Bears

I can't explain why I have a soft spot for bears. Maybe it's their mix of enormous size and vulnerability. Whatever — the new large-format movie about them is a reverie, a sweet ride through bear territories that happen to be some of the most beautiful land on Earth.

First we fly in a small airplane to the wild peaks of Alaska, to see a mama grizzly and her cub, swimming in a calm stream. Lyle Lovett's "Bears" ditty accompanies the jaunt.

Then we're off to the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, black-bear country, where another mother and cub are celebrating springtime. Mom body-sleds down a snowy hillside in search of food; after the kids' tummies are filled, they wrestle among the wildflowers. As I said, this is a quick cinematic vacation from the Utah desert.

But "Bears" also makes important points about humans' connection to the enormous animals and the threats we present. For black bears, the worst problem is loss of habitat: People are developing the woods and mountains, pushing all kinds of wildlife away from their sources of food. For polar bears, global warming means the arctic habitat is thrown off-balance.

These huge creatures, with their rippling layers of insulation, seem formidable at first look. They're like land whales, weighing almost a ton. But they can't fight the melting ice and the disappearance of the seals on which they survive. They're dwindling as both their food supply and the very surface beneath their feet shrink.

Wilderness guide Chris Day is one of few humans in "Bears," and she offers a refreshing angle on our place in the natural world. Day calls observing the Alaskan grizzlies a "privilege," and that makes complete sense when you see them full-grown, in all their bulk and grace, running across a meadow with the mountains rising behind them. The film makes the point, gently, that these animals weren't put here for our entertainment or exploitation. They're magnificent, sacred creatures. Hopefully we can respect their place in the world.

"Bears" feels like a luxuriously modern educational film; nothing is glamorized and there's no cloying story, unlike some recent large-format documentaries. And this picture was made by a different crew from those who created the more popular giant-screen movies, such as "Mysteries of Egypt" and "Everest." The director, David Lickley, is a biologist and educator. And "Bears'" producer is Ed Capelle, formerly of Destination Cinema of Ogden, now with the National Wildlife Federation.

The sumptuous visuals are complemented by plentiful music, however. Sometimes it's lighthearted, as in the Lovett song, and sometimes it's ethereal, as in the accompaniment for the scene of grizzlies fishing in rushing white-river rapids. Toward the end, a family of bears stands up together on their hind legs, facing us in a pose that looks like curiosity, not menace.

Irresistible.

"Bears" is not rated but would probably receive a G — though it does contain some scenes of animal violence. Running time: 40 minutes.

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E-MAIL: durbani@desnews.com