A Bear Named Winnie

I cried. (I know--big surprise, right?) I didn't expect to, but there we both were, at the end of the movie, wondering why animals get to us that way. What a great movie.

A Bear Named Winnie is the story of the bear that inspired the Winnie the Pooh stories. This bear's mother is shot at the beginning of the movie and is bound for the same destination when a young soldier from the vetinary corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on its way to France in WWI decides to save it. He brings it back on the train and proceeds to break every rule possible in order to keep this bear in his company.

The bear seems to have an endless amount of love and affection for everyone. It wins hearts I didn't expect it to win, and the love and devotion of this bear, and of the soldier, simply made me cry. It was heartwarming.

I think the wonderful thing about this movie is the depth of the love shown between a man and a bear. I was watching this with a cat curled up on my lap, and these examples of great love between humans and animals often bring out the best in us. Animals show us how they can love, simply and purely, while we get the chance to love an animal that wants nothing more than some food, water and our affection. It's a fun movie if you get the chance, especially if you are Winnie the Pooh fans. It doesn't discuss Winnie the Pooh, but it's neat to know the origin.