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Norm of the North | 2016 | PG | - 1.3.1
Animated tale of a polar bear (voiced by Rob Schneider) that can speak to humans. He finds that this gift is very handy when he must defend his home against a greedy developer who is determined to build houses in the Arctic. Also with the voices of Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Bill Nighy, Colm Meaney, Loretta Devine, Michael McElhatton, Maya Kay and Gabriel Iglesias. Directed by Trevor Wall. [1:26]
SEX/NUDITY 1 - A polar bear talks about being in health class and the teacher talks about how their voices will change and they will grow more fur. Three lemmings give a woman a massage and manicure. A polar bear dances with suggestive hip thrusts and wagging tail during end credits.
► A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. A polar bear comes out of a bathroom and has a towel wrapped around his middle section; he acts embarrassed when the towel falls off (we just see more fur). A woman is shown with large, drooping breasts (she is wearing a dress and an apron appears to be tucked under the breasts).
VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A ship goes through rough seas and two polar bears separate the towing portion from the tug causing the cargo to be dumped when it is struck by a giant wave; one bear is trapped by a metal structure and is unconscious under water (he revives and frees himself). A killer whale eats a seal and people watching look alarmed (there's no blood). A polar bear eats two blowfish and a third jumps in the way of a tranquilizer dart and falls motionless. Lemmings get flattened under a seal, then a killer whale and a polar bear (we see them flattened but they eventually pop back to normal).
► A man shoots another man in the buttock with a tranquilizer dart; the man falls to the floor complaining of a pain in his backside. Two polar bears are shot with tranquilizer darts and they fall unconscious; when they wake up they are on a transport helicopter and are tied up. A polar bear is seen in a cage and he is later loaded onto a truck.
► Two bound polar bears fall out of a helicopter; one frees himself and the other is helped to get untied and the two swim toward a boat and get onboard. A polar bear bends the bars of a cage holding another polar bear and frees him; the two bears and three lemmings are seen running the wrong way on a bridge and we see cars swerving and they jump over a bus to avoid being struck. A polar bear breaks out of a warehouse and is chased by two men; they catch up to him on a sidewalk and another man dressed as a bear fights with the two men (we see them being punched and kicked repeatedly). A polar bear roars at a man and scares him; the man screams and climbs up a bookcase. A man yells and calls lemmings rats as he screams for an exterminator. A woman stands on ice and it breaks under her feet; a polar bear charges toward her to get her to run away and saves her from falling into the water. A man falls into a manhole and the cover pins his ponytail (we hear him talking and asking for help from under the cover).
► Lemmings bite into electric cables and we see them being shocked (they light up and their fur stands on end, but they are OK). A lemming bites the cord of a security camera and shorts it out (we see it light up and its fur stands on end, but it is OK). A polar bear pokes out from under a pile of snow and chases a seal while roaring at it; the seal scoots through a large number of lemmings and they pop into the air hitting the bear in the face; they both sled through a large ribcage, crash over a ledge and the seal bounces off the bear's belly and the bear corners the seal while growling and the seal whimpers (the bear does not eat the seal). A bird is surprised by a polar bear and it falls off a rock (it is shown to be OK). Three lemmings are squished flat between closing elevator doors (they pop back to normal).
► A polar bear uses lemmings front teeth as spikes to climb a high rise building. A polar bear and three lemmings jump onto a model home being lifted off the ground and onto a ship and they sail away to NYC. A polar bear and three lemmings knock over heavy lighting equipment and the bulbs spark as they break. Three lemmings cut a hole in ice under a camera and the camera sinks into the water. A cleaning person vacuums a polar bear that is lying on the floor pretending to be a rug. A polar bear throws a man and a woman into the air as part of a dance (they flip and are unharmed).
► A woman's boss yells at her in several scenes and threatens her job if she doesn't do what he tells her to do. A young girl runs toward three polar bear cubs and says that she wants one; one bear talks to her and she is surprised that he "speaks human." A character says, "Humans won't destroy what they love." A young girl asks her mother about what will happen to the land when her boss builds homes on it. We hear that a polar bear has been missing for a long time. A polar bear says, "I gotta do something" and a bird asks, "Number 1 or number 2?" A man says, "We are rising faster than the ocean." A man says that his homes are, "For the 1%." We hear that a polar bear did not survive a trek. Animals laugh at a polar bear who admittedly has no hunting skills. A man says, "I am above the law." A man orders another man to "Kill that bear."
► Three lemmings vomit in a bag (we hear gagging but see no goo). A bird defecates on a man's sleeve (we see the goo), then on his eyeglasses (we see the goo). Three lemmings urinate in a fish tank (we see the streams and hear the trickles (for an extended time). Three lemmings urinate in a plant (we hear trickles). Four moose play cards and they bet whether a polar bear will catch and eat a seal; we see one moose later paying his debt by breaking his antlers off. A polar bear flushes a toilet. Three lemmings flatulate repeatedly and one is an extended sound.
LANGUAGE 1 - 3 mild scatological terms, 1 mild anatomical term, name-calling (brat, generalist, ludicrous, McGreed, bumbling, sham, peasants), exclamations (for the love of salmon, oh my gosh, jeez, what the heck), 1 religious exclamation (Oh God).
SUBSTANCE USE - A man talks about smelling like sweet vermouth, and a man tells a polar bear to try a mixed drink with sparkling and still water.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Protecting your home, greedy developers, good education, family, land is vulnerable, icons, great gifts, tourism, emotions, human invasion, saving the Arctic, pressure to succeed, being gifted, guilt.
MESSAGE - Change isn't always a good thing.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
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