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23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 A Remarkable FilmFeb 21, 2005
By Sarah C. Truax
"young at heart"
I rented this movie several months ago from the video store for my cousins aged 7 and 10 while their mother was out of town. They grew up in a house without cable television, in a part of the country where network television reception was not available without a cable hookup. Consequently, their media exposure as children was limited to occasional Disney movies on video. I am not a fan of Disney, or children's cartoon films in general, so I thought that this adaptation of a Norweigan folktale might fit the bill. Although I was concerned that, due to the fact that my cousins had had almost no exposure to violent or "scary" sequences in films, this movie might scare them or prove to be over their heads. BOY WAS I WRONG! They LOVED it. This is, without question, a family film. Some of the acting is cliched (the evil queen's demonic wedding banquet towards the end is so cliched that many adults will have to bite their lip to keep from laughing out loud) The special effects and animatronic polar bear sequences are actually pretty good, especially considering that this is a low budget film from 1994. Some of the polar bear sequences (particularlly the voice and facial expressions) are a bit scary, and some of the plot elements are too involed for children under 7 or 8 to understand without some explanation. The visuals are absolutely stunning in their beauty and the plot is enthralling. My older cousin is normally very easily frightened. So much so that she will run out of the room in terror when the wicked queen appears in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. During this movie she did not leave her seat once, even during the scary parts. It was almost like there was a spell on her. I cannot describe just how happy I was with this movie. It is beautiful, magical, and captivating for even the most timid of children. If I could, I would give it 6 stars. This is a must watch film, and would make a wonderful addition to any family's DVD collection
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
An old Norse fairy tale remadeNov 18, 1999
By Karen
We first found this video in the video section of our local library. My entire family enjoyed it. It is based on an old Norse legend entitled "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon." I was told the story by my Norwegian aunt when I was a child and have a bound copy of it that I read to my two children on a regular basis. The video isn't quite true to the tale but what adaptation is? It does a more than creditable job of telling the story. It has all the things that make a fairy tale great--a beautiful princess, a handsome prince under a terrible curse, an evil witch. The soundtrack is a little choppy but the photography is quite lovely and very well done for an obscure little Scandinavian film. My, at the time five years old, daughter found the story easy to follow and adored it. I found it to be a wholesome enjoyable treat fit for viewing by the entire family.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Very special but not well knownAug 10, 1999
I am very, very glad to have discovered this obscure movie. I love it and have put it in my list of special favorites. It is not just for young children: I myself am 24 years old. I chose to rent it from the video store, on a hunch. The unusual music struck me instantly and I knew that I would love the movie if only for that. I could not forget about it. It haunted me though I could not say why. I rented it again. On the second time I watched it, I saw more depth, and the music again moved me. The land of snow was beautiful, pristine and achingly lonely. Bare branches against blue skies; thick fur coats; fuzzy beards -- these images helped me to feel almost as though I was in the Winterland, almost as though I could touch it. And I understood the Princess's longing to see other places. The Princess is a brave and heroic character. She makes the plans to rescue her cursed husband, the King of the South, and she overcomes obstacles with great willpower, and determination, and magic. The cursed King of the South is friendly, sincere, and expressive. His face is unusual-looking, which makes him stand out. The movie shows his expected human feelings: doubt about his ability to take over the throne, pain for his father's death, rage about his curse. All of the characters seem believable. Even the unpleasant characters have their strengths. The annoying sisters, for instance: The bossy sister who is yet tough, realistic and level-headed, and the silly sister who is yet imaginative, humorous, and romantic. And the father, the kindly King of the North, whose point of view can be understood: Of course he does not want to lose his beloved daughter. There is an interesting view of evil in this movie, the statement that "Too much evil destroys evil." No one can be too completely evil and yet survive. Finding such an insightful philosophical observation in this fairy tale made the movie feel even more like "mine". I am sad to see that so few people know about or appreciate this very special movie. I will remember it myself, and I will watch The Polar Bear King when I want to feel refreshed by a great adventure.
14 of 16 found the following review helpful:
This is a very Good movie!Mar 31, 2001
By Daine
The king of the land of spring is placed under a spell because he won't marry this ugly witch, so she turns him into a polar bear. He goes to the land of winter where he falls in love with the youngest princess of the king there. The king of the winter land has three daughters who look very much a like. The youngest comes with the polar bear king to his land and they have three children. All of which disappear after they are about six months old. The princess is heart broken. She goes back to visit her family and her sisters ask her what he looks like. She says she doesn't know and they tell her to look. She has been forbiden to look, but she does and the king is "kidnapped" by the witch and she is going to force him to marry her. The princess has to save him. The rest is for you to find out.... Enjoy!
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Fabulous family film!Jan 29, 2007
By Nadine Gammon
The Polar Bear King is a Scandinavian folk tale with all the classic elements of a truly great story: love; magic; adventure; the struggle between good and evil; and, of course, a quest. What my children and I really love about this story is the strength and independence of the female characters. The protagonist is a young woman who's strong, independent, and resilient; she does the rescuing, but she doesn't do it alone. Incidentally, this is not a man-bashing story; the male characters are strong, too, it's just not about them. This story is really about family and community.
There's not much dialogue, but there's a narrator. This is what makes The Polar Bear King a true folk tale: we don't get to know everything that's going on in the characters' heads, so the viewer is free to interpret what's happening. Because this European movie was filmed in 1991, there's a certain lack of sophistication in the special effects and dubbing; I don't think it takes away from the film, but I'm just adding this comment as a reminder that media technology has changed significantly over the past several years.
I hope you enjoy this film as much as my children and I have!
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