DUBBED into English from its native German tongue for the UK release, The Little Polar Bear is a sweet animated film aimed at very young viewers, aged three to five.
Older children and parents will be hard pushed to find much to keep them amused, notwithstanding a quartet of suicidal lemmings, whose attempts to kill themselves never come to fruition.
Inquisitive baby polar bear Lars (voiced by Wesley Singerman) shocks his father Mika (Mike McConohie) and the local bear community by striking up a tender friendship with a young seal named Robby (Brianne Siddall).
The pair become bosom buddies, getting into all sorts of scrapes together, such as rescuing the local wildlife from a monstrous ship which literally swallows the fish.
Kalle, leader of a rogue polar bear gang, and his henchbears Nalle and Palle are outraged by Lars' relationship with Robby, and try to turn the rest of the clan against Lars, with no success.
When Lars disappears one morning, Robby and fellow polar bear Greta fear the worst and launch a daring rescue mission.
They enlist the services of fun-loving penguin Caruso, Arctic hare Lena and snow goose Pieps to scour every inch of the ice floes to find Lars
Little do they know that the youngster has drifted out to sea headed for tropical climes of Africa.
There, the little bear meets a host of new friends, including gentle giant Hippo who helps Lars return safe and sound to his parents.
Lars also makes contact with Eskimo girl Manili, whose wise grandmother knows the special understanding that has existed for years between man and bear.
Based on the books by Hans De Beer, The Little Polar Bear is perfect for very young viewers, with only mild violence and a thunderous ecological message.
The episodic nature of the film suggests that it is little more than three or four separate stories crudely sandwiched together, but at least the plot moves fast enough to keep impatient young minds amused.
Rating: 5/10
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