Paramount Classics with National Geographic Films present a G rated 90 minute film directed by Sarah Robertson with Story Telling by Queen Latifah.
The documentary follows the life of two well known creatures of the Arctic region, the polar bear and the walrus. Beautifully narrated by Queen Latifah and filled with some of the most phenomenal cinematography exploring the beauty of many creatures and the environments in which they live both above and below the ice this film is worthy of a golden boy nod at the Academy Awards and of course should be a must see at the box office for both young and old.
Taking place in the "kingdom of ice" the director and crew unseen to the audience follow the life of a mother polar bear and walrus and that of their children of the Arctic. The polar bear mother emerges from her snow covered den with two cubs, one boy and one girl, after six months in seclusion to temperatures ranging at twenty degrees below zero. After about three years of basic training from the mother they will be forced out to live life and forage on their own. Some bears survive this journey for food but some of course perish from the lack of nutrition and environmental elements. As in the case of all species socialization is extremely important and this mother bear to the best of her abilities shows each of the cubs the correct way to survive.
Bears are able to smell their prey like ring seals through three feet of snow but only about one out of nineteen hunts are successful. Many times as a bear wonders the course of the Arctic it is followed by other animals like the fox in hopes of scavenging some leftovers from a recent kill like seals, walrus or sometimes even a bird in desperation. The only real threat to a polar bear cub would be that of an adult male bear or of course that of the effects of global warming.
They wonder through blizzard conditions with fifteen foot swells, temperatures dipping below forty degrees and eighty mile per hour winds. In times of perish they even mourn the ones they have loved and raised from birth showing the honest truth of what we selfishly tend to call human emotions. Some behaviorists may argue this point but as the film demonstrates and the heart projects all creatures are capable of feelings. When spring arrives and the bears are of maturity they find a mate and renew the circle of life amongst their species but as the film points out due to the drastic changes in our environment it is making it much more difficult for these species to survive due to lack of ice, food and the changes of their inherited instincts.
In the footage of the Walrus group this magnificent film follows a mother and her young pup along with a companion known as Auntie. These creatures can weigh up to two thousands pounds of blubber and use their whiskers as ways of memorizing each others faces for life. A walrus birth is rare to begin with so the team which seems to hunt, swim and forage together also tend to take special care of the young. Their main source of nutrition are clams which takes approximately five years for this food source to replenish itself and like many species after a large meal these creatures relish the fact of flatulence as a source of pleasure. They tend to cherish their family group and will fight when necessary to defend each other especially their young against their main predators, the orca or in the case of this film, the polar bear.
In the Arctic circle of life it is one single death that preserves the lives of many. It is the ice that these superb creatures depend on in order to return to their natural home each year after their journeys for food and survival. It is the fate of the natural environment in which these animals live and the ice that makes their lives possible to move into the future. So far twenty percent of ice as diminished in the Arctic and at this rate it could be ice free by the year 2040 meaning the end to many of the species that inhabit this part of the world.
At the end of the film the director shows us parts of their exploration and the decade process of filming such a brilliant documentary along with comments by children from around the globe. What of their children and what of ours? A question that will remain in your mind for life after watching this inspirational and worthy film. For more information or to find out how you can support the Arctic Exploration Fund, contact: aef@arcticbearproductions.com, please. Make a point of making a date with this film at a theatre near you. If you loved the "March of the Penguins" you will surely enjoy this educational, motivational, beautifully scored masterpiece for people of all ages.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.