On a daytrip to London zoo, Tilly drops her beloved teddy bear in the polar 
   bear pen. That night she's woken by a magical polar bear who has appeared
   in her bedroom with - you guessed it - the self same teddy bear. Tilly does
   her best to hide her new friend from her suspicious parents as they explore
   her home together. As evening draws in once more, the Bear returns her
   kindness by whisking her away on a moonlit tour of the London landscape,
   and off into the night skies where he introduces her to the spirit of the Great
   Bear - Ursa Major - before he heads north to his original Arctic home...

   "The Bear" is adapted from Raymond Briggs' classic story - the fourth such
   project by John Coates and his TVC team, and it's another gem on a par with
   "The Snowman". Just like that magical film, it has a soft, crayoned look.
   The story is once more told through a combination of animation and music,
   with almost no dialogue. There's a rich choral element to the orchestration
   and another wintery flight through the night sky. But never fear, "The Bear"
   leaps and bounds across the screen very much on its own. It's exquisitely
   produced in a widescreen format, and utilizes the developments in animation
   techniques since "The Snowman"s arrival to enhance the viewing experience
   considerably. The story is noticably darker too, and there's a particular intensity
   invested in the scenes with the Great Bear. "The Snowman" leaves us grieving
   for the loss of a special special friend. But when the Bear finally departs for
   the Arctic, our sadness is tinged with hope and understanding. The Bear
   deserves to be free, not caged in a zoo, or tied to his new friend.

   Howard Blake picks up the musical baton once more. Where "The Snowman"
   had soloists Peter Auty and later, Aled Jones stirring their vocal chords, "The
   Bear" has the angelic talents of a young Charlotte Church. And it's a terrific
   score that compliments the story very well indeed. However, in America, the
   distributors have still felt it neccessary to add a narration to proceedings.
   The voiceover is spoken by the rather lovely Judi Dench, but it's an unwise
   and rather unwelcome addition - Shame on them!
   
   » Those with a keen eye will notice that, at one point, Tilly and her parents
       settle down to watch "The Snowman" on their tv. There are also three
       fabulous in-jokes included in the night flight:

   »  A mewling baby in its crib has the initials 'JC' sewn on its romper  suit.
       A sly reference to producer John Coates, methinks.

   » Tilly and The Bear's magical flight takes them past the window of
       a frustrated pianist, who looks remarkably similar to real-life composer
       Howard Blake.

   »  Finally, we pass by the smiling face of The Man In The Moon, who
       looks unquestionably like the one and only Mr Raymond Briggs!

    
 

     Awards

    1998 - Peabody Award for Broadcasting

 

     The Bear on DVD

    The Bear
                Region 2 / Cinema Club / July 2002

     Raymond Briggs' The Bear/The Animal Train
                Region 1 / double bill / Miramax / December 2003

 

     based on the book by Raymond Briggs
      a TVC London production for Channel 4
 
     director:             Hilary Audus
     producer:           John Coates
     exec prod:          Paul Madden
     art director:        Joanna Harrison
     music & lyrics:    Howard Blake
     soloist:               Charlotte Church
     spfx dir:             Richard Nye
     adaptation
      & st'board:         Hilary Audus, Joanna Harrison
     line prod:           Catrin Unwin
     head of
      rendering:          Janet Archer
      layout:               Jacques Gauthier, Richard Nye,
                              Jack Stokes, Hal Clay
     b'grounds:          Michael Gabriel, Paul Osborne,
                              Michael Haywood
     st'board
      consultant:         Jimmy T Murakami
     animation:          Roger Mainwood, Tony Guy, Peter Dodd,
                              Nicolette van Gendt, Andy McPherson,
                              Simon Williams, John Perkins, Jacques Gauthier,
                               David Livesey, Dave Webster, Arian Wilschut,
                              Joe Mulligan, Jonathan Hall, Joan Freestone,
                              Sarah Vincent, Dave Unwin, Les Gibbard,
                              Kevin Richards, Alan Green

                              Debbie Dryland, Stella Benson, Stephen Harper,
                              Juliann Franchetti, Monica Brufton, Ray Newman,
                              Pauline Trapmore, Diana Tusheva-Molloy,
                              Denise Dean, Darren Kardich
     paint & trace
      co-ords:             Sara Fairbank-Williams, Seb Markham
     painters:            Carol Lesley, Jaqui Miller, Annette Brown,
                              Rozlin Lambert, Debbie Davis, Denise Marshall
     rend co-ord:       Lotty Pfeil
     principal
      renderers:          Janette Taylor, Norma Ricketts,
                              Lydia Adams, Lynn Bailey, Penelope Wilson,
                              Rachel Booth, Carol Hughes, Mike Adams,
                              Tonia Thorne
     head of
      checking:           Erica Darby
     checkers:          Guy Brockett, Nicci Angell, Cyrus Green, Ed Salkeld
     editor:               Taylor Grant
     voices:              Peter Knapp (Star Bear)
                             Philip Sheffield (Polar Bear)
                             Charlotte Church (Tilly)

                             + Judi Dench (narrator - US version)

 

      On the web


      No links as yet, unfortunately...