The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear  (2003)

Theatrical Release Information:
The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear

Veteran Danish animator Jannik Hastrup transforms an obscure Tarzan-like Inuit fairy tale into a animated feature film with his 2002 children's tale entitled Drengen de ville vaere bjorn (The Boy Who Wanted To Be a Bear). Somewhere within the Arctic Circle, a pregnant polar bear narrowly escapes a pack of vicious wolves only to give birth to a stillborn cub. The bear's spouse, recognizing his mate's deep depression, sets out to find a replacement baby bear to lift the female bear's spirits -- only to fail in his quest. However, he does come across a newborn human infant, which he steals from the infant's parents and takes back to his mate. As the adult bears raise the human child to be a bear, the child's birth parents desperately search for their son in order to return him to their family. After some time, the child is recovered by his birth parents -- but the boy considers himself to be a bear and wishes to live his life as a bear. The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear was included in the program for a number of children-oriented film festivals throughout Europe and won a Special Mention from the jury at the 2002 Kinderfilmfest. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide