The DVD Dissection: Arctic Tale
Posted by Chad Webb on 12.12.2007
What do you get when you combine furry bears, heavy walruses, and Queen Latifah?
Narrator: Queen Latifah
Director By: Adam Ravetech and Sarah Robertson
Written By: Linda Woolverton,Mose Richards, and Kristin Gore
Theatrical Release Date: July 25, 2007
DVD Release Date: December 4, 2007
Running Time: 86 minutes
Rated G for General Audiences
The Film
Arctic Tale comes straight from the brains of those who gave us March of the Penguins, which spurred countless CGI flicks and the hilarious Farce of the Penguins. That documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman, might have been popular, but was by far one of the most overrated documentaries to ever win an Oscar. Had it not been for the narration by Freeman, March of the Penguins would have been nothing more exciting than a National Geographic special, or something you'd see on the nature channel. Arctic Tale follows the same bloodline, but this time, Queen Latifah replaces Freeman for a different flavor. Arctic Tale was evidently made and geared towards children, but I highly doubt it would sustain their attention.
It focuses on two separate stories. One is of a mother walrus and her calf Seela, and the second is of a mother Polar Bear and her cubs Nanu and her brother. From the time they are little, the young animals learn to hunt, confront predators, and avoid the changing conditions of the weather. We witness them endure an extended warm season, a fierce blizzard, separating from family members, and food shortages as they grow older.
Arctic Tale unravels more like a regular film than it does a documentary. The structure resembles The Lion King in many ways. The mothers raise the kids, teach them various things, they encounter enemies, some family members do not make it through the journey, the kids grow and leave the nest, and in the end a huge obstacle lies in the path of Nanue and Seela (the main characters) to overcome. Don't get me wrong, it educates, but the goal was to teach children about global warming, and sadly, it is not driven home with enough zest or intelligence.
Queen Latifah has a pleasant voice for narrating, but the writing that went into what she is saying was weak and overboard quite frankly. Whether it was Queen Latifah herself, or one of the writers, she uses phrases like "That's how they roll" and attempts jokes such as "They better lay off some of those clams" when referring to the walruses eating. In addition, viewers are forced to listen to overlong sequences of the walruses burping, farting, and itching themselves via cheesy sound effects. Really? Must we listen to them pass gas? Since those types of scenes made their way into the script, then I say this should never have been put into theaters.
If Morgan Freeman was at one extreme with delicate, subtle, yet insightful speech, Queen Latifah is increasingly animated, and she explains various facts in a manner that makes all these animals seem like caricatures. What causes her flaws to stand out is the soundtrack, placed and timed perfectly to swell our emotions as if we were watching a fictional fable. The walruses huddle together and subsequently “We Are Family” is triggered for absolutely no reason. This might seem suitable to you, but examine this more closely, and you’ll notice it destabilizes the intended message of saving these animals habitats. Perhaps I forgot to mention, Kristin Gore co-wrote this, so it has the ties to An Inconvenient Truth as well.
I will certainly commend the diligent, painstaking work that went into this by Cinematographer Adam Ravetech and his wife Sarah Robertson. The photography is brilliant in spots, especially the underwater material. The shots of the seal hiding from the polar bear, the birthing den of the bears, the Northern Lights, and so forth are stunning. Credit is also due for the editing, which was not textbook, but smooth and natural nonetheless. The final product was concocted from over 15 years and 800 hours worth of footage. I can’t imagine the stabbing temperatures of such a place. I wouldn’t want to be filming there, but I admire any person who would. My issue rests with the trivial decorations laced onto what could have been an honest document of survival rituals.
Any time violence is occurring, the camera backs up so far that no little one will be turned off by the blood and guts. That is fine, but by making that choice, it eliminates approximately three quarters of your audience. Eating and killing is a part of their life. We don’t need to be grossed out, but it shouldn’t have been sugarcoated either. More blemishes appear when the concentration abruptly shifts to jellyfish, seals, narwhals, or a vast array of birds. I am aware that this is called Arctic Tale and not Polar Bear Tale, but equal time should have been given to a specific number of creatures. By only leaving a minute to the cool birds that fly through the ocean and not the sky, or the fox, it then makes those moments seem tacked on.
As I think more about Arctic Tale, it is best viewed with the mute button on. One might not hear many of the facts, but in my opinion it is a lot more rewarding and uplifting than listening to Queen Latifah’s absurd reporting. The case is outlined that human actions cause global warming, which in turn will make the survival of these animals more difficult, and possibly erase all the ice by 2040. Unfortunately this argument is only lightly touched on. Arctic Tale is a documentary that chose (or just tries) to entertain rather than educate properly, and that is a shame.
The Video
The video is what I would call average. Truth be told, some stunning shots of the arctic can be seen, but I expect them to be a bit more impressive that this. All in all, I observed no grain, fuzziness, blurs, or edge enhancement. The snow, ice, and water are clear and spectacular. This does offer a number of marvelous sights though. This is presented with its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.
The Audio
The sound is adequate. I am not being harsh because I didn't care for the film, but really the speakers have nothing to do here. The narration is understandable. Besides the occasional gratuitous sound bite with the polar bears falling down holes or what not, the only other noises you'll hear are growls, roars, and mating calls. Ok, the cracking of the ice is neat to a degree, but let's face it, DVD connoisseurs won't be picking this one up for the high quality audio. For what it's worth though, this contains a Dolby Digital 5.1 track in English, a Dolby Digital 5.1 track in Spanihs, a Dolby Digital 5.1 track in French, and a Dolby Digital 2.0 in English. Optional subtitles in Englihs, Spanish, and French are also available.
The Packaging
Arctic Tale was distributed in a standard black keep case with security clips on the side. The artwork on the front is pretty standard, but at least it isn't the floating heads trend. I guess that's hard to do with polar bears that look like they were cut and pasted from Coca-Cola advertisements. The menus are clips from the film, and easy to navigate. No booklets are inserted on the inside.
The Extras
The Making of Arctic Tale (24:06) – In many respects, this mini-documentary was more fascinating than the feature itself. It contains interviews with Adam Ravetech and Sarah Robertson, and displays footage of the intense and lengthy work they were forced to do to achieve certain shots. They had to wait weeks for just one or two days of filming, they had to warm up to the walruses, and Ravetech had to lay in a tower to avoid being eaten by a polar bear. I enjoyed this, and wished some of it could been incorporated into the main film.
”Are We There Yet? World Adventure: Polar Bear Spotting” (7:03) – This is a short bonus with two children as they go exploring various locations around the world. In this case, they fly to Canada, take a Tundra buggy, and go searching for polar bears on the Tundra. It was cute and informative I guess, but corny.
Theatrical Trailer (2:00) – This is your typical trailer, one that really turned me off to the idea of ever watching this.
Previews (6:00) – The following trailers are available on the special features section, or when the disc is inserted. They are: The Spiderwick Chronicles, An Inconvenient Truth, and Shrek the Third on DVD.
The Film: 5.0/10.0
The Video: 9.0/10.0
The Audio: 7.5/10.0
The Packaging: 7.0/10.0
The Extras: 6.0/10.0
The 411: I have always been fond of animals and going to the zoo. I also enjoy watching documentaries on analyzing their way of life. However, I did not like Arctic Tale. While the Directors' did miraculous photography, the finished film was a poor excuse for a documentary, laced with unnecessary trimmings and embarrassing narration to generate laughs or some sort of response from the viewer. The disc is tolerable I suppose. The technical specifications were up to par, but I would have been happier with a commentary or some image stills. If you are thinking of showing this to your little one, don’t bother, just pop in Ice Age. If they must see it, have them watch it while you do something else.
