NORM OF THE NORTH

Norm of the North has a few worthwhile qualities. Norm is kind, encouraging, compassionate, selfless, and committed to helping his friends and family. The story also includes positive moral and redemptive elements about putting others before yourself and caring for your family.

But the movie is mediocre at best. Its animation is unimpressive, its dialogue can be cheesy, and its plot relies on clichés and unpleasant scatological humor. More seriously, the film’s entire conflict promotes an environmentalist, anti-capitalist worldview, presenting humans and capitalist development as threats to the Arctic while making a greedy businessman the villain.

Norm also lies, asks others to lie, breaks into an office, and steals a flash drive. New Age and pagan ideas appear as well.

Because the content concerns are substantial and the entertainment quality is weak, most media-wise families should skip it.

Norm is a polar bear living in the Arctic Circle who is unlike the other bears. He is in line to become King of the Arctic, but he cannot hunt for himself. Norm can communicate with human tourists, a gift his grandfather says he may someday use to help his family and friends.

When humans plan to build condos in the Arctic, Norm and his friends devise a plan to stop them. Norm travels to New York City, pretends to be an actor, and becomes the mascot for the condo company.

Two stars means this is a mediocre movie at best, and the craft does not offer much to overcome its problems. The animation is unimpressive, the plot uses familiar clichés, and the dialogue includes cheesy moments.

The film also leans on easy-to-write but unpleasant scatological humor. Its strongest element is Norm himself: he is kind, encouraging, compassionate, and selfless. Those moral qualities give the movie some heart, but they do not make it more than a mediocre animated comedy.

Norm of the North presents a mixed worldview. Its central message is environmentalist and anti-capitalist: humans are portrayed as destroying the Arctic, while a greedy businessman seeks wealth and power through condo development. The movie includes jokes and references to global warming, rising ocean levels, environmental disaster, and the Arctic melting.

The film also offers positive moral elements. Norm looks out for others instead of himself, shows compassion by releasing a seal he has hunted, and tries to protect his family and friends. These messages about selflessness and family responsibility are worthwhile.

However, Norm is not consistently moral. He lies about who he is, asks others to lie for him, breaks into an office, and steals something from a desk. The movie also includes New Age and pagan thinking, including the statement, “There are no problems, only messages from the universe.” Its environmental concerns are presented through a questionable worldview rather than a balanced account of responsibility and stewardship.

Scripture gives a simpler foundation: “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Caring for creation matters, but it must be joined to truth, honesty, and responsibility before God.

Norm’s kindness and concern for his family are worthwhile, but they are buried beneath mediocre filmmaking, crude humor, dishonesty, and a confused worldview. For most media-wise families, the answer is clear: SKIP IT. Choose something better for family viewing at.