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Monday, December 13, 2004

A bear named Winnie

Do you know what inspired the creation of the cartoon character, Winnie the Pooh Bear?

Last night (actually, a few hours ago), I watched a movie called "A Bear Named Winnie" on tv. My housemate asked me if I wanted to watch it with her and so, I decided to give myself a break after a whole day of mind-boggling organic chemistry. It was based on a true story and I thought it was a really nice show.

The scene started off with a hunter shooting a big bear during one summer in the year 1914 in Canada. He approached the dead bear but soon realized that there was a baby bear struggling to stay balanced on top of the tall tree. He was about to shoot it, but seeing that the animal was harmless, he decided to take the baby bear back to his shop. He skins and sells the fur of the bears. Therefore, knowing one day this little bear will be fully grown, he planned to keep it for future use.

Meanwhile, a troop of army was on its way to their camp. The train stopped at this town for a quick rest, and here it was fortunate that a soldier, who loves animals, saw the baby bear. He bargained with the hunter for the bear. As soon as he took the bear with him, the train was about to leave. He had no choice but to bring the bear along with him as he did not want to abandon it.

It was against the military rules to bring along a "pet" to war. Also, the captain of the train was very unhappy with the fact that a bear was on his train. However, the soldier managed to convince the captain that this baby bear was the perfect mascot. When asked for the name of this mascot, he said, "Winnipegg (is a province in Canada) ... in short, she'll be Winnie."

The baby bear soon adapted to living with humans. Adorable but mischevious, she was loved by her closest friends who took care of her. Unfortunately, there was a disaster. One night, a wild dog came about in search for food. Winnie knew that the horses were in trouble and tried to break free from the chain that tied her to the pole (she always manages to escape somehow). After that, she ran to the horses, but it was too late. The dog (that looked so much like a wolf) scared the horses away, causing them to run into the forest. But, everyone thought it was Winnie's fault. With much reluctance, the soldier and his friends who were responsible for Winnie's actions, had to take her away somewhere. It was pretty sad as Winnie kept crying when she was left all alone in the forest. Then again, somehow, she managed to find her way back to the camp site ...

They decided to bring her along to England to war. However, when they realized that it was too dangerous for Winnie when they arrived, they had no choice but to place her in a zoo. This part was sad too, as she was just a baby bear, and they put her in a huge, lonely cage. As the soldier walked away from her, Winnie kept crying. She kept trying to get out of the cage...

For days, Winnie would not eat, and just lay down feeling depressed. The zookeepers got worried and soon, the children who often visited the zoo were also concerned. One day, a naughty girl wandered away from her mother in the zoo. Her mother was distraught and asked the zookeepers to find her. She was actually by Winnie's cage and wanted to feed Winnie with some biscuits. However, she leaned too far forward and fell over the bush. Winnie, the friendly bear wanted to rescue her and quickly figured a way to open the cage door. Meanwhile, the zookeepers were getting ready to shoot Winnie (apparently, she was "dangerous") for she might have attacked or harmed people but they soon discovered that nothing like that happened. The girl ended up playing with Winnie.

I really love this movie. It was pretty funny to see how some of the crazy generals were and how things were like in the camp when Winnie was around. The story ended four years later, when the soldier who saved Winnie, was sent to a nursing house after he witnessed his friends being attacked by the enemy. It was a traumatic experience and he would not see anyone or even get out of bed for almost two years. The general heard of his plight and went to visit him. It was a pity, but he decided to look for Winnie and bring her back to him. By that time, Winnie was fully grown, big (and fat). It was a touching scene as the soldier finally got to his senses when he realized the big bear was beside his bed. He cried. It was amazing...

Of course, he could not keep Winnie by his side like he used to. After all, she is and will always be a bear. In the end, he said his last goodbye to Winnie at the zoo.

Winnie actually lived until the ripe old age of 20. Years later, this true story inspired someone to create a cartoon character that we all know today as Winnie the Pooh Bear. A lovely movie.

Yun @ 3:56 PM | |

about me

Home: KL, Malaysia
School: U of A

I am someone who frets a lot - I call it a psychological disorder. I am constantly trying to escape my complex mind which, very often, drives me and my close companions to the edge of insanity. Born under the sun star Libra, I am greatly affected by a disease called "indecisiveness". Nicknames were never part of my dictionary until I met some people who decided to name me "turtle". Soon, I was representing a zoo of hamsters, "sotongs", pigs, cats, etc...

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