Movie Review for Arctic Tale

Summary: An epic adventure that explores the vast world of the Great North which follows a walrus, Seela and a polar bear, Nanu, on their journey from birth to adolescence to maturity and parenthood in the frozen Arctic wilderness. Once basking in a perpetual winter wonderland of snow and ice, the walrus and the polar bear are losing their beautiful icebound world as it melts from underneath them.

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Phil Villarreal of Arizona Daily Star (7/0)
            During the end credits, kids pop up onscreen to warn you that every time you turn on your lights,...

By Lori Hoffman of Atlantic City Weekly (7/0)
            It makes you extremely grateful that Smell-O-Vision was never perfected.

By Michael Sragow of Baltimore Sun (7/0)
            Obviously, the producers have decided to gear this movie to the very young, but even kids don't l...

By Ty Burr of Boston Globe (7/0)
            The babies are adorable, the soundtrack choices ('We Are Family') obvious, the biological diversi...

By Chad Greene of Boxoffice Magazine (7/0)
            Arctic Tale puts, if not a human face on the effects of climate change, then the next best thing:...

By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
            Despite its sad scenes, it sentimentalizes. It attributes human emotions and motivations to its c...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
            The dilemma the movie sidesteps is that being a polar bear or a walrus is a violent undertaking.

By Michael Phillips of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            Wordless, narration-free sequences work better than the story-dependent ones.

By Michael Phillips of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            Watching bear cubs and walrus pups struggling to survive against increasingly tough odds, and on ...

By Peter Rainer of Christian Science Monitor (7/0)
            The best reason to see this documentary is for the stunning shots of polar bears and walruses in ...

By Frederica Mathewes-Green of Christianity Today (7/0)
            If you're expecting a dramatic fictional depiction of life in the semi-frozen north, you'll find ...

By Roger Tennis of Cinemaclips.com (7/0)
            As a baby boomer myself, "Arctic Tale" falls just short of the Disney gems. But the aquatic adven...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Jette Kernion of Cinematical (7/0)
            Some kids at the screening I attended were growing restless ... and so was I.

By Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net (7/0)
            The chances of the movie being taken as seriously as other nature docs is fairly slim, because it...

By Steven D. Greydanus of Decent Films Guide (7/0)
            The heavy-handed ideology and flawed narration don't commend Arctic Tale as a movie I would care ...

By Matt Stevens of E! Online (7/0)
            ...this family-friendly flick does manage the happy feat of raising eco-awareness.

By Brian Orndorf of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            Surely there are better alternatives for kids who deserve a respectful lesson in arctic wildlife....

By Peter Sobczynski of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            Since I would give the visual portion of "Arctic Tale" the maximum number of stars and the audio ...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Jonathan W. Hickman of Entertainment Insiders (7/0)
            Arctic Tale shows us a changing world and life changing with it.

By Gregory Kirschling of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
            ...a respectable attempt to get kids who like cuddly animals thinking about death and destruction...

By Eric D. Snider of EricDSnider.com (7/0)
            I'm willing to overlook some lowest-common-denominator idiocy in favor of some well-produced natu...

By Doris Toumarkine of Film Journal International (7/0)
            Cheapens its narrative material with what savvier viewers may suspect are many a fudged moment.

By Kent Turner of Film-Forward.com (7/0)
            On a flatulence scale of 1 to 10, it's an eight.

By MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher (7/0)
            [P]owerfully moving...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Eric Lurio of Greenwich Village Gazette (7/0)
            the footage is stunning, the narration, not so.

By Stephen Farber of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            The film would be more enjoyable if one could turn off the soundtrack and simply revel in the stu...

By Amy Biancolli of Houston Chronicle (7/0)
            It's aimed at kids, and it hits them squarely: My 6-year-old and his friend sat stock still, hypn...

By Todd Gilchrist of IGN Movies (7/0)
            The critters themselves are pretty darn adorable, and watching them mature is probably the most e...

By Bruce Kirkland of Jam! Movies (7/0)
            Robertson, making her directorial debut with this American production, manipulates her images in ...

By David Kaplan of Kaplan vs. Kaplan (7/0)
            The narrative by Linda Woolverton, Moses Richards and Kristin Gore humanizes the main characters ...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Jeanne Kaplan of Kaplan vs. Kaplan (7/0)
            It's a beautiful movie with a heartwarming and, at times, very sad story, along with an important...

By Ella Taylor of L.A. Weekly (7/0)
            [A] stunningly photographed documentary about a year in the endangered life of an Arctic ice floe...

By Prairie Miller of Long Island Press (7/0)
            The striking visuals that sweep across both the landscape and awesome natural world beneath, comp...

By Valerie Kuklenski of Los Angeles Daily News (7/0)
            Arctic Tale conveys the [environmental] message to kids in an endearing story wrapped around some...

By Kevin Crust of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            The live-action animal drama Arctic Tale arrives in an impressive visual package and even boasts ...

By Matt Pais of Metromix.com (7/0)
            Turns these animals' tales into triumphs of endurance and dynamite parenting, which does become d...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Colin Covert of Minneapolis Star Tribune (7/0)
            Whether you're more attuned to adorable animals or environmental issues, Arctic Tale is pretty co...

By Ron Wilkinson of Monsters and Critics (7/0)
            Although lacking the lyric force of "March of the Penguins" and "Winged Migration," the film comb...

By Nell Minow of Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies (7/0)
            It gets overly cute, with a soundtrack featuring pop standards like "We Are Family" and "Celebrat...

By Jack Mathews of New York Daily News (7/0)
            I'm no holdout about the reality of global warming, but fictionalizing and anthropomorphizing ani...

By Kyle Smith of New York Post (7/0)
            ...the script, narrated by Queen Latifah, is so embarrassingly dorky...that it's like Fred Rogers...

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            ...the movie¿s stunning underwater photography...effectively dilutes the saccharine tone.

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            Displaying more corn than is usually found at the North Pole, Arctic Tale documents the travails ...

By Jan Stuart of Newsday (7/0)
            Arctic Tale is yet another wildlife orgy of ooh-ing and aah-ing designed to expose young ones to ...

By Frank Swietek of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
            An overly cutesy, ludicrously anthropomorphic critter feature, even if it is in a good cause.

By Tasha Robinson of Onion AV Club (7/0)
            ...husband-and-wife directing team Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson , who shot much of the footag...

By Tasha Robinson of Onion AV Club (7/0)
            ...husband-and-wife directing team Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson , who shot much of the footag...

By Jon Popick of Planet Sick-Boy (7/0)
            Far from captivating.

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters (7/0)
            The baby bear is undeniably adorable, the maturing walrus is a fascinating social being. But the ...

By Deborah Day of Premiere Magazine (7/0)
            It's a playful study of Arctic life, starring a polar bear cub, its prey, and a tagalong fox -- w...

By Gary Goldstein of Reel.com (7/0)
            Its no-bones-about-it message of how global climate change is challenging our furry -- and blubbe...

By Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
            while their fictional family fabric resembles that of March of the Penguins, Arctic Tale is the m...

By Donald J. Levit of ReelTalk Movie Reviews (7/0)
            'Arctic Tale,' a cuddly family film touching on the dangers of claw and fang, contains a global w...

By Jim Lane of Sacramento News & Review (7/0)
            ...sometimes the contrivance is obvious.

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Larry Ratliff of San Antonio Express-News (7/0)
            Warm and fuzzy despite its frigid locale, Arctic Tale is the huggable nature film many people exp...

By Justin Berton of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            Despite the storytelling faults, Ravetch and Robertson offer remarkable footage from the evaporat...

By Justin Berton of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            Despite the storytelling faults, Ravetch and Robertson offer remarkable footage from the evaporat...

By William Arnold of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
            The film does not preach; rather, it confronts us with the question: Now what are we going to do?

By Moira MacDonald of Seattle Times (7/0)
            Though the journey is a little bumpy, it's still a trip well worth taking, for all ages.

By Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            Children and Republicans may benefit from its message, but Arctic Tale isn't to be trusted, thoug...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
            An extraordinary documentary that heightens our connection with the lives and destinies of an Arc...

By Angela Baldassarre of Sympatico.ca (5/2)
            When anthropomorphizing animals in an animated movie, it's effective and enjoyable. But when it's...

By Stephen Garrett of Time Out New York (7/0)
            Just the sort of simplistic preaching that alienates adults and insults the intelligence of their...

By Susan Walker of Toronto Star (7/0)
            The point is made: life, as the wondrous animals of our very far north know it, is severely endan...

By Ken Fox of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            ...directors/cinematographers Sarah Robertson and Adam Ravetch capture the struggle of life in th...

By Claudia Puig of USA Today (7/0)
            Whatever problems some might have with its execution, it's hard to argue against a film whose int...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Ken Eisner of Variety (7/0)
            Overall effect, regardless of aesthetic quibbles or kudos, is to make auds aware of how imminent ...

By Desson Thomson of Washington Post (7/0)
            Arctic is as charming as it is instructive.

By Prairie Miller of WBAI Web Radio (7/0)
            The striking visuals that sweep across both the landscape and awesome world beneath, compete for ...

By Susan Granger of www.susangranger.com (7/0)
            Astonishing and adventurous, notably for its spectacular photography.

By John Beifuss of Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (3/5) Login Required (Login Required)
            More than once I found myself thinking: What a planet! Which means the movie did its job.

By Kerry Lengel of Arizona Republic (3/4) No reference
            The best thing about Arctic Tale is the vivid underwater cinematography, shot with such urgency a...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Christy Lemire of Associated Press (6/1) No reference
            Despite the film's undeniable technical achievements, it's hard to walk out of the theater withou...

By Andrea Gronvall of Chicago Reader (4/3) No reference
            Watching these endangered species evolve new approaches to hunting and shelter is fascinating, bu...

By Jeff Vice of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (6/1) No reference
            Husband-and-wife filmmakers Ravetch and Robertson capture some breathtaking images. And a global-...

By Jennie Punter of Globe and Mail (3/4) No reference
            Nevertheless, Arctic Tale is a kid-friendly, non-preachy window on the north as a place of wonder...

By James Sanford of Kalamazoo Gazette (6/1) No reference
            (like) those cunningly engineered Disney 'True-Life Adventures'... in which scorpions appeared to...

By Peter Debruge of Miami Herald (6/1) No reference
            Make no mistake, Arctic Tale is a stunning film, full of all the astonishing, even breathtaking n...

                         Reviews of Arctic Tale
By Lawrence Toppman of Charlotte Observer (6/1) Not Reachable
            So the film's visual elements suggest a documentary, but it's a carefully fictionalized narrative...

By Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone of TheMovieChicks.com (6/1) Not Reachable
            The cinematography is stunning as it captures some amazing nature footage, but it's a film that y...

Movie Distributors
Paramount Vantage

Production Companies
Visionbox Media Group
National Geographic Feature Films

Movie Studios