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| The inviting, neat poster for Jannik Hastrup's The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear |
QUICK REVIEW:
The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear is a modern highlight in Danish animation.
A Greenlandic baby is taken by a polar bear, who is looking for a replacement for her own lost cub. The boy is raised as a bear and later experiences an identity crisis, for what is he really?
One quickly overcomes viewing the animation style of Bear as somewhat staccato and float happily into the beautiful, inspired universe full of fresh colors and white created for the film, which feels like getting to really visit Greenland.
The film has an exciting story with a mythical richness, high stakes and a strong, touching ending. There are also really good voice work, (this review is based on the original Danish version.) Particularly Tommy Kenter (Chop Chop/Fukssvansen (2001)) is funny and liberating as the raven, and Paprika Steen (The Substitute/Vikaren (2007)) is good as the human mother.
Bear is a super fairy-tale-like adventure with a simple animation design that hits the spot. It also does a good job of incorporating digital three-dimensional effects to especially dramatic moments.
A couple of minor reservations: In one scene involving danger, the landscape changes too noticeably back and forth. And some of the playful/romantic scenes are a bit tame.
The original Danish title (Drengen Der Ville Gøre det Umulige) translates to 'the boy who wanted to do the impossible' , (which was the UK title as well.) The film is written by Bent Haller (The Secret Weapon/Aberne og det Hemmelige Våben (1995)) and Michel Fessler (Man to Man (2005)) and directed by the great Danish animation filmmaker Jannik Hastrup (Benny's Bathtub/Bennys Badekar (1971), short).
Related review:
Jannik Hastrup: Benny's Bathtub/Bennys Badekar (1971, short) - A boy's fantasy adventure in Danish animation classic
Watch the Danish trailer for the film here, (unfortunately without English subtitles)
Cost: 33 mil. DKK, equal to approximately 5 mil. $
Box office: Unknown
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[The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear was released December 18 and runs 75 minutes. It was Haller's biggest movie to date, a Danish-French-Norwegian co-production, which is also the reportedly first film ever to receive a Greenlandic voice version, which was finished about a year after the film's initial release. The film reportedly got 65,700 admissions in its native Denmark, (Greenland is a part of the Danish kingdom), which is far from hit status there. However without numbers from other countries, - the film has also been shown at, and received praise and prizes at several festivals, - it is impossible to say whether it became profitable theatrically, although it is unlikely. 754 users have rated the The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear 3.1/5 at Rotten Tomatoes.]
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