THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR (20th ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION)

Directed by Piet de Rycker and Thilo Rothkirch, the movie The Little Polar Bear was released in 2001 and immediately enchanted viewers with its lovable characters in a tale about friendship and adventure. Based on the children’s books by Hans de Beer, the movie combined them into a single, longer story. The focus of the action is on the polar bear cub Lars, numerous other charming and quaint animals which he gets to know during his adventures and the young Inuit girl Manili. Lars‘ exciting experiences include becoming great friends with Robby, a seal; a journey to a distant land; but also an encounter with a mysterious, threatening black ship.

The task of composing the music to accompany the film was entrusted to Nigel Clarke and Michael Csányi-Wills, who succeeded in combining all the elements of the story into a beautiful, gripping score. It includes, for example, the playful and cheerful theme for Lars, which accompanies us in all its facets throughout the score; exotic melodies for Manili and her people, which particularly stand out in the track Inuit ritual (ethnic flute: Francesca Hanley); intimate music through which we feel Lars’ amazement at his first encounter with whales; all contrasting with the threatening, dramatic music rousingly accompanying the Sinking of the Black Ship. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robin Page, recorded the score.

We are very proud to mark the film’s 20th anniversary by making the music available again as a limited edition, including the previously unreleased bonus track Secret Places. The CD has a running time of approximately 41 minutes and the accompanying booklet comprises 16 pages. We hope that you will enjoy the music very much.

THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR (2001)

01. Lars’ Theme* 2:08
02. A Son is Born 2:48
03. Dream of a Journey 1:56
04. Manili’s Surprise 1:07
05. Lars & Robby Escape 3:01
06. All Alone 1:35
07. Swimming with Whales + 1:46
08. Strange New Country 4:49
09. Sopho’s Cave 1:37
10. Fun in the Snow 1:17
11. Looking for Lars 1:32
12. Intuit Ritual ++ 3:05
13. Mika’s Concern 2:26
14. Lars’ Journey Home 2:19
15. Sinking of the Black Ship 4:10
16. Celebration & Reunion ++ 3:20
17. Secret Places ** (Bonus Track) * 2:09

Musik komponiert von Nigel Clarke & Michael Csányi-Wills
Eingespielt mit dem Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Dirigent: Robin Page

Voice: Hannah Robertson **
Ethnic Flute: Francesca Hanley++
Piano + Programming: Michael Csányi-Wills+
Orchestrations: Nigel Clarke and Nick Ingman *