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
is simply going home again, back to where he belongs.
Howard Blake picks up the musical baton once more. Where "The Snowman"
had soloist Peter Auty stirring our hearts, "The Bear" has the (then) 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)