Arctic Tale (2007)
National Geographic Films

Description

Set in the vast snow kingdom at the top of the world, Arctic Tale is a real life adventure from the people who brought you March Of The Penguins. Join narrator Queen Latifah as she follows two very different arctic creatures, Nanu, the polar bear cub and Seela, the walrus pup, through exciting and harrowing struggles for survival. Armed only with their natural instincts and mothers’ guidance, these inspiring animals face countless trials and challenges in a beautiful icebound world that is rapidly melting beneath them.

Tags

Global warming, The Arctic, Polar bear, Walrus

Editorial review

6.0 Documentary-Review.com | Larry H.

The footage in this wild life documentary is at times stunning, and it's environmental message more important than ever. Just don't expect this to be another March of the Penguins (which it obviously is trying to be). The animal anthropomorphizations is over the top and Queen Latifah's intrusive voiceover becomes annoying after a while. But if you want your kids to learn about the effects of global warming, this documentary will deliver the message in a way they can understand.

Collected reviews and ratings

8.3 The Onion A.V. Club | Tasha Robinson

Apart from the forcibly bright-eyed-and-bad-assed tone, Arctic Tale is a gorgeous film, full of astonishing footage.
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8.3 Entertainment Weekly | Gregory Kirschling

It's a respectable attempt to get kids who like cuddly animals thinking about death and destruction on a global scale.
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8.0 Variety | Ken Eisner

An expertly assembled docu with an underlying message about multiple species threatened by man's pigheaded behavior.
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7.0 DVD Verdict | James A. Stewart

If you want to instill in your kids a concern for the environment and the changing climate, the images of survival in Arctic Tale do a good job - just turn down the sound when the movie presses its point too hard.
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7.0 Amazon user reviews

If you love animals or liked March of the Penguins you will probably like this movie. The visuals are excellent.
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6.0 BBC | Neil Smith

Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson's documentary combines stunning wildlife footage with an environmental message. Shame both are continually undercut by Queen Latifah's aggravating narration.
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6.0 DVD Talk | Phil Bacharach

Arctic Tale is passable family-oriented fare, but it is hamstrung by a grafted-on narrative that mimics the success of March of the Penguins. There is much to admire in this G-rated wildlife adventure, but to do so, older audiences will have to endure mawkish narration and walrus farts.
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6.0 filmcritic.com | Christopher Null

Created by National Geographic, rest assured you're getting the unvarnished truth in Arctic Tale, so what it lacks in dramatic writing in the narration it makes up for with a realistic look at how tough these animals actually have it.
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6.0 New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis

The movie's stunning underwater photography (fearlessly captured by Mr. Ravetch) effectively dilutes the saccharine tone.
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5.0 Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

In the end, I'm conflicted about the film. As an accessible family film, it delivers the goods. But it lives in the shadow of "March of the Penguins."
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