After the surprising box-office success of several wildlife documentaries like Winged Migration (2001) and March of the Penguins (2005), it’s no surprise that movie studios began to take a real interest in the genre. In 2007, The National Geographic Society released Arctic Tale, a documentary that was largely brushed aside by critics and moviegoers alike. While it’s true that Arctic Tale doesn’t reveal anything most adults and teenagers aren’t already aware of, the first rate photography of polar bears and walruses struggling to survive in their natural habit, is bound to appeal to some nature lovers.
Arctic Tale was culled together using fifteen years of footage filmed by married filmmakers Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson, along with the National Geographic Natural History Unit and others who record wildlife. They captured over 800 hours worth of animals on camera, which was eventually edited down to an 86 minute movie. Arctic Tale tells two stories simultaneously, alternating between the two. One involves a newly born polar bear cub named Nanu, her twin brother, and her mother. The other involves involves a newly born walrus pup named Seela, her mother and her auntie. These two types of animals were interesting choices, because according to Ravetch, they were “told by scientists that it was very rare for a polar bear to attack a walrus.” But his experience made him “realize that polar bears and walruses have quite a lot in common,” which is related in the film.
Queen Latifah narrates the film and this is how she describes the Arctic in her preface: “…to most of us, it seems a frozen wasteland, but for creatures designed for astonishing cold, it’s always been a paradise on Earth.” However, as we follow Nanu and Seela, it becomes increasingly clear that their natural habitat is slowly slipping away from them. We watch young Nanu and Seela as they struggle to learn how to survive as predators and global warming threaten their environment. However, Arctic Tale is hardly a hard hitting documentary. Likely aimed at a younger audience, as the filmmakers named the animals and didn’t just film the animals in their native habitat; instead, they clearly staged some hazardous moments for the animals and labeled it a documentary.
There are actually several moments in the film a young child may find unsettling. Considering Arctic Tale is G rated, even I found the site of a polar bear eating a Seal a bit surprising. We also get to watch Nanu’s brother die of starvation–not exactly fun stuff. I don’t think the filmmakers allowed the death to occur right in front of them just to get it on camera but they clearly wanted to get the maximum effect out of things.
That being said, the photography is stunning. The underwater scenes are absolutely breathtaking and the photographers do a wonderful job of capturing the majestic animals in all their glory (though I could have done without out the scene of walruses burping and farting, after a particularly satisfying clam meal). Polar bears are truly handsome, foxes are adorable and you have to respect the way walruses stick together as a family.
Arctic Tale is beautifully shot and enjoyable enough for what it is. If you’re an adult, just don’t expect to learn much more than you’ve already seen on countless nature programs; kudos to the filmmakers though, for bringing such obvious sincerity to the project.
Arctic Tale’s 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is an inconsistent mess, suffering from poor fine detailing, rampant edge enhancement, and other technical issues like intermittent artifacting, frequent print damage, errant noise, and some of the most distracting, intrusive grain I’ve seen on a Paramount release. The majority of these problems seem to accompany the film’s polar bear footage — the walrus scenes look much better and have fewer pitfalls to overcome. The downside is that the impact of the overall presentation peaks and plummets on a regular basis, making it all too easy to overlook some of the transfer’s positive qualities (attractive contrast leveling, the appearance of vibrant blues, and fairly well-resolved blacks).
Arctic Tale’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track is a disappointment. Queen Latifah’s narration sounds pinched at times, muffled at others. The recording lacks the crispness and clarity necessary to bolster an impressive documentary mix. Considering her voice is the only notable element in the soundscape — animal cries, splashing water, and sliding ice are quite underwhelming — the result is a muddy, front-heavy affair that wasn’t nearly as involving as the on-screen imagery As such shortcomings are all-too-often par for the course, documentary regulars will probably shrug their shoulders. However, I expect a lossless surround track of this nature to at least attempt to convince me that I’m right there with the animals.
Arctic Tale has meager special features:
• Featurette: “The Making of Arctic Tale” (SD, 23 minutes) – This straightforward making-of excels simply because of the arduous nature of the film’s years-long production. It is both fascinating and terrifying to watch, as the seemingly tireless team of filmmaker’s brave unimaginable physical conditions and the threat of polar bear attacks to capture the necessary footage.
• Featurette: “Polar Bear Spotting” (SD, 6 minutes) – This excerpt from the ‘Are We There Yet? World Adventure’ series gives a little how-to for thrill seekers interested in making their own expedition to the wilds of the arctic in search of polar bears.
• Theatrical Trailer: (HD) – The full trailer is included, the only extra in HD .
