This next film has a special place in my heart, as I’ve had the opportunity to hold the Oscar that it was awarded. But other than that, I was slightly disappointed by what I watched. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
Update: In February 2022, I started a video version of the DFP on Tiktok. You can find the video below. Thoughts expressed in the video may be different than what are expressed in the blog post, due to the time difference in posting.
A Brief Summary
Grab a parka and get ready to head to the snowy landscape of the Arctic. Includes a snowy playground, Ice Age creatures, and Wolverine….sorry, I mean the actual animal, not the X-man.
What works
- This movie flowed really well. I was honestly surprised at how fast it was moving without feeling overwhelmed by information. It was really well done.
- “Familiar” may or may not be a word I repeat often in this write-up. It’s what I’ve come to appreciate with the True-Life films, with White Wilderness as the latest addition. I love the formatting, the paintbrush/canvas opening to set the scene. The nature introduction (in this case, glaciers which I didn’t know much about) added to the overall experience. I’ve said before in my DFP updates that most of the films I’ve been watching (since the beginning of the 50’s) and will be watching for the foreseeable future are films I’m unfamiliar with. So watching White Wilderness is like being wrapped in a comforting blanket. The information changes but not how it’s presented.
- I’m not as familiar with the animals and landscape of the Arctic as I am with the animals/settings from the earlier films. Other than the polar bears, walruses, beluga whales and wolves, I’d had very little knowledge of the other animals in the film (I know it looks like a lot of animals but there are several other species spotlighted in the film). Hats off to White Wilderness for the variety of animals showcased. I think I learned more from this film than any earlier film because I came in knowing less and was introduced to more than I thought I would be.
What may or may not work
- If you went back through my write-ups, you’ll know that the narration has always been one of my favorite things about the True-Life films. However, it wasn’t as enjoyable here. There were some good moments here and there, but overall it was okay. Now as my belief is that they filmed first, wrote the script second (which is the most logical path), they worked with what they had. So I’m not faulting them for the script. It just wasn’t as good as the earlier films and for me, that’s a disappointment.
Honorable Mentions
- The lemmings. Oh my gosh, you guys. There’s this whole section devoted to the lemmings and their migratory mass suicide and just focusing on all things lemmings. Hands down, my favorite part of the movie. I know how morbid that sounds but I’m serious. I’ve heard about the myth of the lemmings’ mass suicide, how they all jump off a cliff, and drown. You guys, they filmed it! Not only did they film it but they went in depth about the event, explaining the whys and hows. It was so fascinating to watch! Since the suicide myth was the only thing I knew about lemmings prior to watching this (not even me knowing what they looked like), this section just MADE the movie for me.
Side Questions
- Bringing up the lemmings again. It’s explained in the movie that the lemmings most likely believe the ocean is a large lake and that there is land on the other side. So even if the lemmings survived their attempted voyage, how were NONE of their worried about the creatures below the waves? Are they just so small that orcas, seals and more just ignore them? I’m picturing ‘Jaws’ here guys, it has horror film written all over it.
What I learned from watching this film
- The movie was cool (pun intended) but it was almost as bland as the color the titled wilderness. Part of that is just that they could only work with what they had. There were cute animals, battles, the lemmings, so many creatures that I’d only heard of (or never heard of). But it just didn’t provide that same entertainment level that I had during the earlier films.
If you’ve seen White Wilderness, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
Rewind to the beginning of the Disney Film Project
Skip back to the previous film with The Light in the Forest
Fast Forward to the next film with Tonka
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