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Ms. Bear

Ms. Bear

1997102 minGMidcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Director
Paul Ziller
Starring
Ed Begley Jr., Shaun Johnston, Kaitlyn Burke, Natja Jamaan

Four paws for this wonderful family film. Cute 7-year-old rescues a helpless and bumbling bear cub as the two set off on an adventure to reunite the cub with its mommy.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Ms. Bear?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Ms. Bear streaming on Prime Video (free), Shout! TV via Prime Video and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Ms. Bear?

Ms. Bear earns 2 badges, led by Cult Classic and Feel-good.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is Ms. Bear worth watching?

Ms. Bear's Midcredits score is the 27th percentile of all films, from 254 ratings across 3 sources. 40% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

27th percentile

Better received than 27% of films

33rd percentile among Adventure30th percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)19th
Approval (how many liked it)38th

51 /100

19th percentile of all films

21st percentile among Adventure19th percentile among 1990s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

40% liked it

38th percentile of all films

46th percentile among Adventure40th percentile among 1990s
40% rated it 7–1060% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

24th percentile

254 ratings across platforms

15th percentile among Adventure15th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 4% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

A family movie about a girl who befriends a bear cub in a remote Northwest community.

Fans praised

  • adorable bear cub interactions with the family
  • sweet family movie with a heartwarming tone
  • stunning scenery and likable cast

Detractors panned

  • dangerous message about befriending wild animals
  • poor aging and use of child actors undermines the film

What stands out

Acting65

Ed Begley Jr. and the child actors are pleasant, but detractors criticize child performances

Cinematography65

stunning scenery and solid low-budget production values

Emotional impact60

heart-melting bear moments for fans

Atmosphere60

remote forest community setting well-captured

Plot and storyDivisive40

simple premise of adopted bear cub divided between sweet and irresponsible

Watch experience

What is Ms. Bear like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Feel-good: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want something warm that leaves you smiling.

It is gentle, takes its time and leaves you feeling good. Skip it when you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Patience.

What it feels like

Feel-good.

Moods
WarmHopefulJoyful
Heaviest: throughout
Warm humor
Register
WarmTender · 13% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film approaches its story with earnest warmth, never mocking its sentimentality.
The rideThe film maintains a consistently light, heartwarming and comforting mood from start to finish, with no major tonal swings.
StructureThe story follows a conventional beginning (finding the cub), middle (hiding it from the ranger), and end (reunion with mother).

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Feeling good.

The answer rests on this: Feel-goodCozy · 2% of films
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves a warm, contented feeling from the bond between child and animal and the happy resolution.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).QuestRescue
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10% (this title): Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% (this title) · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Quest: A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles. · Rescue: Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).

10% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe seven-year-old protagonist rescues a bear cub and embarks on an adventure to reunite it with its mother, centering the plot on a mission to save and return the cub.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfFamilybonds
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% (this title) · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% (this title) · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Family bondsComing of age · 5% of filmsCommunity · 14% of films: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe story centers on a girl's bond with a bear cub and her strained family relationships, as her father grows kinder through the adventure.
StanceThe film affirms the value of family bonds and compassion through a gentle, heartening story.

The world

ContemporaryRuralWildernessDomesticRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Christopher Franke
SettingA remote forested community in the Pacific Northwest in the late 20th century
MusicLikely a gentle orchestral score that supports the film's tender tone.

Cast and crew

Who is in Ms. Bear?

Cast

Ed Begley Jr.
as Greg Bradley
Shaun Johnston
as Barney Porter
Kaitlyn Burke
as Emily Bradley
Natja Jamaan
as Sara Bradley
Kimberley Warnat
as Melissa Bradley
Dennis Arduini
as Patrick Porter
Arthur Brauss
as Schroeder
Devin Douglas Drewitz
as Eldridge Porter
Marc Baur
as Sgt. Carter
Claire Riley
as Joyce

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Ms. Bear?

Movies like Ms. Bear include Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Free Willy (1993) and The Journey of Natty Gann (1985). Of the 12 closest matches, most are stories about animal companions, and most are rescue stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

All 12 share its story type: family adventure. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Ms. Bear?

813 other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: animal companion. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.