Gentle Ben
Everyone's favorite bear is back.
2002 | 100m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | David S. Cass Sr. |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Walt Morey |
| Staring: |
| When Mark goes for a visit with his uncle he's thrown into a world he knows not much about. Little does he know it'll be a world he's going to have to become very familiar with. One character Mark becomes very familiar and friendly with is a very tame black bear who he later names Ben | |
| Release Date: | Mar 25, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Director: | David S. Cass Sr. |
| Writer: | Walt Morey |
| Genres: | Drama, Family, TV Movie |
| Keywords | based on novel or book, bear |
| Production Companies | Larry Levinson Productions, Gentle Ben Production Company |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 29, 2026 Entered: Apr 25, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Dean Cain | Jack Wedloe |
| Corbin Bernsen | Fog Benson |
| William Katt | Gittis Malone |
| Martin Kove | Cully |
| Reiley McClendon | Mark Wedloe |
| Ashley Laurence | Dakota |
| Gil Birmingham | Pete |
| Cody Weiant | Ashley Benson |
| Stephen Bridgewater | Norwood Malone |
| David Atkinson | Ranch Hand |
| J. Karen Thomas | Ms. Washborough |
| Dustin Lopez | Gunther |
| Bonkers | Ben |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| David S. Cass Sr. | Director |
| James W. Wrenn | Director of Photography |
| JJ Jackson | Editor |
| Jennifer Jean Cacavas | Editor |
| Patrick Baca | Casting |
| Robin Nassif | Casting |
| Kent State | Production Design |
| Paul Healy | Set Decoration |
| Carlie Tracey | Costume Design |
| Janice Heaton | Makeup Artist |
| Chris Blackwood | Stunt Coordinator |
| Dane Peterson | Gaffer |
| Kevin Kliesch | Original Music Composer |
| Jim Makichuk | Teleplay |
| Walt Morey | Novel |
| Samantha Brown | Assistant Makeup Artist |
| Mader | Music |
| Tim Brown | First Assistant Director |
| Jim Simone | Second Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Kevin Bocarde | Producer |
| Kyle A. Clark | Producer |
| Larry Levinson | Executive Producer |
| Robert Halmi Jr. | Executive Producer |
| Steven Squillante | Co-Executive Producer |
| Stephen Bridgewater | Supervising Producer |
| Brian Gordon | Supervising Producer |
| H. Daniel Gross | Co-Executive Producer |
| Liz Mozden | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
Trending Position
***Gentle Ben in the wilds of Northern California with Dean Cain and Ashley Laurence*** A boy from Los Angeles (Reiley McClendon) visits his ranger uncle (Dean Cain) in remote Northern California where he tries to save a friendly black bear from poachers and a rancher who’s convinced the bear is ... slaughtering his sheep (Corbin Bernsen). Gil Birmingham plays an AmerIndian ranger while Cody Weiant appears as a tomboy who assists the kid & bear. Released to TV, “Gentle Ben” (2002) wasn’t based on the late 60’s TV series, which took place in the Florida Everglades as opposed to Northern Cal. The movie was popular enough to produce a sequel with the same cast the next year. It belongs to the family wilderness drama/adventure genre and comes across as a meshing of movies like “Prophecy” (1979), “Magic in the Water” (1995) and “Free Willy” (1993), albeit with a TV budget. (Yes, “Prophecy” is a horror/thriller but, like the other two flicks, was shot in the same general region, has an Indian side character and involves a threatened animal species). Ashley Laurence from the Hellraiser series is on hand as the ranger’s potential babe, Dakota. She’s winsome and looks great in jeans; I wish she had a bigger role though. Ashley, the magnificent locations, the bear and the quality cast make this TV flick worth catching for those interested. Martin Kove even shows up as a genial mountain man. The movie runs 1 hour, 29 minutes and was shot in Placer County, Northern California (Auburn & Foresthill). GRADE: B-/C+