Review of The Polar Bear King

This film is very emotionally detached. In the way it is acted, the way it's told and presented, the way the audience receives and relates. You'll receive the story, but won't ever really feel any of the emotion. Perhaps this is because, as others have mentioned, the story is presented as if you were sitting around the fire, safely out of the action, being told the tale by some storyteller, with the visuals to go along. But even the facial expressions, especially of the princess, are shallow, vague, and distant. Besides that, there is very little character development, especially of King Valemon. But probably the most emotional part of the movie is at the end, when he pretends to be mean. To me, at least, this part comes off as the most "real" in all the film. So you'll learn the traditional story, but you won't really know the characters.

This movie reminds me of the Princess Bride, but is slower and more detached.