If you like your family entertainment surreal, then this DVD should fulfil your weirdest expectations. Follow the story behind the Country Bears band as they reform to help save a concert hall from an evil property developer (Christopher Walken!).
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture Brightly coloured and sharply defined, this picture transfer doesn't fuzz-up like the stars of the movie.
Sound The 5.1 mix carries oodles of warm bass to enhance the non-stop country music that makes full use of the surround speakers for song choruses.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Country Bears: Out of the Woods If you've sat through one of those over-dramatic Behind-the-Music programmes on MTV or VH1, then you may well enjoy this 15-minute parody, featuring The Country Bears. While nowhere near as good as The Simpsons' mickey-take of the format, a good bit of effort has been put into making this.
Contributors include Xzibit, Queen Latifah, and Wyclef, who all talk with unnerving seriousness of the Country Bears' effect on their own music. Jerky grainy footage of the Bears' glory days, including their mind-bending trip to India in the 70s, combine with a dramatic voiceover to produce a fun featurette.
Audio Commentary Now perhaps you'd be thinking that the freakiness ends here. No sir, because director Peter Hastings is joined by band members Ted and Zeb for one of the strangest audio commentaries around.
What you're hearing is quite real as Peter sighs over the inclusion of a rare Country Bears track and then discusses it with Ted and Zeb. Peter also asks them how the movie has affected their career!
Full marks to Disney for trying something different and resolutely sticking to this make-believe world, but it starts to fall apart in the commentary because Ted and Zeb soon start to run out of amusing things to say. Some scripted interviews might have worked better.
Video Mix Master Jamboree Create your very own Country Bears music video by editing together different clips into a complete promo.
Additional Extra Features Also on the disc is a sing-along option and a music video.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Chapters: 12
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English and multiple languages
Captions: English
Menus: Animated, with Country Bears music
Special Features Subtitles None of the special features come with subtitles.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.
The Country Bears DVD 