If you watch We Bare Bears today, you’re probably used to the clean, pastel lines and the cozy, suburban vibe of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s comforting. It’s familiar. But if you dig back into the archives of 2014, you’ll find something that feels like a fever dream version of the show we know. The We Bare Bears pilot is a strange, rough-around-the-edges artifact that basically laid the DNA for every "stacking" joke that followed.
Most people don't realize that the show didn't start in a pitch room. It started as a webcomic called The Three Bare Bears by Daniel Chong. When Cartoon Network picked it up for a pilot, things got weird fast.
What Actually Happens in the We Bare Bears Pilot?
The plot is deceptively simple. The bears—Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear—are just trying to get some food. Specifically, they're at a party, and they’re hungry. It’s only seven minutes long. It’s fast. Honestly, it’s chaotic compared to the later episodes.
The biggest thing you’ll notice immediately is the character design. They look... different. Grizz has a slightly different snout. Panda is somehow more neurotic. And Ice Bear? He’s already the fan favorite, but his dialogue is even more sparse and punchy than in the series. The We Bare Bears pilot introduces the "Bear Stack" right away, which became the literal backbone of the franchise. They walk into a party in their signature stack, trying to blend in with humans. It doesn't work. Obviously.
Chong’s background at Pixar and Illumination is all over this. You can see the cinematic timing in the physical comedy. There’s a scene where they’re trying to eat appetizers that feels like a silent movie bit. It’s brilliant. But it also feels like the show was still figuring out its soul. The humor is a bit more cynical, a bit more "Internet-humor" heavy than the wholesome vibe the show eventually adopted.
Why the Pilot Looked So "Off" Compared to Season 1
Animation fans often complain about "Pilot Style." It's that awkward phase where the budget isn't quite there and the artists are still learning how to draw the characters efficiently. In the We Bare Bears pilot, the colors are a bit more saturated. The backgrounds aren't as lush or "watercolor-inspired" as they became later on.
- The linework is thicker and more aggressive.
- The movements are "squashy and stretchy" in a way that feels more like traditional 90s cartoons.
- The voice acting—while featuring the main cast—feels like they are still finding the rhythm.
Eric Edelstein (Grizz), Bobby Moynihan (Panda), and Demetri Martin (Ice Bear) are all there. But you can tell they were still testing the chemistry. Moynihan’s Panda is especially high-pitched here. He’s leaning hard into the "anxious millennial" trope before that trope was even fully baked into the cultural lexicon.
The Webcomic Origins and the Shift to TV
You can't talk about the pilot without talking about the Tumblr years. Daniel Chong was posting these three bears on his blog long before Cartoon Network called. The webcomic was much more observational. It was about the absurdity of being an animal in a human world.
When the We Bare Bears pilot was developed, they had to scale that up. They needed a "hook." The hook became the bears' desperate need for social validation. They don't want to eat the humans; they want to be followed by them on Instagram. It’s a very 2010s concept that surprisingly hasn't aged poorly because the pilot focused on the feeling of being an outsider rather than just the technology itself.
There's a specific energy in the pilot that feels more "indie." It’s less polished. That’s probably why it did so well at the KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival, where it actually won the "Young Amsterdam Audience" award. It proved that the concept of three brothers—who happen to be bears—trying to survive the modern world was universal.
The Missing Characters
If you watch the We Bare Bears pilot looking for Chloe Park or Nom Nom, you’re going to be disappointed. They aren't there. The world is very small. It’s just the brothers and a sea of nameless humans. This is a common trait in pilots—they focus strictly on the core trio to see if the dynamic holds water.
Without the supporting cast, the pilot relies entirely on the Bear Stack. It’s the visual gag that carries the whole seven minutes. It’s amazing how much mileage they got out of one bear standing on another bear.
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Comparing the Pilot to the Series Finale
It’s wild to look at the pilot alongside the final episodes or We Bare Bears: The Movie. The show eventually became a massive hit in Asia, leading to merchandise everywhere and even a spin-off, We Baby Bears.
The pilot is the only time the bears feel truly "wild." By the end of the series, they are basically humans in fur suits with apartments and laptops. In the pilot, there’s still a hint of that animal unpredictability. They’re a little more chaotic. A little more prone to actual bear-like behavior before the "urban lifestyle" fully took over their identities.
How to Find and Watch the Original Short
Finding the We Bare Bears pilot today isn't as hard as it used to be. For a while, it was stuck in the "lost media" limbo that many pilots fall into, but Cartoon Network eventually released it on various platforms as a "bonus" or "Episode 0."
- Check the official Cartoon Network YouTube channel; they occasionally cycle through their classic pilots.
- Look for "The Three Bare Bears" short film from 2014.
- Some streaming services that host the full series include the pilot as a "Special" or "Short."
Honestly, it’s worth the seven-minute watch just to see the evolution. It’s a masterclass in how to take a simple visual idea—bears in a stack—and turn it into a multi-million dollar franchise.
What You Can Learn from the Pilot's Success
If you're a creator, the We Bare Bears pilot is a lesson in simplicity. It didn't have a complex magic system or a dark backstory. It was just: Three bears. One stack. They want food.
The simplicity allowed the personality of the characters to shine through the rough animation. It’s a reminder that a good "vibe" often beats a high budget. The pilot had heart. It was weird. It was awkward. It was exactly what 2014 needed, and it set the stage for one of the most beloved animated shows of the last decade.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
To truly appreciate the evolution of the series, start by watching the pilot and then immediately jump to Season 1, Episode 1, "Our Stuff." Notice the shift in color palette. The background art in the pilot is stark and functional, while the series adopts a lush, watercolor aesthetic that mimics the feeling of a children's storybook. Pay attention to Ice Bear's movements; in the pilot, he is more fluid, whereas in the series, he becomes more rigid and "ninja-like" in his physical comedy. If you are researching animation history, look for Daniel Chong’s original 2010 webcomics to see the three-stage evolution from sketch to pilot to global phenomenon.