Arctic Tale

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Arctic Tale

G

2007

1h 36m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

98 Reviews

61%

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10,000+ Ratings

Nanu, a polar bear cub, and Seela, a young walrus, live and grow to maturity in the frozen wilderness of the North, where the tundra has been a haven to their kind for countless generations. Now Nanu, Seela and the rest of the Arctic's wildlife experience the diminishment of their environment, as global warming literally melts the ice beneath them.

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Critics Consensus

Arctic Tale features breathtaking nature cinematography, but is undone by its over-cutesy narration.

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Debbie Day

Premiere Magazine

"It's a playful study of Arctic life, starring a polar bear cub, its prey, and a tagalong fox -- with the inevitable dramatic moments when bear meets walrus."

Rated: 3/4

Nov 3, 2016

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Stephen Garrett

Time Out

This anthropomorphic Disneyfication -- presumably intended to give youngsters something to relate to -- is made worse by the film's elementary dialogue and Queen Latifah's crass 'n' brash delivery.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 17, 2011

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It doesn't take a cynic to wonder if editing trickery has been deployed to clarify or simply fabricate these events.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 18, 2008

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Toni Vall

Cinemanía (Spain)

Cute but innocuous. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2/5

Nov 4, 2020

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Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

Arctic Tale isn't a documentary. They say it right there in the title, see? It's a tale. [Blu-ray]

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 19, 2009

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

The photography of Arctic Tale is what makes it so good. The nature documentary style of this movie is brilliant and breathtaking at times.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 28, 2009

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Frances H

Wonderful cinematography (what else would you expect from National Geographic?), great storyline and an important message for saving the earth, and the consequences if we don't, makes this a fascinating flick for young and old.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/03/16

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Audience Member

Quite cute in parts, but I did not find it as well done as March of the Penguins.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

Interesting story about all Arctic animals although it was based on a Mother Polar Bear and her two cubs. Harsh reality of the struggle for life in the Arctic was shown well. Beautiful cold scenery also in this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

You need to watch this movie on 'mute'. Queen Latifah and her poorly-written script ruin this otherwise potentially captivating documentary.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Audience Member

Just like March of the Penguins, it's a really good documentary for the entire family to watch and enjoy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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nilufer e

I can never say no to a good documentary on animals, this one was especially good because of the lovely cubs. It must have been a great effort to film this journey which lasts 8 long years.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Adam Ravetch

Director

Sarah Robertson

Director

Queen Latifah

Narrator

Keenan Smart

Producer

Adam Leipzig

Producer

Cat Stevens

Original Music

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Synopsis

Nanu, a polar bear cub, and Seela, a young walrus, live and grow to maturity in the frozen wilderness of the North, where the tundra has been a haven to their kind for countless generations. Now Nanu, Seela and the rest of the Arctic's wildlife experience the diminishment of their environment, as global warming literally melts the ice beneath them.

Director: Adam Ravetch, Sarah Robertson
Producer: Keenan Smart, Adam Leipzig
Screenwriter: Linda Woolverton, Mose Richards, Kristin Gore
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: National Geographic Society
Rating: G
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $833.3K
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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