The magic of March of the Penguins was the way the movie drew its narrative from the actual, odd patterns of nature itself. Arctic Tale, another frigid feature from National Geographic Films, forces our human sense of story on the animals we see, namely a walrus calf and a pair of polar bear cubs negotiating their first year in this harsh world. Some of the images are arresting, but none have the pristine grandeur of March of the Penguins. As for the “story,” it consists mainly of heavy sermonizing about global warming, slang-heavy voiceover narration from Queen Latifah and a jarring pop soundtrack featuring the likes of “We Are Family” and “Celebration.” The movie, in other words, suffers from happy feet.
