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MOVIES / ON DVD / ARCTIC TALE
Arctic Tale

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Arctic Tale (2007)

62%
17%
55%
N/A
N/A
N/A
62 %
Reviews Counted: 91 Fresh: 56  Rotten:35 Average Rating: 5.9/10
 
Consensus: Breathtaking nature cinematography is undercut by over-cutesy narration. Arctic Tale features breathtaking nature cinematography, but is undone by its over-cutesy narration. more
 
Rated: U
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Theatrical Release: 08-02-2008
Synopsis:
This heartbreaking documentary puts a face on the sad statistics of global warming--and though it's not a human face, it's the perhaps even more effective face of an adorable polar bear cub, Nanu, along with her mother, her brother, and her natural enemy, the equally heart-melting Seela the... [More]
This heartbreaking documentary puts a face on the sad statistics of global warming--and though it's not a human face, it's the perhaps even more effective face of an adorable polar bear cub, Nanu, along with her mother, her brother, and her natural enemy, the equally heart-melting Seela the walrus. With breathtaking footage of life on the arctic tundra, the directors spin a highly emotional tale of the melting ice caps and the effect of their disappearance on every species in the ecosystem. Since the film is essentially aimed at children, the cuteness factor is off the charts, aided by the slightly grating use of sound effects, a slangy voiceover by Queen Latifah, and a kid-friendly pop/folk soundtrack. And, as in a National Geographic special, viewers learn some interesting and neutral facts about polar bears, walruses, narwhals, foxes, and other northern creatures. The narrative, however, returns repeatedly to the grim conditions that are killing off our planet's wildlife, one family at a time. The directors take pains to create a hopeful ending, with a sweet pair of life-goes-on epilogues and a closing credit sequence featuring conservation tips, but the message of the film is sobering and hits its mark with kids and adults alike. [Less]

Genre: Education/General Interest

Director: Adam Ravetch, Sarah Robertson
Producer: Adam Leipzig, Keenan Smart
Composer: Joby Talbot

DVD Info

Release:

Apr 12, 2007

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Surround 2.0 Dolby Digital - English, French, Spanish
  • Surround 5.1 Dolby Digital - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurette - 1. Making Of Arctic Tale
  • 2. Are We There Yet? World Adventure: Polar Bear Spotting
  • Trailers - Theatrical Trailer

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review | Comment
02/12/08 03:15 AM
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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The filmmakers probably thought the truth would be too upsetting for children, so we get walrus farts instead.

Full Review | Comment
02/11/08 11:29 PM
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
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Full Review | Comment
02/08/08 03:15 AM
Empire Magazine
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Full Review | Comment
02/07/08 03:15 AM
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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Well intentioned, spectacularly filmed, and packing a vital message, Arctic Tale is worthwhile, even if its old style presentation leaves us less than thrilled.

Full Review | Comment
12/19/07 11:18 PM
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide
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Capitalizing on the successes of both March of the Penguins and An Inconvenient Truth, the sappy Artic Tale is more akin to a commercial for a McDonald's Happy Meal.

Full Review | Comment
12/09/07 10:05 PM
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
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...the movie is mainly for the benefit of children, a good thing because the world will soon enough be in their hands.

Full Review | Comment
12/05/07 09:56 AM
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
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those expecting a March of the Penguins-like good time are going to hit eject on the DVD player feeling awfully depressed

Full Review | Comment
12/01/07 08:18 PM
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
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Putting an animal’s face to global warming is conceptually smart and would’ve been more effective if it were applied to other species in other climate zones too.

Full Review | Comment
10/16/07 03:15 AM
Stina Chyn
Film Threat
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If you're expecting a dramatic fictional depiction of life in the semi-frozen north, you'll find the stories pretty thin. This is not The Call of the Wild.

Full Review | Comment
09/19/07 03:39 PM
Christianity Today
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As a baby boomer myself, "Arctic Tale" falls just short of the Disney gems. But the aquatic adventures of the walruses alone get my seal of approval.

Full Review | Comment
09/13/07 08:10 PM
Roger Tennis
Cinemaclips.com
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Although lacking the lyric force of March of the Penguins and Winged Migration, the film combines a great story with world-class photography to tell a unique National Geographic tale.

Full Review | Comment
09/07/07 04:05 PM
Ron Wilkinson
Monsters and Critics
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It makes you extremely grateful that Smell-O-Vision was never perfected.

Full Review | Comment
08/28/07 06:24 AM
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly
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If it's sometimes a little too pat, a little too cute, bear in mind that this film's target audience is the post-Barney, pre-Bratz set and not John James Audubon.

Full Review | Comment
08/25/07 06:13 AM
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
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Arctic Tale tries to be everything to everyone but fails at all.

Full Review | Comment
08/25/07 06:13 AM
Sue Pierman
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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(like) those cunningly engineered Disney 'True-Life Adventures'... in which scorpions appeared to dance... and supposedly lovelorn squirrels awaited what the narrator called their 'moment of fulfillment.'

Full Review | Comment
08/24/07 04:30 AM
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
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I'm willing to overlook some lowest-common-denominator idiocy in favor of some well-produced nature photography.

Full Review | Comment
08/22/07 06:15 PM
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
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A well-intentioned film that isn’t a documentary and isn’t a very good adventure story.

Full Review | Comment
08/20/07 11:08 AM
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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Some kids at the screening I attended were growing restless ... and so was I.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/07 10:38 PM
Jette Kernion
Cinematical
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Child-pandering and overly anthropomorphized, Arctic Tale is a blatant cash-grab by National Geographic Films.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/07 06:08 AM
Jason Ferguson
Orlando Weekly
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