The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas

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!

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.

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!

I recorded this made-for-TV holiday special and later purchased the VHS video. As a bear collector, I enjoyed the animation in this story about a bear who searches for Christmas. The main character, Ted Edward Bear (Ted E. Bear), decides not to join his fellow Bear City community who are getting ready for their long hibernation. Instead, he sets out on a journey to find out if there is such a thing as Christmas music, lights and a fat human who goes down chimney's. Ted tries to buy a plane ticket to "Christmas" and soon learns that Christmas is not a destination. He sets out on a long walk, fighting to stay awake. He wonders into a big city and starts asking where he can find Christmas. Confused and frightened, he finds the big Christmas Tree with all its beautiful lights and hears some Christmas music. In delight, he gets into a store window and plays with all the animated toys. He wonders if this is what Christmas is. The toys tell him that he is close to it. They tell him if they don't get bought, they will not find Christmas. To his dismay, he gets locked in the store but accidentally gets out. He runs into Santa and tells him he's trying to find Christmas. Santa tells him Christmas isn't a place, or a thing, or even a time. It's something you carry around in your heart and something you give. Thinking he doesn't have anything to give, Santa tells Ted he has very much to give and helps him find the true meaning of Christmas.

The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (1973)

*** (out of 4)

This animated short starts off in a bear community where the honey factory is about to close down so that everyone can hibernate. This doesn't sit well with one bear because he wants to know what happens on Christmas morning so he sets out to find it. After a somewhat slow start I was worried this one here was going to be a dub but it actually turned out to be quite good and I'd say the ending was highly memorable as well. I'm not going to spoil the twist at the end but I thought it was quite touching and it certainly managed to end the film on a high note. I also really enjoyed the section of the film taking a look at a bear's life inside the factory. I thought the honey plant featured some pretty good animation with a lot of imagination. I found the bear characters to be mostly memorable and especially the lead one who wants to go against his kind, refuse sleep and try to find out about Santa. I'm sure kids will enjoy the cute looking bear and the adventure he goes on.