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Screenplay: Fire Bear Animated feature set in the North Cascades National Park in Washington and the Misty Fiords National Monument in Alaska. FIRE BEAR is a trek musical adventure story like SHREK and THE JUNGLE BOOK. 93 pages. |
LoglineIn this comedy adventure story, an outcast black bear overcomes prejudice and learns to handle responsibility while fighting forest fires. SynopsisFango (pronounced "fang-go") is a cool young bear who likes to cut class from Bear School to be with his friends Growler and Claws. While pillaging a stolen picnic basket, Fango finds a lighter and accidentally burns down his tree house. Starting a fire is a serious bear crime. Fango's past mischiefs are seen in a different light as his teachers testify he's always been a problem bear. Fango's mother Nera begs for leniency, that Fango's mistakes are somehow her fault as a single mom. Fango's trial is an open-and-shut case. Fango is banished from the Washington Cascades by the Bear Council. Fango vows to go to Alaska, that it's the best bear country anyway. Fango's younger sister Rain says she'll to go with him. Fango tells Rain she must stay to take care of Mom. On the way to Alaska, Fango picks up a passenger, a sarcastic mockingbird migrating north. Lang says, why fly when you can ride on a bear? Since Fango skipped Bear School, he has no wilderness skills whatsoever, not even the sense of what direction it is to Alaska. Lang becomes Fango's "native guide". Lang's sharp tongue has the ability to mimic any sound. Arriving in Alaska, Fango discovers black bears aren't welcome. This is grizzly bear country! Ranger Joan rescues Fango from some tough young grizzlies. Fango takes a keen interest in Ranger Joan. She knows something that he desperately wants to learn, how to fight forest fires. Fango moves in with Joan. That's pretty cramped, with her mountaintop fire watch station, just one 12' x 12' room. Prompted by the young bear's attentiveness, Joan talks to Fango about her favorite topic, fighting forest fires. Ranger Joan doesn't believe Fango can understand her, but he learns fast. Fango wins over the grizzlies by putting out a small fire started by lightening. Fango is drafted to teach at Bear School, teaching those same tough young grizzly bears how to fight fires. Ranger Joan senses something odd is going on with Fango and the grizzly bears, but doesn't know what. Joan leaves Alaska. Fango and Lang, with new friends Roar, Punk and Grunge, hop a freight train going to the Cascades. Fango wants to surprise Rain for her birthday. At Rain's party, there's stunned silence when Fango arrives with his grizzly fire team. Fango learns prejudice can run both ways, that black bears don't welcome grizzlies either. He and his grizzly friends must go. Word comes of a nearby forest fire. The black bears prepare to flee. Fango and his grizzlies swing into action fighting the blaze. Rain joins them and urges other black bears to help fight the fire, to try to save their homes. Fango realizes the fire is too big for the bears. Fango sends Rain to fetch a forest ranger, bring in the humans to help. Rain finds the nearest ranger and has a "Lassie moment" convincing him to come with her. When the ranger sees the fire, he radios for help. Rangers and also a helicopter TV news crew converge on the fire. When they arrive, they're amazed to find bears fighting the blaze. Will they have to shoot these crazy bears to get at the fire? Ranger Joan arrives by helicopter with her fire team. She's reunited with Fango. Joan tells the rangers she knows these bears, to work with them. Together they put the fire out. Fango is a hero. He's pardoned by the Bear Council for his past mistakes and asked by the black bears to stay in the Cascades. Fango chooses to return to Alaska. Roar stays in the Cascades to teach the black bears firefighting. NotesFIRE BEAR is not based on the story of Smokey the Bear. Smokey was a real bear and mascot of the U.S. Forest Service. On posters Smokey says only you can prevent forest fires. Fango fights fires himself. The FIRE BEAR screenplay has been workshopped extensively with actors in front of a live audience at ScreenPlayLab. |
Updated 2009.08.12