FILM

The Bear (1988)

Name: The Bear
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family
Released: 1988-10-21
Duration: 97 min
Cast: Tchéky Karyo, Bart the Bear, Douce the Bear, Jack Wallace, André Lacombe

Film · 1988 · 97 min · PG · Adventure · Drama · Family

He's an orphan... at the start of a journey. A journey to survive.

An orphan bear cub hooks up with an adult male as they try to dodge human hunters.

Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud

Starring Tchéky Karyo, Bart the Bear, Douce the Bear, Jack Wallace, André Lacombe, Bozo the Bear

See it in your cinema ＋▷ Watch trailer

When and where to watch in the United States

Released in cinemas in the United States on 27 October 1989.
JustWatch lists it streaming with a subscription on Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads and 1 more.
JustWatch lists it to rent or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and 2 more.

From TMDB release dates and JustWatch offers, as listed on 17 October 2026. Both change often; a missing date or offer means none is listed yet.

Release dates in the United States

In cinemas	27 October 1989
Digital release	No date listed
Physical release	No date listed
First cinema release anywhere	21 October 1988 (Belgium and France)

Dates come from TMDB and can change. The digital date is the first rental, purchase or streaming date and does not confirm a launch on a particular service; the physical date does not confirm a Blu-ray or 4K edition. Both are often added closer to release.

Release dates in 7 other countries

Country	In cinemas	Digital	Physical
Belgium	21 Oct 1988	–	–
France	21 Oct 1988	31 Dec 2014	9 Jun 1999
Italy	16 Dec 1988	–	–
Germany	6 Feb 1989	–	–
Netherlands	9 Mar 1989	–	20 Dec 2011
United Kingdom	22 Sept 1989	–	8 Feb 1990
Czechia	30 Sept 1989	–	–

Every release in the United States this month · digital · physical

On streaming services in the United States

Prime Video (free with ads): available; first detected on Prime Video on Tuesday 13 October (it may have arrived earlier)

From our streaming checks, last checked 17 Oct, 01:53 EDT. "Expected" dates come from availability data, not the service; a "first detected" date is when a check first found it there, not its release date. See streaming releases this week in the United States.