Norm of the North

Norm of the North

A big white bear ,walking in the city's streets, with three little otters over his shoulders and head, with a white T-Shirt of "New York" and the film's title, slogan and billing underneath him.

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Trevor Wall
Produced by
  • Nicolas Atlan
  • Ken Katsumoto
  • Steve Rosen
  • Liz Young
  • Mike Young
Written by
  • Daniel R. Altiere
  • Steven M. Altiere
  • Malcolm T. Goldman
Starring
Music by Stephen McKeon
Edited by Richard Finn
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release dates
  • January 15, 2016 (2016-01-15)[1]
Running time
 88 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $18 million[3]
Box office $27.4 million[4]

Norm of the North is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film directed by Trevor Wall and written by Daniel R. Altiere, Steven M. Altiere, and Malcolm T. Goldman. It features the voices of Rob Schneider as the title character, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Colm Meaney, Loretta Devine, Gabriel Iglesias, Michael McElhatton, and Bill Nighy. The UK version features James Corden. It was co-produced by Assemblage Entertainment, Splash Entertainment and Telegael, and distributed by Lionsgate. The film tells the story about a polar bear named Norm who needs to save his home from Mr. Greene, a rich man who has a plan to build houses in the Arctic. To rescue his home, Norm has brought his friends, the three lemmings and Olympia Brighty, to hatch a scheme to prevent Mr. Greene from doing his plans.

The film was released on January 15, 2016, and grossed $27.4 million on an $18 million budget.

Plot

Norm, the Polar Bear (Rob Schneider) is the son of the King Of The Arctic. In his youth, he develops the ability to speak to humans, a trait shared by his Grandfather (Colm Meaney). Because of this, he is made an outcast from the other animals, only being accepted by Socrates (Bill Nighy) a wise bird and Elizabeth (Kate Higgins), a female polar bear whom Norm has fallen in love with.

Years later, Norm's grandfather has disappeared and human tourists are filling the Arctic. Socrates shows Norm and three Arctic Lemmings a luxury condo that has been installed on the ice. Inside this condo is Vera (Heather Graham) a representative for wealthy developer Mr. Greene (Ken Jeong). After Norm saves Vera from the avalanche, Mr Greene tells her to find an actor to play a Polar Bear for their campaign. Socrates convinces Norm and the three lemmings to stow away on a ship to New York City.

In the city, Norm, pretending to be an actor dressed as a bear, auditions for Mr Greene's commercial and is taken to dinner by Vera. Mr Greene, who realizes that Norm is a polar bear, suspects that Norm has come to free his grandfather, who Greene had captured. During a public incident involving Mr Greene trying to shoot Norm in the restaurant, Norm subdues Greene, gaining the attention of the media and heightening Greene's approval ratings. Greene decides to hire Norm as his mascot.

Before going on a television show, Norm meets Vera's daughter Olympia (Maya Kay), who tells Norm to raise Greene's approval ratings and then speak out against him to save the Arctic. Norm's popularity heightens the approval ratings, but Greene sabotages Norm's plan by playing recorded dialogue stating that Norm supports Greene's developments.

Defeated, Norm is comforted by Vera and Olympia, who reveals that Greene is developing more homes to install in the Arctic. Norm and the lemmings discover that Mr Greene is bribing a high-ranking member of the Polar Council, and exposes this to Pablo, one of Greene's investor. Vera resigns her position and is hired by Pablo, while Norm and the Lemmings chase the truck holding the houses.

Greene sends another truck carrying Norm's grandfather, and Norm is captured as well. After being freed by the lemmings, Norm and his grandfather catch up to the boat carrying the houses to the Arctic, and are able to detach the houses. However, Norm is separated from his grandfather and the lemmings and is knocked unconscious.

Norm awakens in the Arctic and reunited with the lemmings and the other animals, who reveal that his grandfather was not found. Because of his heroism, Norm is crowned the King of the Arctic, before his grandfather arrives at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Mr Greene is humiliated after his plan is exposed, and Vera and Olypmia are happy with Pablo as their new boss. Norm and Elizabeth have three cubs and the film ends with them and the lemmings watching the stars.

Cast

Marketing

Two mobile apps were released to promote the film as well as four clips on Lionsgate's YouTube channel and two theatrical trailers. Television spots have also played on several channels.[7]

Home media

Norm of the North was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD on April 19, 2016.[8]

Reception

Box office

As of August 16, 2016, Norm of the North has grossed $17 million in North America and $10.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $27.4 million, against a budget of $18 million.[4]

The film was released on January 15, 2016, alongside 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and Ride Along 2. It grossed $9.4 million from 2,411 theaters over its opening four-day Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, finishing 6th at the box office.[9]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 8%, based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A pioneering feat in the field of twerking polar bear animation but blearily retrograde in every other respect, Norm of the North should only be screened in case of parental emergency."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 21 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[11] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[12]

Sequels

Prior to the release of the film, two 45-minute direct-to-DVD sequels were announced.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Steven Altiere (3 July 2014). "Norm of the North". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "NORM OF THE NORTH (U)". British Board of Film Classification. January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Box Office: 'Ride Along 2' Should Dethrone 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Norm of the North (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 A. Fernandez, Jay (28 July 2010). "Rob Schneider giving voice to 'Norm'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "James Corden". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  7. ↑ "Lionsgate Expands Mobile Gaming Effort With 'Norm of the North'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  8. ↑ "Norm of the North (2016)". dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Lionsgate's Norm of the North managed to perform a little better than expectations". boxofficemojo.com.
  10. ↑ "Norm of the North (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Norm of the North reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ "'Ride Along 2' & 'Revenant' Pushing 'Star Wars' To 3rd Place Over 4-Day MLK Holiday; Kevin Hart-Ice Cube Sequel Eyes $40.2M". deadline.com.
  13. ↑ "Norm of the North | Splash Entertainment, LLC.". www.splashentertainment.com. Retrieved 2016-05-23.

External links

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