The Country Bears

The Country Bears are an all-bear country rock band who have disbanded in 1991 after years of popularity. Beary Barrington, a large admirer of the band and a young preteen bear adopted and raised by a human family, feels disowned for being different. His adoptive parents tell him that his family will love him unconditionally regardless, and that differences lead everyone to their purposes. But Beary's adoptive older brother, Dex, tells him the truth about his background.

Angry, embarrassed and sad, Beary runs away from home in the middle of the night and ventures out to the Country Bear Hall, the former concert hall of the Country Bears. Beary learns from the property caretaker Big Al and the band's manager Henry Dixen Taylor that Country Bear Hall is threatened with destruction by greedy banker Reed Thimple. After many attempts to raise $20,000 to save Country Bear Hall, Beary suggests to Henry to hold a benefit concert and the two of them set out to reunite the group with the band's bus driver and drummer Roadie. Meanwhile, the Barringtons have enlisted police officers named Officer Cheets and Officer Hamm to find Beary.

First, they approach Fred Bedderhead, the harmonica and electric bass player, who is working as a security guard on the set of pop singer Krystal's latest music video and agrees to return for the concert. Henry needs promotion and Beary suggests the group's former promoter Rip Holland whom Henry claimed had "stolen" the Country Bears from him. Henry phones Rip, who gladly agrees to promote the show. Fred then mentions a talent show history where they defeated an armpit musician named Benny Boggswaggle in a talent competition which caused Benny to angrily strike Zeb Zoober on the head with a chair. Meanwhile, Big Al is approached by Reed who learns about the Country Bears' plan and about Rip Holland promoting the show.

Next, they approach the band's fiddler Zeb Zoober, who has spent all of his years drinking honey at the Swarming Hive Honey Bar restaurant and owes $500.00 to the owner named "Cha-Cha". Zeb wants to return, but cannot do so without paying his debt to the restaurant. Beary places a bet to let Zeb off the hook by beating the house band in a playoff. Zeb starts his performance off by sounding rusty, but warms up and eventually wins.

Meanwhile, Officer Cheets and Officer Hamm approach Big Al for directions to where Beary went. Because Big Al does not mention that Beary is friends with them and has joined them, the officers think that the bears have kidnapped Beary.

They then approach Tennessee O'Neal, the one-string guitar player now a marriage counselor, who is very reluctant because he wants nothing more than to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Trixie St. Claire, the band's keyboard player. After being chased by Officers Cheets and Hamm through a car wash, the Country Bears stop at a motel where Beary learns that Trixie St. Claire is performing at the motel's bar. Beary informs Tennessee about this and he goes in to reunite with her where they sing a duet together. She subsequently comes with the band to their reunion.

They finally head out to find Ted Bedderhead, the group's lead vocalist and guitarist. Ted is supposedly very wealthy now when they find a mansion where they learn from Elton John that Ted is still at the local country club working at the wedding. After Ted has the other Country Bears members leave, Fred eventually finds out that he is nothing more than a wedding singer. Ted is knocked unconscious by Fred-(who tries to convince him how important he means to the band, saying that they're a family) and forcefully dragged onto the bus. The Country Bears learn that Ted had been performing at weddings and birthday parties as he mentions that the "gardener" that they met was Elton John and that Ted rented a room over John's garage. Zeb claims Ted to be the reason for the band's disestablishment, but Ted claims that he held them together and that no one was grateful, as the other members were all busy letting their personalities and habits get in the way, citing Zeb's drinking, Tennessee's emotional outbursts, and Fred's immaturity. Beary reminds them that they claimed each other to be family, but Ted claims it to be meaningless publicity. Beary realizes the real meaning of family and returns home where he is happily reunited with his family.

The Country Bears read Beary's school essay about them, and they realize that Beary was right and decide that they must perform the gig. Reconciling with Beary, Ted insists that they allow him to join them during the concert. But Reed Thimple kidnaps the rest of the Country Bears and steals the bus. While holding them captive, Reed Thimple reveals to the Bears that he is really Benny Boggswaggle and is wreaking his vengeance on the Bears for stealing his one chance at fame. Beary, his family, and Ted use Beary's tracking device to track down and rescue the band, and they head to the concert together.

When they arrive at Country Bear Hall, they discover that Reed Thimple has paid Rip to not promote the show, so the concert appears to be headed for failure. Big Al suddenly arrives and reveals, to everyone's surprise, that he promoted the show himself, and had everyone parked in the back field (because he did not want any automobiles out on the front lawn). Big Al then opens the doors and a surge of people rush in, as a defeated Reed Thimple is thrown out of the building by the crowd while vowing to the Country Bears that their feud is not over. The money raised from the concert is revealed to be enough to save the hall, and the Country Bears perform with Beary as a new member of the band, as the rest of the Barringtons and the audience watch the concert.

The original music was composed by Christopher Young, and the songs were written by Brian Setzer, John Hiatt, Jimmy Tittle, Krystal Harris and Bela Fleck as well as Elton John.[4]

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