Knut, became a world celebrity when his polar bear mother rejected him after birth and he was raised by his keeper at the Berlin Zoo. This documentary follows very closely the interaction of the adorable bear cub and his keeper who was required to care for him basically 24 hours a day. Two other related stories are featured in the movie: a pair of brown bear cubs in Belarus whose mother has been killed and a polar bear mother raising three cubs.Knut is the poster bear for his endangered family and the global warming that is melting the ice caps. The movie touches lightly on those themes but its focus is on the bears' interaction and development with Knut as the main star -- which he is.There are some cheesy aspects such as the narrator being the wind and a second rate chirpy R&B soundtrack, however, one has to consider that this film is intended for young children. As such, it is relatively light and breezy yet educative, moving, and entertaining. This is a must see for families with children under 12 and viewers of all ages whose inner child loves bears and nature.

I already knew a great deal about Knut and his foster-mother, Thomas Doerflein, following them at the Berlin Zoo through international media coverage, so I was interested in this movie when it was released in Europe, bought it in German/European format, and viewed it with delight on my computer. When it became available in a format for Americans with English narration and subtitles, I was elated. Makes a lot of difference to be able to view it on the big TV (smile). If you have spent a great deal of time at youtube viewing Knut and Thomas, or if you love Christian the Lion and spent time viewing the classic videos of Knut and Thomas, and Christian and his two young fellas, smiling and feeling good about the world, this is another super video to own. It certainly is a great movie for children, for the entire family. Don't hesitate to buy it as a permanent component of your media library (I hope you also own Christian!).