Archie and Ava end up dating and playfully romp in the lake. This is one of the few scenes were the bears were actually together in the scene. A huge circle of meadow was hotlined off and greens were placed to hide the wires. Bears were walked onto the location and then released to play and act like bears. The couple just played naturally and loved it, but two canoes were in water with trainers and treats just in case the bears decided to wander - they didn't because they were having fun.
Generally, when a large variety of animals appear in a scene together, like the animals rallying in the woods, the individual species were filmed separately using a technique called motion control. A camera was set up and ran continuously as animals of each species were brought into the scene and placed on their mark by a trainer, then removed so that the next species could be set into position. When editing was complete the scene appears as if the camera was merely panning a single area filled with all manner of wildlife, standing in harmony at their union meeting.
Steve Zahn is the voice of Archie the Bear. He later co-starred with Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Care (2003). He previously appeared on Friends (1994) as the gay ice dancer ex-husband of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). Kudrow plays the voice of Archie the Bear's love interest Ava the Bear.
45 animal trainers were present for a single scene to provide adequate care and focus for the animals. Awareness of natural predator/prey situations was always given special attention. Along with the live animal actors, the movie utilizes movie magic techniques including animatronics, puppets, blue screen, split screen and computerized digital effects.
Along with this technical facility, the large variety of animals required months of pre-production planning and patient training to achieve the carefully conditioned compatibility necessary for the story to unfold. Trainers used natural training methods that involved studying the behavioral characteristics of each species and the unique traits and temperament of each individual animal. The animals learned to respond to voice, sound and hand commands and were rewarded with their favorite foods. Lots of rehearsal time was spent to get the animals accustomed to working together.
Freckles: who played Pongo in 101 Dalmatians (1996) and the sequel, 102 Dalmatians (2000) makes a brief cameo as one of the animals that go on strike.