Review of Norm of the North (2016) by Abigail S — 09 Feb 2016

Grade: D.

In a Nutshell: This animation from Lionsgate is another tired environmental lecture about how animals are superior and humans are evil.

This is NOT one of those family-friendly films when the parents enjoy it as much as the kids.

Uplifting theme:

Everyone is given talents. Talents should be used to make a positive difference.

"You can make a change. You can find a new way." - Elizabeth (Kate Higgins).

Just because a product says it's "green", doesn't mean it is environmentally-friendly.

"A king always fights for his home.".

Things I liked:

Voice talents of the characters include Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Bill Nighy, Gabriel Iglesias, Loretta Devin, and Colm Meaney. They're mostly unmemorable, but Ken Jeong's voice work steals the show.

The little furry animals are supposed to be lemmings. They're almost cute. Did you know that they really do live in the Arctic?

Pop music.

Things I didn't like:

The animation itself is pretty average, certainly not as good as we're used to seeing from Disney or Pixar.

We're told "When confronted by a polar bear, assert your dominance and stand your ground." That's terrible advice. Polar bears are actually very dangerous and vicious.

"There are never problems, only messages from the universe." - Mr. Green (Ken Jeong).

Polar bears killing seas = good. Tourists = bad.

There's a negative jab at a "cola company", which is generic enough that Lionsgate can't get sued by Coke.

If the target audience is young children, then there are a lot of big words and concepts that little kids won't understand.

Lines that are supposed to be funny:

"I put the soul in the winter solstice." - Norm.

"And the next thing I know I'm twerking in front of a boat of tourists." - Norm.

"Twerking?! Have some self-respect, Norm!" - Socrates.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer." - Norm.

"Well, it's not Macbeth, but it's a job." - costumed bear (Nick Shakoour).

"Vera, get my lawyer. We're going to copyright that roar and make it a ring tone." - Mr. Green.

Tips for parents:

The worse profanity you'll hear is "crap".

Lemmings pee in a fish aquarium and on potted plants.

Zzzzz....