series created by Daniel Chong. The show premiered on Cartoon Network and follows three bear siblings, Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear (respectively voiced by Eric Edelstein, Bobby Moynihan, and Demetri Martin), and their awkward attempts at integrating with the human world in the San Francisco Bay Area. Based on Chong's webcomic The Three Bare Bears, the pilot episode made its world premiere at the KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival, where it won in the "Young Amsterdam Audience" category. The series premiered on July 27, 2015.[1]

Plot

We Bare Bears follows three adoptive bear brothers: Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear. The bears attempt to integrate with human society, such as by purchasing food, making human companions or trying to become famous on the Internet, although these attempts see the bears struggle to do so due to the civilized nature of humans and their own animal instincts.[2] However, in the end, they soon figure out that they have each other for support.[3] One notable aspect of the show's humor is the bears' ability to form a "bear stack". As its name implies, the bears stack on top of each other, which serves as their unique way of transportation.[2] (They stack in age order, Grizz on top, Panda, then Ice Bear on the bottom. Ice Bear often says "Ice Bear will drive" before doing this.

Characters

Bears

Recurring

Production

(From top to bottom) Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear (pictured left) forming their "bear stack".[2]

The show was created by cartoonist Daniel Chong, who had previously worked as a story artist for Pixar and Illumination Entertainment. The show is based on his webcomic The Three Bare Bears, which also features the identifying characters. The comic was published from 2010 to 2011.[4] Billed as a comedy, the show is a production of Cartoon Network Studios, which developed the program with Chong as part of their shorts development program. It was announced during the network's 2014 upfront.[3]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotNovember 6, 2014 (2014-11-06) (KLIK! Festival)
August 26, 2015 (2015-08-26) (UK and Ireland)
126July 27, 2015 (2015-07-27)February 11, 2016 (2016-02-11)
226February 25, 2016 (2016-02-25)January 2017 (2017-01)
326January 2017 (2017-01)TBA

Broadcast and reception

The pilot episode made its world premiere as part of two separate venues of the KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands: the "Animated Shorts 5",[5] and the "Animated Shorts for Kids" ages 9 to 12.[6] The short was screened alongside the Dutch premiere of Clarence, the Steven Universe episodes "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem", and a live interview with the creator of the latter series, Rebecca Sugar. Described by the institute as "hilarious and endearing",[7] the pilot won in the "Young Amsterdam Audience" category.[8]

Critical response

We Bare Bears has received generally positive reviews from critics. Kevin Johnson from The A.V. Club gave "Everyday Bears" a B. He thought the show was charming enough to enjoy, but not "must-watch". He praised the voice actors, but was disappointed that the show did not thoroughly explore the discrimination humans have towards the bears and ended by calling it a "very good 'just okay' kind of show" until the discrimination is explored.[9]

International

We Bare Bears premiered on Cartoon Network in Canada on July 27, 2015[10] and on Cartoon Network in the United Kingdom and Ireland on September 7, 2015.[11][12] The series debuted on Cartoon Network channels in Australia and New Zealand and the Philippines on November 16.[13][14] It premiered on Cartoon Network in India on November 29, 2015, and in Italy on December 8, 2015. We Bare Bears premiered in Pakistan on Cartoon Network on July 13, 2016 and airs on every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 PM, according to Pakistan Standard Time.[15] In Germany, it airs on Disney Channel.

Other media

Penguin Random House announced in 2014 that it will publish books based on various programs for Cartoon Network, including We Bare Bears. The books are produced out of the company's Cartoon Network Books imprint, a division of the Penguin Young Readers Group, and is based on a partnership with the network that started in 2013.[16]

Home media

DVD releases

Region 1
DVD title Season(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Total running time Release dates
Viral Video[17] 1 16:9 12 132 minutes October 4, 2016

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2016 Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production Madeline Sharafian, Manny Hernandez, and Bert Youn (for "Burrito") Nominated
2016 BAFTA International Won

References

  1. "CartoonNetworkPR on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Annecy: Daniel Chong on Cartoon Network's Big New Play, 'We Bare Bears' (EXCLUSIVE)".
  3. 1 2 "Cartoon Network Unveils Upfront Slate For 2014–15". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. March 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  4. Chong, Daniel. The Three Bare Bears (Online comic). Blogger. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  5. "KLIK! Festival: Animated Shorts 5". EYE Film Institute Netherlands. 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014 via archive.today (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries).
  6. "KLIK! Festival: Animated Shorts for Kids (9–12)". EYE Film Institute Netherlands. 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014 via archive.today (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries).
  7. "KLIK! Festival: Cartoon Network: Next Generation". EYE Film Institute Netherlands. November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014 via archive.today (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries).
  8. "We Bare Bears wint 'Young Amsterdam Audience Award 2014'" [We Bare Bears wins 'Young Amsterdam Audience Award 2014']. TV-Visie (in Dutch). Exsite. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  9. Johnson, Kevin. "We Bare Bears: "Everyday Bears" "babies prolly hate you too"". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  10. Cartoon Network Canada (July 27, 2015). "Don't miss the NEW series, WE BARE BEARS, premiering tonight at 7PM et/pt!". Facebook.
  11. White, Grant (August 4, 2015). "UK Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito Announce September Highlights". Toonzone.
  12. "Cartoon Network UK September 2015 Highlights". RegularCapital.com. Turner Broadcasting System Europe (Press Release). Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  13. Turner Broadcasting System. "Cartoon Network Highlights November 2015". US Campaign Archive. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  14. "Catch the premiere of 'We Bare Bears' on November 16, only on Cartoon Network". Click the City. October 27, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  15. Bhatnagar, Richa (November 23, 2015). "Cartoon Network Launches We Bare Bears in India". Cinespeaks. Mumbai. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  16. Cartoon Network Partners with Penguin Young Readers Group on New Book Imprint. Children's Book Council. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  17. "We Bare Bears DVD news: Box Art for Volume 1: Viral Video". TVShowsOnDVD.com. July 28, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.

External links

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