...the movie is mainly for the benefit of children, a good thing because the world will soon enough be in their hands.
Overall, "Arctic Tale" is not all that much different from many of the better programs "National Geographic" shows on its cable channel (in high def if you can get it). While the movie is a sincere, well-intentioned attempt to reveal what life is like in the Arctic and how great a threat Man is to so many of his fellow creatures, and while parts of the movie are wonderfully attractive to look at, "Arctic Tale" doesn't really offer a whole lot an adult hasn't seen or heard before.
Video:
Paramount engineers present the picture in a 1080 resolution, MPEG4/AVC transfer and a screen size that closely matches its 1.85:1 theatrical-release aspect ratio. You have to remember, though, that the filmmakers shot the movie on location under decidedly unfriendly conditions in the north polar regions. One should not expect the most perfect footage, and one notices some inevitable grain, particularly evident in semi-dark and stormy scenes. Moreover, object delineation is a tad soft, even in high definition. Nevertheless, color depth looks good, when there are colors besides black, white, and blue to watch, and the picture quality is probably as good as the original print, with some shots that are truly spectacular.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio does what it can with a soundtrack that includes little more than Queen Latifah's narration, some background music, and the occasional grunt, groan, and belch of the animals. The audio track conveys these sounds in a smooth, uniform manner, the surrounds coming to life during an Arctic blizzard that nicely swirls around one's head. It's in no way remarkable, but it's all that's needed.
Extras:
The primary extras are a pair of standard-definition featurettes. There is "Making of Arctic Tale," twenty-four minutes, showing how the filmmakers and local peoples helped put the production together. Then there is "Are We There Yet? World Adventure: Polar Bear Spotting," seven minutes, wherein kids go in search of polar bears in the wild, via a tour bus.
In addition, you'll find a theatrical trailer in high def; fifteen scene selections but no chapter insert; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired. As always with a Paramount HD DVD, there are pop-up menus, bookmarks, a guide to elapsed time, and an Elite Red HD case.
You might also want to check out the interview that co-director Adam Ravetch gave DVD Town.
Parting Shots:
The movie ends with the anticipated warning: "The Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk by 20 percent in recent decades. If the current trend continues, the Arctic Ocean could be virtually ice-free in the summer of 2040," followed during the closing credits by pleas from several children to save our Earth. It's all very noble, but it's nothing most adults haven't heard time and again. Anyway, as I say, the movie is mainly for the benefit of children, a good thing because the world will soon enough be in their hands. Every little bit can't hurt.
Video:
Paramount engineers present the picture in a 1080 resolution, MPEG4/AVC transfer and a screen size that closely matches its 1.85:1 theatrical-release aspect ratio. You have to remember, though, that the filmmakers shot the movie on location under decidedly unfriendly conditions in the north polar regions. One should not expect the most perfect footage, and one notices some inevitable grain, particularly evident in semi-dark and stormy scenes. Moreover, object delineation is a tad soft, even in high definition. Nevertheless, color depth looks good, when there are colors besides black, white, and blue to watch, and the picture quality is probably as good as the original print, with some shots that are truly spectacular.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio does what it can with a soundtrack that includes little more than Queen Latifah's narration, some background music, and the occasional grunt, groan, and belch of the animals. The audio track conveys these sounds in a smooth, uniform manner, the surrounds coming to life during an Arctic blizzard that nicely swirls around one's head. It's in no way remarkable, but it's all that's needed.
Extras:
The primary extras are a pair of standard-definition featurettes. There is "Making of Arctic Tale," twenty-four minutes, showing how the filmmakers and local peoples helped put the production together. Then there is "Are We There Yet? World Adventure: Polar Bear Spotting," seven minutes, wherein kids go in search of polar bears in the wild, via a tour bus.
In addition, you'll find a theatrical trailer in high def; fifteen scene selections but no chapter insert; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired. As always with a Paramount HD DVD, there are pop-up menus, bookmarks, a guide to elapsed time, and an Elite Red HD case.
You might also want to check out the interview that co-director Adam Ravetch gave DVD Town.
Parting Shots:
The movie ends with the anticipated warning: "The Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk by 20 percent in recent decades. If the current trend continues, the Arctic Ocean could be virtually ice-free in the summer of 2040," followed during the closing credits by pleas from several children to save our Earth. It's all very noble, but it's nothing most adults haven't heard time and again. Anyway, as I say, the movie is mainly for the benefit of children, a good thing because the world will soon enough be in their hands. Every little bit can't hurt.
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[release]22372[/release]