— by Kirsten Hawke
& Brooke Berry
ARCTIC
DOGS
PG
OVERALL RATING:
B
ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS
MOTION PICTURES
Released on DVD:
November 1, 2019
PARENT PREVIEWS –
Making Media Entertainment An Easier Choice For Families
VIOLENCE: (B) There is some
animated slapstick violence between
two birds who slap each other’s faces
and choke each other. A box is thrown
at a character’s face. A character is
belittled for being “just a fox.”
SEXUAL CONTENT: (A) None noted.
LANGUAGE: (A-) There is some minor
name calling and verbal bullying.
ALCOHOL / DRUG USE: (A) None
noted.
For additional
information on this
film’s content, visit
www.parentpreviews.com
M
ail room clerk Swifty
(voiced by Jeremy Renner)
has a dream: to become
a Top Dog, a star courier with the Arctic
Blast Delivery Service. There’s just one
problem: Swifty is a fox, not a dog. Feeling
trapped in his dead end job, Swifty decides
to prove his mettle so he steals a sled and
heads out to deliver a package. But this de-
livery is more than Swifty bargained for, as
he learns when he winds up in the sights of
evil villain Otto Von Walrus (voiced by John
Cleese). Can a little fox defeat a supervillain
whose dastardly plan will destroy the Earth
as we know it?
There’s not much doubt about the an-
swer to this question. Of course, Swifty
and his friends will triumph. This is a kids’
movie, after all. The critters aren’t going to
wind up dead in a snowy wasteland. The
real question is whether the journey to this
happy ending is worth taking. For adults,
the answer is no. The predictable story line
feels like a great first draft that needed a bit
more polish and the jokes are aimed at the
under-twelve crowd. Arctic Dogs is the kind
of film that leaves adults longing for their
phones and a round of Candy Crush to fend
off the boredom.
For young audiences, Arctic Dogs is
lots of fun. I brought two of my sons to the
movie and they laughed out loud at the corny
jokes and slapstick physical comedy. And,
on the bright side, this production serves up
some positive themes along with the cheesy
jokes. Swifty’s character arc demonstrates
that success comes to those who are true to
themselves. The story shows that hard work
and determination pay off in the long run
and that we are stronger working together
than going it alone. And the film encourages
small individual efforts to ameliorate global
warming, with a message that every little bit
helps. Arctic Dogs also warns youngsters
against the consequences of dishonesty.
There’s a boy-cries-wolf subplot: Swifty’s
reputation for exaggeration and dishonesty
means his initial warnings about Otto Von
Walrus’ evil plot are disregarded.
In terms of production values, Arctic
Dogs does fairly well. The animation qual-
ity is sufficiently realistic to make the fic-
tional arctic town seem sweet and simple.
Pixar it ain’t, but it’s watchable. And the
voice cast is far superior to the movie. John
Cleese steals the show as Otto Von Walrus
and Anjelica Huston acquires an amusing
Russian accent in her portrayal of Magda.
But, frankly, the movie doesn’t really need
the superstar vocal talent: the script simply
isn’t good enough. And a portion of the
money spent on actors should have been di-
rected towards a songwriter who could have
added some personality to the show.
Arctic Dogs was never worth the effort
to hitch up the sled and race off to the the-
ater. The movie is pleasant and harmless but
not worth the ticket price at the local mul-
tiplex. Now that it’s out on DVD, you can
enjoy it from your couch. If you’re going to
nap during a movie, you might as well do it
in the comfort of your home.
TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE WITH
YOUR FAMILY…
Why did Swifty take the sled? Do you
think it was ok to do that? Can you think of
another way he could have tried to achieve
his goal?
WATCH AT HOME…
Sled racing is the center of a kid-
friendly winter story in Racetime.
For adventure and peril in a winter
environment, watch Disney’s blockbuster
classic, Frozen.
The dangers global warming poses to
the Arctic ecosystem takes center stage in
Arctic Tale. Narrated by Queen Latifah, this
film follows the challenges faced by polar
bear and walrus cubs as they struggle to sur-
vive.
A Reindeer’s Journey tells the true sto-
ry of a reindeer’s first year. Set in Finland’s
Lapland region, this kid-safe film features
some stunning scenes in the far north.
LOVED THE MOVIE?
TRY THESE BOOKS…
If your kids love interactive books, run
and get a copy of Last Stop on the Reindeer
Express. Written by Maudie Powell-Tuck
and illustrated by Karl James Mountford,
this little book tells the story of a magic
mailbox which provides access to the magi-
cal Reindeer Express. Doors that open to
following pages, peepholes onto other
scenes, cards that open…there’s lots for
little readers to do.
Fans of wordless picture books will
enjoy Little Fox in the Forest. Written and
illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, this gentle
story features two friends who follow a fox
in the forest and find a magical village.
Mr. Fox and his friends have an air-
borne adventure in And Away We Go! Au-
thor Migy England tells the story of Mr. Fox
who lets his friends join him on a hot air
balloon trip to the moon.
February 2020 WNY Family 31