King Norm of the North has a tough time prioritizing his royal duties while balancing his family life. He must prepare the best pre-winter jubilee celebration for his subjects, but it all seems a little overdone in light of spending time with his wife and children. Even though King Norm is frustrated with his duties, the burden weighs even heavier on his family at home.
Amidst the planning, someone steals King Norm’s crown, and legend says that if the king cannot present his crown at the jubilee, an eternal winter curse will set in. King Norm and his family travel to China to chase down the thief and save his kingdom.
While in China, King Norm’s children meet twin tigers who help them learn to appreciate their dad. The twin tigers share their own struggles with spending time with their father, and King Norm’s children learn that family dynamics aren’t simple for anyone. Many times, it takes love and patience to understand family members.
King Norm has a hard time with white lies. He doesn’t want to hide the secret of the crown being stolen, and though his advisor says, “It’s not lying if you don’t say anything,” King Norm has an uneasy feeling about keeping secrets from his family.
A few cautionary elements include scenes where larger animals eating smaller animals, like a seal eating a fish and a killer whale eating a sea turtle, but due to the cartoon elements of the film, these scenes are mild and don’t include gore. In addition, a boy mole falls in love with a girl mole ice sculpture and cat calls for her, following her into a hole. This slight sexual innuendo would more than likely be overlooked by small children.
Another element to take note of is the heavy technology in this film. King Norm, his family, and other characters heavily rely on technology for communication and entertainment, which could create healthy conversation between parents and children regarding the abuse of phones, computers, iPads, etc.
The few negative elements mentioned offer an opportunity to discuss work/home life balance, technology use/abuse, and the way that we treat our community. In addition to these lessons, teamwork, love for family, and learning to forgive are themes that award this film Dove-approval for All Ages.
The Dove Take:
This frigid, fun adventure teaches young children the value of honesty, the importance of balancing family and responsibility, and the way that we should use technology.
