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Main Characters
Ernest
- Voiced by: Forest Whitaker
- Adopt the Food: A hungry Ernst was fully prepared to eat Celestine given half the chance, but circumstances and her own quick thinking secures his help and eventually make this trope the foundation for the film's Happy Ending.
- Beary Friendly: Ernest might look grumpy at first, but gradually becomes better.
- Children Raise You: Meeting Celestine and growing to care for her is the catalyst to Ernest's character development and happiness.
- Interspecies Friendship: Witch Celestine, a mouse.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At the beginning, Ernest is prejudiced towards mice just like the rest of the bears, as well as a curmudgeonly old lug in general. His friendship with Celestine softens him up significantly and allows him to show his more vulnerable and fun-loving side.
- Justified Criminal: He commits some crimes in town, but is ultimately jsut trying to sustain hiomself.
- Pet the Dog: He at one point politely tells the cops chasing him to watch out of a stop sign to avoid crashing into it.
- Sweet Tooth: He has this even when he isn't starving for food.
Celestine
- Voiced by: Mackenzie Foy
- Adorably Precocious Child: She's quite smart for such a young mouse.
- Cry into Chest: Celestine does this to Ernest a number of times.
- Interspecies Friendship: With Ernest, a bear.
- Nice Mice: Celestine is a very nice little mouse.
- Plucky Girl: Celestine is optimistic, brave, and simply does not give up.
Secondary Characters
Bears
George and Lucienne
- Voiced by: Nick Offerman (Georges) and Megan Mullally
- Butt-Monkey: They are often the unfortunate recipients of Ernest and Celestine's antics, such as having George's stolen van fall straight back to his candy store, causing some damage to it.
- Eek, a Mouse!!: Lucienne freaks out when she sees Celestine in her son's bedroom.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: George has quite a short fuse on him as he gets incredibly hyperactive and hysterical whenever he throws a fit.
- Parents as People: They love their son very much and want him to lead a successful life and have set him up to inherit two very profitable businesses, but also seem somewhat oblivious to what their son actually wants.
The Bear Judge
- Voiced by: Jeffrey Wright
- Hanging Judge: He and the Mouse Judge decry each other's respective species when they are palced on trial.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While he was being harsh about the whole ordeal, Ernest and Celestine have committed some serious felonies.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Becomes this after Celestine saves him.
Mice
The Grey One
- Voiced by: Lauren Bacall
- Evil Orphanage Lady: She isn't really evil, but she does sort of get a sadistic glee out of scaring the orphans with her bear stories.
- Jerkass Has a Point: At Ernest's trial, she argues with Ernest when he defends Celestine by saying that the latter brought him down with her during their heist, which was admittedly a pretty crazy decision on her part.
- Kick the Dog: She gets a kick out of scaring the orphans with her bear stories.
The Dentist
- Voiced by: William H. Macy
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Not really saying much since he acts rather condescending and rude to Celestine when she brings a small amount of teeth back to him after venturing to the bear world (i.e. only one tooth), but he does give her another chance.
- Standardized Leader: He's implied to be the head of the mice, but has little personality other than his strict disposition.
The Mouse Judge
- Voiced by: Paul Giamatti
- Hanging Judge: He and the Bear Judge decry each other's respective species when they are placed on trial.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Becomes this after Ernest saves him.
