Polar Squad (2019)

Polar Squad (aka Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad / Arctic Dogs) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Sometimes even the best of animation budgets can’t save a doomed script. Case in point, Arctic Dogs appears like the more dressed up and detailed version of Norm of the North. The anthropomorphic characters are more defined, they have more personality, the animation flows more smoothly, and the lighting is very competent. Yet with all this, it still has the same problems as Norm of the North with a meandering and milquetoast tale of saving the day and maybe saying something about climate change.

Taking place in a world of anthropomorphic creatures, the film follows Swifty (Jeremy Renner) the Arctic fox. He works in the mailroom of a delivery service in the arctic but has bigger dreams of becoming a courier. Seeking to prove himself, he swipes a sled and takes on his mission of package delivery. But during his adventure, he encounters the evil Otto Von Walrus (John Cleese), a villain with robot legs, a fortress, henchmen, diabolical intent, etc. His whole deal is world domination and plans to do so by melting the polar ice caps to speed up the flooding of the world. Swifty must stop him, of course, and save the day to prove he’s not just a great courier but someone who can save the world as well. He assembles a misfit team, hijinks ensue, and parents fall asleep while their kids are distracted for a little over an hour.

Arctic Dogs plays itself far too safe for a film that essentially wants to have an environmental message. Otto is posed as a clear antagonist for want to rule the world and make it worse but for what end? His goal seems to be becoming the rule of the entire world in that bland old villain scheme. It places an odd assumption that someone who wants to destroy the world through climate change must announce so with a brazen style and supervillain theatrics. Such an evil character in this film is not some corporate stooge blindly desiring profit or a misguided engineer who can only see resources and not environmental damage. No, the bad man of such a bland picture must be some sinister cyborg with base intentions of domination.

Some parents would argue that the film need not be so bold when crafting an animation picture of slapstick for young children. But that notion defeats the very purpose of bringing up climate change as a theme and plot point. It reduces the issue to a Captain Planet level but without any hard facts and inspiring message about trying to make the world better. The film treats the issue more like narrative peppering, akin to a James Bond villain wielding a laser at the Earth. It’s not taken seriously and treats its audience as being too naive to grasp the notion of climate change being more of a political and corporate issue than just one bad apple. Better animated films stand out for not talking down to their audience and being honest with issues rather than hiding behind fantastical antics.

If you’re wondering why I’ve spent so much time harping on this issue, it’s because Arctic Dog offers nothing else to latch onto. It’s a standard comedic adventure with one-dimensional characters and meandering mania in its slapstick action. Swifty’s adventure companions of the dunce, the nerd, the gentle giant, the conspiracy theorists, and the reluctant boss all come as predictably droll as any animation picture. It just goes to show that even with better animation, a film needs more than convincing fur to convince us it’s entertaining.