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SMALL BUSINESS - March 2004
Now in pre-production, the film will tell the tale of a lovable white Kermode bear, or “spirit bear,” as he matures from cute and clumsy cub to majestic adult. The story will be viewed through the eyes of the bear, finding his way through fun and adventure, interacting with the world around him, and eventually confronting danger when his home is threatened. Release is scheduled for spring 2006. The white Kermode bear is an exceedingly rare subspecies of the North American black bear – there are perhaps 400 in existence – and all of them live in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia’s central coast. Because of a double recessive gene, approximately one in 10 black bears in this region is born white – with a slight orange tint that’s believed to come from their food of choice, salmon. The problem is, lumber companies plan to log the area, endangering both the salmon and the trees so critical to this gentle bear’s survival. This is where the Kentucky connections come in. In February 2001, the superstar vocal group The Backstreet Boys were touring Canada and had pulled in to Vancouver for a gig. Outside the hockey arena where they were set to play was a teenage boy holding a sign that read, “Please Save the Spirit Bear.” One of the founding band members, Kevin Richardson, was intrigued and asked security to escort the sign-holder inside. Richardson, a Lexington native who grew up in rural Estill County, was himself interested in the environment, having founded the earth-friendly foundation, Just Within Reach, to work on ecological issues in Kentucky and elsewhere. Richardson soon discovered that the young man, Simon Jackson, had started a campaign to save the spirit bear at age 13. Founder of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition, a network of five million young supporters in more than 40 countries, Jackson was named one of Time magazine’s 60 “Heroes for the Planet” in 2000. Richardson was so impressed by Jackson that he talked about the spirit bear campaign onstage that night. In the summer of 2002, Lexington native Italia Gandolfo, a former researcher with a top West Coast talent agency, was trolling the Internet when she learned of Jackson’s work. “I just found it extraordinarily interesting and knew I needed to talk to Simon,” said Gandolfo, who now lives in Louisville. “I wanted to help in some way.” Jackson, now 21, said he loved the idea of making “a film with a mission,” and is now listed as an executive producer along with Gandolfo. Gandolfo used her Tinseltown connections to contact moviemaker Max Howard, founder and chairman of Melwood Pictures. Howard said he was on board from the get-go as well. “I thought it was a great idea for a film,” Howard said. “What came to me was, we have this unique opportunity to do a film from the point of view of the animals looking out – to bring these creatures to life, and in an endearing way, tell a story about them.” A former senior vice president for Disney Feature Animation and president of Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Howard clearly knows his way around a cartoon. He was a major player in such mega-hits as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. To get a feel for the setting of his new film, Howard accompanied Jackson to the remote rainforest, getting to know the people there, taking in the breathtaking scenery of rocky coastline, 1,000-year-old trees and jagged mountain peaks, and hoping for a glimpse of the elusive white bear. Meanwhile, Gandolfo was establishing He’ Lade’ Productions in Louisville and rounding up investors for the film, a process that continues today. (“He’ lade’,” pronounced “heh lah-day,” means the state of “having everything right,” taken from the language of the Kanakiuti people who live along the Nimpkish River of British Columbia.) Knowing Richardson was a supporter of the spirit bear, Gandolfo called up and suggested he and his longtime pal, Danville native Keith McGuffey, get involved with the film. Absolutely, they replied. McGuffey, a former rapper who wrote several Backstreet Boys songs, has already composed one song for the movie, and will collaborate with Richardson on another half-dozen cuts. They will team up with cellist Michael Fitzpatrick, founder of Millenia Music in Louisville, for the non-vocal score that will comprise the rest of the soundtrack album. Although reluctant to reveal the budget for “The Spirit Bear,” Gandolfo promised it will be the highest ever for an independent film. More important, she said, the quality of the finished product will be “equivalent to that of a Disney film.” The producers insist that “The Spirit Bear” will be more than just another cartoon movie. Sure, it will appeal to kids and will come with the usual fuzzy-animal tie-ins, but as the (Toronto) Globe and Mail recently pointed out, this will be “the first major motion picture with the specific philanthropic purpose of protecting its namesake.” The movie is intended to help the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition persuade the Canadian government to preserve over 800,000 acres of rainforest against logging and development. Thanks to the coalition and other groups, the government has already set aside around half that. The coalition’s other major goal is to diversify the economy of the bear’s habitat so that its residents, mostly First Nation’s people (akin to Native Americans in the U.S.), can make a living. Responsible tourism is one alternative, Jackson said. While he hopes to steer the lumber industry away from the habitat of his beloved bear, Jackson said the film will carefully avoid portraying loggers as an enemy. In fact, he said, part of the money raised from the film will go directly to the loggers who would otherwise benefit from harvesting timber there. “I’m not really sure how much money we’ll need to raise. It will certainly be in the millions of dollars,” Jackson said. If that sounds unrealistic, Jackson is used to skeptics – he’s been encountering them since he was a little boy. “We’re 100 percent committed,” he said. “We’re going to make this film, and we’re going to save this bear.”
Cary B. Willis is a contributing writer for The Lane Report Back to March Issue The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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While it’s being made in Hollywood and is set on the rain-drenched Pacific coast of Canada, the forthcoming full-length animated movie The Spirit Bear has strong roots in Kentucky. The soundtrack is being created in Louisville by a Kentucky-born member of the Backstreet Boys and his business partner. And the executive producer – the person in charge of financing the film – is a Kentucky woman. 
So she tracked him down through a Toronto journalist. When they finally spoke, she said, “We made an immediate connection and it was clear we had a passion for the same things.” Soon the discussion turned to movies “and an animated film seemed like a natural fit,” she said.