Snow Bear
2025 United-States animated short film
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Snow Bear is a 2025 American animated short film written and directed by Aaron Blaise (known for the 2003 Academy Award-nominated feature Brother Bear). The 11-minute wordless[1] animated film following the life of a lonely polar bear was selected in various international film festivals, including the Annecy Film Festival,[2] the Tribeca Film Festival[3][4] and Animafest Zagreb.[5] The film was entirely animated by Aaron Blaise himself over the span of three years.[6]
- Mark Mancina
- Marlon E. Espino
company
| Snow Bear | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by | Aaron Blaise |
| Produced by | Nicholas Burch |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Aaron Blaise Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 11 minutes |
| Country | United States |
Snow Bear is currently available to watch on Blaise's YouTube channel.
It was shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.[7][8]
Plot
A lonely male polar bear named Glen lives on an unforgivable ice floe in the Arctic. After failing to befriend an arctic fox, an orca and some Canada geese, he decides to create his own out of snow. He spends his days with it watching the aurora borealis, playing hide-and-seek, eating seals, sliding down snowbanks and even imitating nearby walruses together.
One morning, the snow-made bear starts melting. Glen tries to save it, but is unable to. Eventually, after mourning the loss of his "friend", he discovers an Arctic island with green grass. While exploring, Glen discovers another snow-made bear made by a female polar bear named Luma. The two become mates and make another snow bear to be friends with Luma’s snow bear.
Accolades
Since its release, the film has been selected in various festivals around the world:
| Year | Festivals | Award/Category | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Annecy International Animation Film Festival | Young Audience Award[9] | Nominated |
| Cleveland International Film Festival | Best Family Short Audience Choice Award[10] | Won | |
| Animafest Zagreb | Best Film for Children and Youth[11] | Won | |
| El Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara (FICG) | Rigo Mora Prize[12] | Nominated | |
| Hollyshorts Film Festival | Best Animated Short[13] | Nominated | |
| Tribeca Film Festival[14] | Best Animated Short[15] | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Film Festival | Family Short Award[16] | Nominated | |
| Santa Fe International Film Festival | Best Animated Short Jury Award[17] | Won | |
| Jackson Wild | Planet in Crisis Award - Short Form[18] | Won | |
| 2026 | Annie Awards | Best Animated Short Subject | Won |
| Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production (for Aaron Blaise) | Nominated |