(If this is your first time on this blog, I ask you to read my About page first! You can find a link to it at the top left-hand corner of this blog. Thanks!)
One aspect of this blog is that I’m not reviewing any documentaries on it. Especially not any of the nature documentaries Disney has produced over the years be it True-Life Adventures or Disneynature productions. However, I can still end up with the short end of the stick when Disney releases live-action Disney films that may just as well be nature documentaries. A Tale of Two Critters is one such film.
Released in 1977 as a double feature alongside The Rescuers, this film is only 48 minutes long, barely making it feature film length! I already know I’m not going to enjoy this since it’s mostly watching two animals do things with narration in the background, so let’s hurry up and get this over with. Here’s A Tale of Two Critters.
And remember, SPOILERS AHEAD!
As the credits roll, we hear the song, Travelin’ On, which is honestly pretty good and unexpected for a film like this. After the song ends, Mayf Nutter, begins to narrate the film.
The film is about a young raccoon and young bear cub who get separated from their families and end up floating down the stream together on a log. At first, they don’t get along. Not long after, they crash onto a new patch of land away from where their home was. They get familiar with their surroundings and come into contact with other creatures such as crabs, elk, bees, owls, and even a wolverine.
They learn to take care of themselves by finding food and seeking shelter. Through this mutual struggle, they actually start to become friends. Winter is soon upon them though and the bear goes into hibernation mode. As the seasons pass, the raccoon and the bear get separated from each other and both end up back at their original home. They bump into each other, but as so much time has passed, they don’t remember each other very well. A faint memory flickers between the both of them, but the film ends sadly as the both of them go on with their lives afterwards as regular critters, rather than friends.
And that was A Tale of Two Critters! Yep, there’s not really much to say about this one except that it’s very boring and something I just don’t care to see. If you’re into animals and watching them do things, then you may like this fine enough as it’s not badly made. But it just isn’t my cup of tea.
Mayf Nutter did a great job narrating the story to the audience and I do commend the opening song. I don’t know whether or not these animals were trained, but I feel I’ve seen better animal performances in films of that era. Some scenes seemed to be downright animalistic especially when geese and the wolverine were involved.
In the end, I’m glad to get this out of the way and move on to the next film. It wasn’t the worst of times, but it was pretty darn close!
So, my final score for this film is 13/35 = 37.14% (F) !
The next review will be posted on August 25, 2020.
My Live Action Disney Project 
I didn’t remember seeing this by the title name until you mentioned it being shown w/ “The Rescuers”, which I did see in a theater back in 1977. All I can remember about this film is the unusual-sounding sounds from the 2 animals. The raccoon made a sort of chirping noise, while the bear had a high-pitched growl.
Wow, that’s so cool that you remember seeing this with The Rescuers! I wasn’t even paying much attention to the sound effects as I was just hoping for the movie to finish quickly, lol!
I am not quite sure if I know this or not…I had something along the line on VHS, titled “Der Bär” (the bear), but honestly, it was so boring, I don’t remember what it was about, other that something about a bear was narrated. But it was paired with Barry of the Great St. Bernard, which is also from 1977 (and which I loved, so if you are lucky enough to get your hands on it (I keep trying but, well, no luck so far) watch it). So most likely it was A tale of two Critters…
It’s totally understandable why you may have forgotten this one, lol!
Yeah, I’ll havta keep my eye out for Barry of the Great St. Bernard.