Arctic Tale

Arctic Tale
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Adam Ravetch Sarah Robertson
Produced by	Adam Leipzig Keenan Smart
Written by	Linda Woolverton Mose Richards Kristin Gore
Narrated by	Queen Latifah
Music by	Joby Talbot
Cinematography	Adam Ravetch
Edited by	Beth Spiegel
Production company	National Geographic Films
Distributed by	Paramount Classics
Release date	July 25, 2007 (limited)
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,858,064

Arctic Tale is a 2007 documentary film from the National Geographic Society about the life cycle of a walrus and her calf, and a polar bear and her cubs, in a similar vein to the 2005 hit production March of the Penguins, also from National Geographic. It was directed by Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson and is narrated by Queen Latifah. The animal characters named in the movie, "Nanu" the female polar bear and "Seela" the female walrus, are based on composites of animals in their species, as noted at the end of the film.

The footage used in Arctic Tale was filmed over the span of 15 years by married filmmakers Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson, along with the National Geographic Natural History Unit and others who record wildlife. They compiled over 800 hours worth of clips of animals that are typically hard to catch on camera, such as the polar bear and walrus. Even though polar bears and walruses are seen in many scenes together in this film, they usually do not cross paths. According to Ravetch, they were "told by scientists that it was very rare for a polar bear to attack a walrus." But his experience made him "realize that polar bears and walruses have quite a lot in common," which is narrated as such in the film.

At the outset of the movie, Nanu emerges from the cave where she was born along with her brother, just born as well, and their mother. The two polar bear cubs play in the snow for a while until returning to their snow cave. The next day, the cubs start learning from their mother how to survive in the wild. One of the first things they find out by watching their mother is to stay away from grown male polar bears who are apt to kill them.

Seela is shown in the water just after birth with her mother and "Auntie" who helps protect the walrus calf during her early life. For her first life lesson, Seela is taught how to hoist herself onto an ice floe from the water without any help except watching her mother do the same. During this time, Auntie watches for predators. When a male polar bear comes along and starts swimming towards the walruses, Seela and her mother try to get away from him, but must rely on Auntie's help to stave off the polar bear's attack.