The Country Bears (2002) Had a Bigger Influence On Me Than I Realized

Hello, reader. Jeremy here, and I’m excited about this week’s piece…because I didn’t have to write it! And frankly, as you’ll soon find out, I couldn’t have written it. Only Dan Fite Jr. could’ve written today’s newsletter. Dan is a filmmaker friend of mine who is still mad at me because a short film of mine beat one of his at a small festival in 2015. But he gets the last laugh in this case, because he started making films at a much younger age than I did—he actually went to film school too—which means I’m the one envious of his creative trajectory. Anyway, when Dan asked me if he could write about The Country Bears, I didn’t know what to think, because I have not seen this film. But I trusted him to bring me something compelling, and by golly, he did it. Take it away, Dan!

When you think of Disney classics, the last film you’re likely to recall is The Country Bears. Loosely based on the Country Bear Jamboree ride at Disney World, it’s a gloriously strange entry in the Disney canon.

Financially, though, it was worse than a bomb. It was a code red disaster.* Which is why most people—and I have asked, often—have either never seen this film or haven’t seen it since they were small children. Conceptually, most tend to agree it’s a stupid movie. And it is stupid, but for all the best reasons.

I could write an entire essay on the whip-smart idiocy of The Country Bears. It would be a blast to recall the best of Christopher Walken’s performance. But today, I’m here to profess my undying love for and a few societal observations surrounding the truly great part of this silly film: the music!

The movie may be less than memorable, but the soundtrack, as per usual with Disney animated flicks, is next level. The album is anchored by John Hiatt, an Americana master of the late 20th century.** Director Peter Hastings put it best in an interview for Rolling Stone’s glowing review of the soundtrack:

“Lyrically, I knew that I wanted [the music] to be simple, but have a little depth to it, to be simple poetry. Once I realized that I needed this amalgam sound of American music, I started listening to John Hiatt. He has played all these different kinds of music. Lyrically he’s great. How can you say a complex thing simply? He’s just really great at doing that.”

But Hiatt is only the beginning of the pedigree. The music from The Country Bears also features vocals from Don Henley of The Eagles, bluegrass jams from Bela Fleck, and the many talents of the legendary Bonnie Raitt, who just won Song of the Year at the Grammys. (Her big win prompted many people to ask “Who is Bonnie Raitt?” Those people clearly have not seen The Country Bears.)

I love that all of these serious musicians contributed their talents at full caliber for this admittedly average movie. But is this film—or at least this soundtrack—still relevant today? I’ve found myself asking this question a lot recently after randomly rediscovering The Country Bears for the first time since childhood.

Many of my favorite musicians come from the realm of Americana: Jason Isbell, Tre Burt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Spencer, Nathaniel Rateliff, and so on. I really grew to love Americana music during college, but I think the seed of my relationship with the genre was planted long ago—by The Country Bears, of course. And dare I say it, I believe the same is true for many of my fellow Gen Z 20-somethings.

Maybe it’s the circles I happen to run in—I did attend a college in the Music City that is, unsurprisingly, most known for its music program—but I’ve found that most of my favorite artists are universally lauded amongst my peers. One of my college buddies turned me onto Isbell, for example. Then I discovered similar artists through other people my age.

Of course, I am merely projecting, as I have no proper research whatsoever.*** But I believe that today’s young Nathaniel Rateliff fans are yesterday’s Fred Bedderhead fans. I mean, listen to “Can Love Stand The Test?” (a beautiful duet from Raitt and Henley) and tell me you don’t hear a gateway drug for songs like “Cover Me Up” or “The Story.”****

I believe John Hiatt primed my generation to have great music taste. He taught us how to rock, how to feel, and how to reflect. I don’t think the filmmakers necessarily had such lofty goals in mind, as the movie encasing these tracks is a pretty basic family film. But the music stands up on its own. Hiatt and the rest of the music supervisors gave us something special, and while I can’t exactly recommend watching The Country Bears, I can tell you that I’m thankful for these songs that filled my early childhood.

​​*The global box office was a little above $18 million, while the production budget hovered in the $35 million range. Yikes.

**If you need a place to start with Hiatt, this is my favorite song of his.

***Jeremy here. I can confirm that research is not necessary for this newsletter.

****My personal favorite is the opening track “Let It Ride.” It’s got all the lyrical poetry one could want from a contemporary Dylan-esque singer/songwriter. I can also wholeheartedly recommend “Where Nobody Knows My Name,” “I’m Only In It For The Honey,” “Straight To The Heart Of Love,” and “Can Love Stand The Test?”

The Country Bears is now streaming on Disney+, and it is available to rent elsewhere.