Ned Rivers loses his ranch to the railroad and returns to prospecting. In the wild he meets and befriends Jessie who has been wandering in the mountains since her father died. They take care of an orphaned grizzly cub, Goldy, a "Golden Bear," whose mother has been killed by a circus owner looking for a new circus attraction. When the circus owner, Boss Cooperman, arrives Ned and Jessie try to save her with the help of new friends.
Practical Effects
Real bear cub performance before CGI made everything soulless
Costume
Boss Cooperman's mustache-twirling circus villain aesthetic
Production
Pacific Northwest locations that actually look like the 1880s
Director
Trevor Black
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Trevor Black cast his own daughter Jessica as Jessie, making this a genuine family production about found family.
This arrived during the brief 1980s boom of 'animal buddy' films, when every studio needed their own Benji — but few committed to the grizzly bear niche.
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