Keep Learning, Part 2

The other documentary I watched recently was Arctic Tale. It's along the same lines as March of the Penguins, which I loved, but details the lives of a walrus and polar bear. Now, I love March of the Penguins, so I found myself (probably unfairly) comparing the two films. First of all, Queen Latifah, who narrates, has nothing on Morgan Freeman, but she was still easy to listen to and tried to insert humor in various places. Second, the music in some parts was a little too... folksy? I don't know if that's exactly the right word to describe it. Needless to say, it was a little irritating and distracting for me... though in some parts, the music was great! In one spot, you're meeting the whole herd of walruses and "We Are Family" is playing, which was funny and totally appropriate.

I will say one thing, this film definitely has a high cuteness factor going for it. I mean, come on, what's cuter than two baby polar bears romping around in the snow? Even the baby walrus was cute. What amazed me, and what I didn't know, was how familial walruses are. A baby walrus is looked after by a mother and another family member (Queen Latifah kept saying "auntie") for 3 years! The mother actually holds her baby in her flippery arms, which was very cute and very human-like and completely unexpected. There was this adorable scene where they baby and mother engage in some walrus-y kissing-type behavior... but really they're using their whiskers to memorize each other's faces. Interesting!

I'll admit, though, I couldn't help but think of Adam Sandler in 50 First Dates. In the movie, his character is interested in learning more about walruses because we don't know very much about them, which is true. So this footage was actually pretty amazing and took a long time to get.

Now, there were sad parts in the film, but I'm not going to spoil everything, don't worry. One of the saddest parts was when the polar bear and walrus herd couldn't find food because of the unusually warm temperatures, which meant that the ice didn't freeze. Obviously, the film, put out by National Geographic, is trying to educate people, especially children, about the environmental crisis we're facing, but the film really doesn't ever get preachy or anything.

I'd say, if you liked March of the Penguins, you'll like this film. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out!