Absolutely the worst movie.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Chuck Jones was, and still is considered to be, one of the geniuses in animation with many classics under his belt. There is much to like about his barely talked about "Three Bears" series, and 'A Bear for Punishment' is one of the strongest.It is also one of those cartoons that this reviewer appreciates and loves even more as a young adult. It is true that it is essentially plot-less but with everything being so well done this is a case of that not mattering.The animation has Jones' distinctive animation style all over it, especially in the character designs. Everything is vibrantly coloured, the backgrounds are rich and meticulous in detail and it's all beautifully drawn. The music from Carl Stalling, though an uncredited Milt Franklyn also had a hand in orchestration, is typically outstanding, there is so much energy and life to the rhythms, orchestration is cleverly matched and lush and it fits so well with the action and adds to the impact.What is especially good about 'A Bear for Punishment' is the humour. At its best, like the uproariously funny gag with the pipe and the riot that is the deliciously bizarre climax, 'A Bear for Punishment' is hilarious, and is unusually dark (but wonderfully so) and the satirical edge bites. The dialogue has plenty of wit and bite and the gags all work, starting very strongly and getting even better all the time.Lack of story, as said already, is not an issue, it's still engaging and has not a single dull stretch and there's enough heart and charm too. The brilliant execution of the humour helps here too. All three characters are very well written, with Junyor coming off best. With the voice acting, sure you do miss Mel Blanc but Billy Bletcher, Bea Benaderet and Stan Freberg (three of the better and most prolific voice actors of the time) voice with every bit the same amount of enthusiasm and energy, if just lacking that special touch that Blanc had which was his ability to bring distinction and individuality to multiple characters (which in all fairness that opportunity is not necessarily given to them here).Overall, hilarious and brilliantly executed cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

. . . a live-action release playing in theaters during Spring, 2016, but Papa Henry Bear gets top billing as the title character of this Warner Bros.' animated short, A BEAR FOR PUNISHMENT, perhaps the best Father's Day film ever made. About 3 minutes, 40 seconds into BEAR, Henry dons a Shriners' hat, giving away the fact that this Ode to Dads also is intended to expose all the Masonic Secrets to normal Americans. In the 1900s, most affluent (or Fat Cat) male White U.S. adults either belonged to the Masons or the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK were prevalent in the American South, while the Masons ruled the North. For instance, when I was looking for a parking spot in downtown Detroit the night the Orioles eliminated the Tigers from the 2014 MLB Playoffs, I remember that the towering but semi-abandoned Masonic Temple was the biggest building there. As Henry's wife (that is, Mama bear) trots out past her stripper's pole and bumps and grinds out her Happy Father's Day Promises around five and a half minutes into BEAR, viewers will realize that Warner is warning America that the Masons are a perversely wild sex club out to contaminate U.S. Culture with decadent Eurotrash notions. Average Americans took this caution to heart, and Today the Masons as a cult are about where the Shakers were in the late 1900s (that is, their youngest members have been drawing Social Security for two or three decades).

Bear for Punishment, A (1951) ** (out of 4)Ma, Pa and Baby Bear star in this short that takes place on Father's Day as the dimwitted Baby tries to give dad a good gift but of course fails. BUGS BUNNY AND THE THREE BEARS is one of my favorite animated shorts but this here certainly isn't in the same league. I think one of the biggest things missing is the voice work of Mel Blanc as none of the bears here contain the same energy, charm and fun of the original. The voices here just aren't the same and it really takes away from the story because the grumpiness of Pa just comes off as cruel and not funny. There's one hilarious scene that has Baby Bear fixing dad a pipe, which doesn't go as planned and this here is without question the best scene in the movie.

"A Bear for Punishment" is a hilarious Warner Bros. cartoon that simply cannot be missed. Directed by the magnificent Chuck Jones, it stars the Three Bears. (Well, the WARNER BROS. version of the Three Bears, anyway.) Papa Bear, voiced by Billy Bletcher, is a short, hot-tempered grouch. Mama Bear, voiced by Bea Benaderet, is the mild-mannered voice of reason in the family. And "Junyer" Bear, voiced by Stan Freberg, is a seven-foot-tall diaper-donning pea-brain. Because it's Father's Day, Mama and Junyer go to ridiculous extremes to see to it that Papa has every bit of comfort and entertainment. They need not have bothered! My favorite scenes in "A Bear for Punishment" include the following (PLEASE do not read any further if you have not yet seen this cartoon). By far the most hilarious scene in this short is that of Mama tap dancing and singing to the accompaniment of "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Junyer is quite funny as he chases Papa around the house while wielding a dangerously sharp razor and later as he recites his "My Pa!" poem."A Bear for Punishment" is probably the epitome of Father's Day disasters. Is it any wonder that the grumpy old Papa Bear cringes with increasing embarrassment as he watches Mama Bear & Junyer Bear present their theatrical Father's Day tribute?