Life in the Arctic can be icy in more ways than one, as adults and children alike found out in the National Geographic documentary, Arctic Tale. The two stars’ stories unfold in the film, revealing their struggles to survive a melting world.
Nanu, a female polar bear, and Seela, a female walrus, are born into a changing world that challenges them, their mothers and the way of life that many generations of Arctic animals have known. While the beginning of the film is carefree as Nanu and her brother roam the snow exploring their new world and nuzzling against their mother for comfort, it quickly turns around as they learn to survive.
The young animals learn how to hunt by observing their mother, but soon understand that food is difficult to come by for polar bears, especially when competing against an adult male polar bear that could easily turn the cubs into a snack.
Newborn Seela is also threatened by a hungry male polar bear that splashes through the water toward the ice shelf she and her mother share. This dramatic scene is filmed partially underwater, and the effects are incredible as the image of a hungry and aggressive polar bear is captured up close in the face of danger. Seela’s mother guards her closely as "Auntie" blocks the polar bear’s advance.
Realizing that he cannot defeat a walrus twice his weight, the bear retreats.
The popular March of the Penguins, released in 2005, preceded Arctic Tale, and while Arctic Tale has its serious scenes, overall it has a more playful feel than March of the Penguins which was accompanied by Morgan Freeman’s deep voice, while Queen Latifah’s narrating in Arctic Tale is littered with "cute" comments about the animals, especially during the walrus’ digestion scene.
Latifah’s personality does add a little flair throughout the film, though. When Nanu romps in the snow with her brother and mother bear calls, Latifah added some comic relief: "When your mother’s a polar bear and she calls, you’d best be goin’." Her random comments definitely keep the children entertained.
Latifah also described the walrus’ behavior concerning their age-old hunting techniques: "This is just how they roll."
When one walrus is ready to eat, the entire herd goes hunting. They swim to the ocean floor where their prey awaits. Latifah said, "You’d think something as large and in-charge as the walrus would take on something fierce…. The prey? A clam." All of the drama of the hunt leads to a bed of clams.
After the walruses enjoy a three-day feast, they rest together on an ice raft and digest their food. "Someone starts a game of pull-my-flipper and before you know it…" Latifah said; walrus flatulence made all the children in the theater giggle.
Although Latifah was entertaining, the narration did not seem to fit with the music and cinematography. The real music in the film added more to the film’s beauty and enhanced the elegance of the snow-capped world.
While it may be geared toward adults as well as children, the film dealt with death the way it should – it didn’t shy away from it or attempt to keep it hidden. Life leads Nanu’s mother to distance herself from her cub because she can no longer provide for her due to the changing environment. This is a very difficult scene to watch as Nanu’s mother forces her into the wild alone. Animals die in the wild because they either cannot survive harsh and demanding conditions or they become food for another animal. Such is the circle of life that this film so beautifully shows.
