Snow Bear

Bluesky

Observations of large carnivores in non-standard situations, rare situations in which food is not a concern, have shown that most of them enjoy being sociable as much as any other animal. The bigger one is, however, the harder it is to find sufficient food, and that leads to competition. With rare exceptions, circumstance forces them to lead solitary lives.

Snow Bear, perhaps the sweetest and most family-friendly short animation on this year’s Oscar shortlist, follows a lonely polar bear as he wanders through the Arctic. His efforts to befriend animals he finds there sadly come to nothing, but everything changes when, like Blade Runner’s JF Sebastian, he decides to make a friend. This other bear may be constituted from snow, but the secret ingredient is imagination, and when this is applied the two are able to enjoy all sorts of games together.

A one man project by Aaron Blaise, who spent decades as a Disney animator, Snow Bear has an old fashioned quality which stands out in today’s landscape, when various forms of CGI and other experimental techniques proliferate. The characters are beautifully drawn, lifelike in aspect but anthropomorphic in attitude, and leaning towards Disney-style family values. Their emotions are intense yet delicately presented, like the many colours of this remote world, which Blaise discovered as he did his preparatory research. Far from being plain white, the snow and ice reflect all the hues of the sky, shining blue and pink, lavender and gold.

In the absence of dialogue, that emotional communication depends on both the animation and the music, which flows and swells, again in traditional style, an impressive contribution to a small, very personal project. Snow Bear is smoothly done but still has an organic aspect to it, those little idiosyncrasies that give a film personality. Amid the chill of the arctic, Blaise finds a natural warmth.

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