Writer: Linda Woolverton, Mose Richards, Kristin Gore
Directors: Adam Ravetch, Sarah Robertson
Cast: Queen Latifah, Various Children
Rating: G
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: December 4, 2007
After fifteen years of filming that was spent in the Arctic, it was pretty clear that the creators of Arctic Tale, Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson were going to see some changes in the Arctic. With the shrinking of the ice that makes the Arctic a distinct habitat for a plethora of animals, these species, which live by ancient instinct and customs, must put all they know and are taught aside in order to survive. This is the back story behind one of the latest documentary releases from Paramount Home Video, Arctic Tale.
Many have complained that the documentary filmmakers behind Arctic Tale have some political motivation or agenda, but I didn’t get that at all from this film. In fact, Arctic Tale was more about survival and understanding the animals themselves. No mention of the term global warming or any efforts being made to help save the animals were found in this film until the very end, when the credits were rolling. Honestly, Arctic Tale was more about the quest of the animals, two in particular, that suddenly found themselves having to rely on their own, unknown instincts as opposed to what their mothers taught them, in order to survive in a changing world.
Release Information:
Arctic Tale is a family friendly film that appeared at the Cambridge Film Festival (UK) on July 10, 2007. Its U.S. debut was at the Silverdocs Film Festival on July 17, 2007 before Arctic Tale had a limited release in U.S. theaters on July 25, 2007. The film is still debuting in some countries with a release in Australia (amongst other countries) in March of 2008.
On December 4, 2007, Paramount Home Video released Arctic Tale in both regular and HD DVD versions. This one disc set contains the main picture as well as a series of extras. The DVD is available in the United States in NTSC Region 1 format. It is available at the online retailer Amazon for a retail price of $25.99.
The Arctic Tale Plot
Some of the most beautiful pictures of the Arctic are featured in Arctic Tale. While the story follows two of the animals of the Arctic, it also tells the tale of many of the other Arctic animals. The movie’s trailer says that Arctic Tale is presented by the team that brought March of the Penguins to DVD. While I have not seen March of the Penguins I cannot even attempt to compare the two films. However, many critics have said that Arctic Tale is not as good. If that is the case, then I’d like to see March of the Penguins because I actually enjoyed Arctic Tale.
The filmmakers cleverly developed their documentary around a story of two baby Arctic animals that would appeal to both children and adults. The primary story follows a baby polar bear nicknamed Nanu (“Little Polar Bear”) and a baby walrus nicknamed Seela. From their time as infants, with Nanu first emerging from her mother’s den with her twin brother and Seela snuggling in her mother’s arms, being held much like a human mother would hold a child, until their adulthood when they become parents, the story of Nanu and Seela comes full circle. Both animals are taught how to survive by Ancient traditions that have served animals in the Arctic for centuries. However, these years are different. The ice is thinning and that is having a major effect on the lives of these two distinctly different animals.
Queen Latifah provides commentary as she narrates the story of these two babies growing up in the Arctic. With Latifah involved in the project you knew that she’d be adding some much needed flavor to a documentary of this kind. Without her input, I don’t think the film would be nearly as enjoyable. I found myself laughing out loud at the funny and quirky spin she put on the events that occur in the lives of Nanu and Seela. If you can get past a scene where a group of walruses decides to break wind in harmony (I personally found it quite funny, since animals really don’t care, they’ll let it all hang out) then you will be fine throughout the entire movie.
While this is not a politically motivated film, at least in my opinion, it is hard to ignore the political and environmental implications. If the animals are already being forced to learn to adapt or die trying, it is a warning sign that perhaps humans will be next. You feel for these animals even as one is the predator of the other. You want them both to survive and the sacrifices these animals must make are apparent in this touching documentary.
Through learning about the animals of the Arctic, a part of the world that isn’t often shown in documentaries is presented. I found the beauty of the Arctic to be as interesting as the story of the animals. While the environmental implications of this film are obvious, it is interesting to see how the animals adapt to the changes and the Arctic is affected by what is occurring. While it didn’t appear to be the intention of the filmmakers to share the ecological tragedy that is occurring in our great north, it was inevitable with all the changes going on, that the film would include significant information as it affected the animals and their entire way of life.
Throughout Arctic Tale you watch as Nanu deals with ice that cannot support her weight, and having to find food without using the normal methods her mother has taught her. She cannot break the ice and try and catch seals by surprise. The seals have to keep their babies out on the ice, since the ice froze late and it is not as thick, they cannot make dens to hide their babies. With the babies on the ice and mothers watching over them from holes within the water, the polar bears cannot surprise their food. The seals can escape more easily and Nanu and her mother go hungry.
The group of walruses cannot find blocks of ice to lounge on and relax. They must travel over 200 miles to a rocky island with solid ground. Some of the polar bears, including Nanu, who nearly drowned during her journey, on a quest to find food, also travel to the Rock Island, as well. Nanu was also abandoned by her mother a year early because her mother is unable to teach her to survive in the changing world. The story shows a confrontation between the walruses and a very hungry, male polar bear, which is quite interesting and the lengths at which the filmmakers went to make this documentary are extraordinary!
At the end of the movie, a diverse cast of children give tips on how to not only help improve the environment, but help the polar bears in the process. Things like changing light bulbs, using less water to conserve it, and carpooling or using public transportation (or bicycles) are all discussed as the credits roll. While some have said this was a sneaky way to throw in left-wing political thought, I found it to not be politically motivated. Instead, it was a list of simple environmental tips any human could use to save the environment, which is something everyone can benefit from as the environment’s decline affects all of us.
That being said, I didn’t know the fate of the world environmentally was a political issue. I guess since politicians aren’t doing anything about it to make the environment a better place it has had to become one. Nevertheless, I feel that everyone should care about the fate of the environment and the animals because it is only a matter of time before humans are more fully affected next.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting: N/a
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The beautiful imagery presented in this film was an important part of Arctic Tale. Without a visual presentation that showed off such stellar cinematography, this movie wouldn’t be nearly as good as it was. Luckily, the transfer quality just added to the appeal of the Arctic Tale DVD. The visual presentation is in a widescreen format that was enhanced for 16×9 televisions. The picture was transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. There are no noticeable flaws such as compression artifacts, grain, lines, or anything else. As far as I’m concerned, the presentation is flawless.
As for the audio, the sound was clear, concise and easy to hear. In documentaries, I’m not looking for a lot of sound effects and am fine with standard tracks and mixes. The audio for Arctic Tale is presented both in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Other language options include Spanish and French. Subtitles for the hearing impaired (and anyone else who wants to use them) are on this disc in all three languages, as well.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There are only a few special features included on the Arctic Tale DVD. I enjoyed what was there enough to give the bonus features a fairly high rating despite there not being a lot of features.
The main bonus is nearly a half hour long! It is a featurette entitled, “The Making of Arctic Tale”. This looks at the faces behind the documentary, all of whom went to amazing lengths to bring this story to you. It was a labor of love that took over 15 years to complete. In that time, it took at least four of those years for them to find Seela (an infant walrus with her mother). It also took them quite some time to find polar bears since most of them do not hang out with the few humans that actually live in this region. On Rock Island, it was interesting to see what Adam Kevetch went through while awaiting the confrontation between the polar bear and the walruses. It was also interesting to see how they filmed the ice breaking as the summer Arctic dwellers arrived in these warmer waters and the Arctic came to life.
The other feature is actually from a Canadian television series. Entitled “’Are We There Yet’ World Adventure: Polar Bear Spotting”, the show is geared towards a preschool audience and discusses the location in Northern Canada where polar bears live. This feature is over seven minutes long and follows two adventurers as they search for polar bears in the north!
There is a theatrical release and trailers also included on the Arctic Tale DVD. Trailers are for other Paramount titles including The Spiderwick Chronicles and Shrek the Third. There is also a trailer for the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Arctic Tale was better than I thought it would be. If you have small children you might want to watch this first as there are scenes where animals die in this movie. There is also a somewhat violent confrontation between a polar bear and a group of walruses. Overall, this film is highly recommended for those who are old enough to comprehend the material presented on the film. The story is great, the visual quality is stunning and Queen Latifah is hilarious! I enjoyed this documentary and if you give it a chance without trying to place a political value on the movie, I think you will enjoy it, too.
Overall Rating: 
Technorati Tags: Arctic Tale, Polar Bear, Walrus, ice melting, global warming, Queen Latifah
