Polar Animals

VHS cover

Polar Animals is the second episode of the fourth season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry flying to the arctic circle so he can go skiing, and finding out about animals living in polar areas. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 20th April 1999.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Polar Animals.

Henry is going up a ski lift and looking forward to skiing in the snow. The narrator says it is the wrong time of year and when Henry reaches the top of the mountain, he finds it sunny and without snow. At first Henry decides to wait for the snow to come until, once night has fallen, the narrator tells him that the North and South Poles have snow all-year-round. Henry sets off toward the North Star with his own jet pack. The narrator shows Henry that the poles have very few people and the animals that live there need special adaptations to survive, as well as describing the differences between the Arctic and Antarctic.

#### First cartoon

* Polar Bear sets out to find the North Pole; on discovering it he puts a red and white pole in the cross on the ground; when he does so the Lizards pounce on him as barbers and shave some of his fur off.

Henry arrives in the Arctic but rather than stopping when the snow starts continues to head northward. Along the way, Henry flies over the footprint of a polar bear. The narrator shows Henry the different features that polar bears have to help them survive, as well as looking at how female polar bears give birth in an ice den during the Arctic winter.

#### Second cartoon

* Bear goes around painting the landscape white and then paints himself white to blend in. When he throws the paint can away, it cracks the ground and opens up into freezing cold water; he falls in and comes up blue with cold.

Henry finds a patch of ice with a nearby husky and prepares to land, but his jet pack melts the sea ice and he falls through into the Arctic Ocean. He is helped out by a seal, and turns grey from cold. The narrator explains that the polar seas are covered with thick ice, but there are openings that allow marine mammals to access food. These creatures, which include seals and walruses, keep warm in the water with a thick layer of blubber.

#### Third cartoon

* Polar Bear is fishing by an ice hole. First, he reels in a tiny fish and throws it back, then a larger fish that he considers before throwing back and then finally catches Whale, who blasts him with his blowhole and drops him into the ice-cold water.

Henry is reminded to do his News Report, which is supposed to be about the arctic icecap. Henry’s report describes how, during the summer, whales lift up the icecap to reveal a series of funfairs, campgrounds and snack bars and recommends visiting there for a summer vacation. The narrator says that, for once, Henry’s report isn’t complete nonsense. In the summer, the surface ice and snow do thaw, allowing plants to grow and attracting migrating animals such as eider ducks. Back in the Arctic, Henry is struggling to get warm after falling through the ice. He enlists the husky to help him build an igloo. While Henry thinks it seems strange to warm up with snow, animals such as lemmings also burrow into it to remain insulated from the cold winds above. The snowy owl also lives year-round on the tundra and nests on the ground. Henry narrates a pair of snowy owls as they protect their nest from an arctic fox.

#### Fourth cartoon

* The Lizards bobsleigh into Polar Bear’s cave. He pulls the entrance off the cave and carries it to a cliff, where he puts it back up. The Lizards and their bobsleigh fly out and fall into the sea.

Henry has finished and furnished his igloo, but sends the husky outside. When the narrator reminds him that huddling for warmth can be a good idea, Henry invites the husky back indoors. King penguins huddle when they incubate their eggs. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the lemming and the silver is awarded to the polar bear. The Golden Gecko Award goes to the arctic tern, which migrate from the North to the South Pole and back again every year on their annual migration. Henry has had enough of polar living, and has decided to take an iceberg back home with him as a souvenir by using the husky to pull it with straps. However, the straps break and Henry is left stranded. The narrator says that Henry cannot escape from the amazing polar animals, while Henry yells for help as the iceberg drifts away into the mist.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*

### Stock footage

* Polar bear, *Ursus maritimus*
* Walrus, *Odobenus rosmarus*
* Musk ox, *Ovibos moschatus*
* Reindeer, *Rangifer tarandus*
* Arctic ground squirrel, *Urocitellus parryii*
* Arctic fox, *Vulpes lagopus*
* Southern elephant seal, *Mirounga leonina*
* Weddell seal, *Leptonychotes weddellii*
* Adelie penguin, *Pygoscelis adeliae*
* Common ostrich, *Struthio camelus*
* Chimpanzee, *Pan troglodytes*
* Common raven, *Corvus corax*
* Snowshoe hare, *Lepus americanus*
* European eider, *Somateria mollissima*
* Collared lemming, *Dicrostonyx groenlandicus*
* Snowy owl, *Bubo scandiacus*
* King penguin, *Aptenodytes patagonicus*
* Arctic tern, *Sterna paradisaea*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Paul Dawson
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
* Studio Art Director - Anne Neale
* Camera - Graham MacFarlane
* Graphic Designer Director - Kate Finding
* Graphic Design Assistant - Chris Wreford
* Production Co-ordinator - Janelle Backes
* Production Secretary - Mandy Vaughan
* Computer Animation - Ricochet 4, Henry Lutman (director), Daniel Pearson and Matt McKinney
* Cel Animation - A for Animation, Mark Taylor (director)
* Sound Post-Production - Films @ 59
* Editors
	+ Offline - David Warner
	+ Graphics - Tony Almond and Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Images courtesy of The Natural History Museum

## Home media releases

The VHS for Polar Animals released on Xst X 199X. The cover shows Henry standing on a pair of skis and wearing a bobble hat, and he is accompanied by a lemming, a king penguin, a snowy owl and a walrus.

A second version of the VHS cover, from a UK season four VHS trailer, has the same view of Henry, but different animals in different positions. Now as well as the walrus, snowy owl and walrus, there is also an emperor penguin and its chick and a polar bear.

**Cartoon Characters**: \* Eagles • Tyrannosaurus • Rattlesnake • Tiger • Squirrel • Lizards • Elephant • Bat • Fish • Camel • Gorilla • Caveman • Mole • Bear • Stickman • Chicks • Hen • Rooster • Owl • Chameleon • Tortoise • Crocodile • Frog and Toad •
• Parrot • Porcupine • Mouse • Whale • Rhinoceros • Beavers • Snail • Rabbit • Dog • Skunk • Spider • Octopus • Vulture • Woodpecker • Flea • Dung Beetle • Butterfly • Gibbon • Fly • Mosquito • Bee • Beetles • Crab • Pigeon • Carnivorous Plant • Lamb

**Voice Actors**: Eric Meyers • Tom Clarke-Hill
**Season One**: Tropical Birds • Animal Disguises • Nighttime Animals • Animal Appetites • Animal Survivors • Animal Senses • Animal Weapons • Animal Builders • Armoured Animals • Mini-Beasts • Animal Babies • Poisonous Animals • Animal Journeys
**Season Two**: Birds of Prey • Desert Animals (Amazing Animals) • Scary Animals • Animal Records • Animal Colors • Animal Mothers • Animal Pets • Seashore Animals • Animal Families • Endangered Animals • An Animal Year • Prehistoric Animals • Monkeys and Apes
**Season Three**: Animal Hunters • Animal Talk • Slimy Animals • Rainforest Animals • Animal Acrobats • Underwater Animals • Animal Neighbors • Giant Animals - Creepy Crawly Animals • Farm Animals (Amazing Animals) • Animal Changes • Extinct Animals • Animal Eggs
**Season Four**: Around the World • **Polar Animals** • Clever Animals • Underground Animals • Animal Helpers • Woodland Animals (Amazing Animals) • Mountain Animals • Backyard Animals • Tiny Animals • Animal Partners • Scaly Animals • River Animals • Animal Flight