The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear (2002)

When a boy child is stolen by bears who raise him as their own, his human parents hunt the bears in despair, and the boy is faced with the dilemma of who and what he is.

Director:

Jannik Hastrup

Writers:

Bent Haller (screenplay), Michel Fessler (supplementary screenplay)

Stars:

Marlon Vilstrup, Joachim Boje Helvang, Otto Brandenburg

12 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlon Vilstrup	...	Little Bear Boy (voice)
Joachim Boje Helvang	...	Older Bear Boy (voice) (as Joachim Boie Helvang)
Otto Brandenburg	...	Male Bear (voice)
Paprika Steen	...	Female Bear (voice)
Anne Clausen	...	Older Bear Girl (voice)
Tommy Kenter	...	Raven (voice)
Thomas Bo Larsen	...	Man (voice)
Sidse Babett Knudsen	...	Woman (voice)
Carla Docherty	...	Little Girl Bear (voice)
Claus Ryskjær	...	Dog / Wolf (voice)
Jesper Klein	...	Whale / Musk Oxes (voice)
Lisbet Dahl	...	The Northern Wind (voice)
Ellen Hillingsø	...	The Sea / Bear Aunt (voice) (as Ellen Hillingsøe)
Anne-Lise Gabold	...	The Spirit (voice) (as Anne Lise Gabold)
William Tarding	...	Child (voice)

Storyline

To heal the sorrow of his mate after the death of their bear child, a male polar bear steals a newborn child from a nearby man and woman. The bears bring up the boy as their own, and he learns how to live like a bear. But the woman despairs over the loss of her child, and the man hunts down the bear family and brings the boy home. The boy faces the choice between becoming a boy again or learning how to be a bear on his own.

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Plot Keywords:

bear | polar bear | blood | spirit | wolf | 

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Genres:

Animation | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Denmark]

Country:

Denmark France

Language:

Danish Swedish

Release Date:

18 December 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 32,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dansk Tegnefilm, Les Armateurs, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This cartoon became the first cartoon ever to be released in a Greenlandic language version.

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Connections

References Samson and Sally (1984)

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Soundtracks

Farvel
Lyrics and music by Martin Brygmann
Performed by Otto Brandenburg
Arranged and played by Martin Brygmann and Peter Michael Jensen
Mixed in 4C Studio by Rune Zetterström

User Reviews

An amazing movie, both visually and emotionally.

My 3 year-old son chose this movie at our library based on the cover (the one shown here on IMDb). He could not wait to put it on once we got home, and how thankful am I for him and his discerning eye, even if it is not trained to pick out a cinematic treasure.

Any movie/story that engages the viewer on every possible level is genius. Parental feelings of joy and grief, a child's feelings about security and frustration, the desperate feelings of not knowing what path to choose, all of these moments and situations are presented and "acted out" beautifully.

And what captivating music! The soundtrack is simply divine. The instrumental music is never overbearing and the vocal music is pure love. The animation (the watercolor effects, the simple snow scapes of the Arctic) goes hand in hand with the music. This is the type of movie I want my 3 year-old to fall in love with and be captivated by. There are too many over saturated movies out there today. Watch this movie and be awed by how powerful simplicity can be.