Synopsis:
Narrated by two-time Academy Award® nominee Catherine Keener, Disneynature’s “Polar Bear” tells the story of a new mother whose memories of her own youth prepare her tonavigate motherhood in the increasingly challenging world that polar bears face today.
Leaving home for the first time can be a scary experience. It can be especially terrifying if that same first time consists of you leaving for good to venture off into adulthood. Hopefully, you remember everything you were taught. Hopefully, you paid attention. No one is ever fully prepared as the world rapidly changes around us. However, if parented halfway decently, you should have a somewhat decent foundation on how to survive most things. If you’re fortunate enough to inhabit the nest a bit longer, I believe your success and survival rate will be higher—but that’s a conversation for another time though. Nevertheless, even when times are at their most bleak, those learned skills and innate instincts will push you forward. You can do it.
“How are we to survive without ice?”
If we’re able to make changes that will benefit the health and homeostasis of Earth, the place we call home, would you do it? Are you willing to forego some luxuries or conveniences for the betterment of the future? Directed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson and brought to you by Disneynature, Polar Bear delivers the warmth of a feel-good family saga along with an increasingly dire quest to survive. It’s where cold fur meets a dangerously warm reality. Told from the point of view of a mother bear’s present-day and time as a cub, this documentary details the living, bonding, hunting, and even mating habits of polar bears. Additionally, it captures the dangers that are beginning to plague them. Narrated by the calm and soothing voice of Catherine Keener, this frozen family film is captivating, informative, and endearing, but also comes with a warning.
While telling a story that spans 15 years of a bear’s life, at its core, the documentary is a carefully crafted peek into a familial bond. The narrative is told in a way that children can understand while adults can elaborate on the nuances. Initially, you are pulled in by cuteness and curiosity but you stay for everything else the film has to offer. Set in the frozen tundra of Svalbard, Norway which happens to be 650 miles from the North Pole, the land is rife with mountains, glaciers, floes, and not a single person in sight. Personally, I don’t know anyone that has extensive knowledge regarding this amazing Arctic animal. And even though the film doesn’t go into immense minute detail, it offers enough information that we can all walk away with a general understanding of how these sultans of the snow operate. With its magnificent score that breathes life and awe into every scene, coupled with its subtle injections about climate change, the film comes together in a very pleasing way. Polar Bear is beautifully shot, cleverly simplistic, and consciously heartbreaking. It’s learning without the pressure of learning while simultaneously appreciating life and art. It’s to be ingested and enjoyed by the whole family and mine did. If you didn’t have an affinity for the non-Coca-Cola drinking bears before, you will have a newfound appreciation. I enjoyed it a great deal. Its rewatchability is high.
Pacing & Pop
The film is paced very well. From beginning to end, the story and its visuals grab your attention as the journey flows effortlessly between past and present. What popped for me was the devastating information that the film ends with. While the results of the information weren’t necessarily new, the timeframe however is what is Earth altering.
Influence & Impact
I think it’s safe to say that whether you believe it or not, we all see and feel the effects of climate change. This documentary is a perfect example of what can happen in just a short period of time. We tend to brush off or overlook warning signs and red flags because we may not be impacted in our lifetime. However, as we disregard science and scoff at environmental changes, negative effects that were once centuries away are rapidly approaching the present day. Hopefully, through the eyes of these majestic creatures, people will begin to realize that not only are the homes of wild animals in danger but sooner than later, all of ours will be.
Polar Bear is now streaming exclusively on Disney+. Stay safe and enjoy.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Runtime: 1h 23m
Rated: PG
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson
Producers: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson, Roy Conli
Narrator: Catherine Keener
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
