Michael Bond, author of the cherished children's classic, "A Bear called Paddington," has died at the age of 91 following a short illness. Here are other famous fictional bears in film and literature.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/E. Terakopian
Advertisement
Paddington and other beloved bears in film and literature
Paddington Bear appeared in more than 20 books written by Michael Bond, who died last year aged 91. Here are other famous fictional bears in film and literature.
This little bear from Peru arrived at Paddington station with only a sun hat and suitcase in hand. The Brown family found him there and took him along, naming him after the station where he was discovered. Author Michael Bond wrote the story of Paddington Bear, which was published in 1958. After an animated series, the film "Paddington" came out in 2014 film, followed by the sequel in 2017.
Image: StudioCanal
Winnie the Pooh
Sweet, scatterbrained and good-natured - that's Winnie the Pooh. The story of this lovable bear was written in the 1920s by Alan Alexander Milne, who made Pooh the most famous bear to have appeared in children's books. After his death, the rights to the stories were purchased by Walt Disney, and movies and series soon followed. In 2006, Pooh was even given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Image: dpa - Bildarchiv
The Bare Necessities
Baloo the bear is perhaps best-known as the sweet "Papa bear" from the Disney film "The Jungle Book." Many will be familiar with his catchy tune, "The Bare Necessities," which gained fame all over the world. The 1967 animated film is based loosely on a collection of stories published in the 1900s by English author Rudyard Kipling.
Lars the little polar bear
Lars lives with his parents in the middle of ice and snow in the North Pole. There, he embarks on plenty of exciting and dangerous adventures with his pals. This children's book series was written by Dutch author Hans de beer in 1987. It also received a television show in 1992 and was made into a film in 2001.
Image: picture alliance/United Archives/IFTN
Brother Bear
Set at the end of the Ice Age in North America, a boy named Kenai kills a bear, and in revenge, gets turned into one. Hunted by his own family, he finds a companion in a little bear named Kuma. This 2003 Disney movie is heavy on motives of love, friendship and forgiveness. In 2004, it was even nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Film category.
Image: picture-alliance/KPA
A bear with fatherly instincts
In the Russian animated series "Mascha and the Bear," the bear is a retired circus animal living in a forest hut. He hopes to enjoy his quiet twilight years, but a young girl named Mascha visits frequently, bringing new chaos with each encounter. "Mascha and the Bear" is one of the most famous Russian animated series to date.
Image: Masha and the Bear Ltd
Not only famous in animated form
French feature film "The Bear" from 1988 is the most successful film to have a real bear in the starring role. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, the script is based on James Oliver Curwood’s novel "The Grizzly King." It depicts the adventures of a young bear that loses its mother and eventually befriends an older bear.
Image: PA/dpa
7 images1 | 7
The author Michael Bond has passed away nearly 60 years after his first book appeared in 1958, "A Bear called Paddington."
The character was named after the London railway station where he was found, having arrived from "deepest, darkest Peru" according to Bond's famous description. The bear was wearing a tag around his neck that read "Please look after this bear."
Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books, said the duffel-coated, Wellington boot-wearing bear "touched my own heart as a child and will live on in the hearts of future generations."
Bond's daughter, Karen Jankel, spoke to the Guardian newspaper about her father's death. "It's a shock to everybody. For me, he was the most wonderful father you can imagine," she said. "But it's wonderful that he's left the legacy of his books and Paddington that will live on for ever, which is really very special."
Michael Bond attends the 2014 world premiere of "Paddington" in LondonImage: picture-alliance/empics/D. Leal-Olivas
Paddington Bear has been enjoyed by generations of children, with more than 35 million books sold, the publisher said on Wednesday. HarperCollins released the latest Paddington story, "Paddington's Finest Hour," in April.
"Michael Bond was one of the great children's writers and at HarperCollins we are immensely fortunate to have published him and to have known him," said Charlie Redmayne, HarperCollins' chief executive.
"He was a wonderful man and leaves behind one of the great literary legacies of our time."
Meanwhile, a film based on the character, "Paddington," was released in 2014 to great critical and commercial success.
In addition to Paddington, Bond created a host of characters including Monsieur Pamplemousse, the French detective, and a book of tales based on the adventures of Olga da Polga, a guinea-pig.
Bond was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997 for his services to children's literature, and received the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2015.
Bond is survived by his wife Sue and his children Karen and Anthony.
