Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Der kleine Eisbär 2: Die geheimnisvolle Insel" is a German animated movie from 2005, so this one is a decade old already, more actually and it is another collaboration between De Rycker and Rothkirch. This is of course a sequel to the original film from 2001 and some of the voice actors return here. Others did not, but if you take a look at the cast list and if you are from Germany, then you will recognize the names of many German entertainers. A really impressive quantity indeed. The fact that I liked the film, however, had more to do with the animation and story. There is again a nice retro look to the animation here and the story, while not always convincing, was interesting enough overall and also includes a nice environmental message. It comes easy to care for the characters here and cuteness prevails, not just in the case of title character Lars, but also several others that were originally created by Dutch writer Hans de Beer. It's also not negative at all that this is just a 75-minute movie. This way it has better focus and is more specific and it's ten times better like this than with another 10-15 minutes filler material. So overall, I am indeed convinced here and I probably would have watched a third film about the little polar bear. With more than a decade behind us and Rothkirch gone, it's unlikely to ever happen, but no need to be sad as there are really more than enough additions in terms of television series and video releases. As for this one here, also known as "The Little Polar Bear 2: The Mysterious Island", it gets a thumbs-up and a positive recommendation. Certainly worth seeing for the young ones as well as those young at heart. Some decent heart in this relatively short full feature movie.
