Exploring the Canadian Connections Behind Disneynature’s Oceans

I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of the recent Disneynature film Oceans was the walrus mother hugging her pup close as she teaches him to navigate the ice cold water off Cobourg Island.

Maybe I’m biased. After all, this was just some of the fabulous footage captured by Disneynature crews working with Arctic Kingdom. And, despite un-self conscious the ease with which the walrus cradles her young, the shoot was not without its challenges. In a recent article posted at the Canada Tourism Centre’s Media center, AK founder Graham Dickson explains:

“Walruses are not only potentially dangerous, but the mothers tend to be protective of their young. So finding one, in clear water, that keeps doing her thing naturally, was pretty incredible.”

Graham goes on to explain that finding animals in the wild is just one of the challenges of filming Arctic wildlife.

“The challenge is to find meaningful connections” between the animals, he says. Some animals are frankly too self-conscious; they’re so aware of the dive crews that they aren’t … themselves. Sometimes, strangely enough, the most intimidating animals make the most fittingly Zen subjects. Like, for example, a big alpha-male polar bear, caught at a moment when he’s well fed and king of all he surveys. Bears in such conditions “are almost blasé,” Dickson says. “They don’t care that you’re around. They don’t fear you. You’re not part of their food chain.”

Arctic Kingdom’s secret lies in the relationships we’ve formed over years of working and returning to the Arctic. Meaningful connections built between our expedition leaders and the local guides we work with help us to find and form connections with the wild creatures that make the Arctic their home.

“[The Inuit] have the strongest connection of anyone to the wildlife,” Dickson says. Roughly half of Arctic Kingdom’s field personnel team comes from the local native communities. “We work not only with youth but with very old elders who don’t speak English. We’re a ‘southern’ company that has spent enough time in the North to actually know some Northern ways. We bring the sophisticated logistics, but we still plug into the local community network and everything the Inuit hold near and dear.”

By relying on the traditional knowledge of Inuit guides, Arctic Kingdom is providing jobs for far northern communities that draws upon traditional knowledge and values, helping build and strengthen the Arctic economy for a changing future. Simultaneously, we’re helping other “southerners” connect with the world of the North (including some extremely photogenic walruses). Not a bad way to make a living!

Disney’s secret weapon: Canadian Arctic footage in new doc ‘Oceans.’ | Media centre | Canadian Tourism Commission.

Collider.com posts 5 Clips from Disneynature’s OCEANS

Oceans opens this Thursday, and we couldn’t be more excited. Here are five new preview clips, via Collider.com. There’s a brief ad at the start, but it’s worth sitting through!

5 Movie Clips from Disneynature’s OCEANS – Collider.com.

On the Map: Where’s Arctic Kingdom Today?

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This week, Expedition Manager Tom Lennartz is exploring the area around Kangiqsualujjuaq, a village 1,688 km (that’s over a thousand miles) north of Quebec. Located on Ungava Bay, the village is an access point for viewing all sorts of wildlife, including caribou, seal and beluga.

On this week’s trip, Tom is working with a film crew to capture footage of the polar bears in the surrounding wilderness as mothers and cubs emerge from their dens, shot against some of Canada’s most stunning scenery.

Now, keep in mind that the satellite image up top was taken in the summer. This time of year, the wilderness surrounding Kangiqsualujjuaq is cold, with long nights lit by the rippling green light of the aurora borealis. With the Torngat mountains creating a stunning backdrop, this is a breathtaking landscape, full of amazing wildlife.

I’m hoping Tom will be able to access the blog this weekend and give us some updates. And I wouldn’t mind a few photos, either!

One of my favorite polar bear photos, taken on a 2007 expedition by Louise Murray

Caught on Film: Narwhals

Found via Narwhals: The Unicorn of the Sea | Aquaviews – Online SCUBA Magazine.

Much of this footage was taken by filmmaker Doug Allen on an Arctic Kingdom expedition to Lancaster Sound in 2002 & 2003, near the mouth and leads that form at the mouth of Admiralty Inlet. Expedition Leader Thomas notes, “It was a priviledge to be on the floe edge alongside such a well known filmmaker.”

More Arctic Films on the Radar: Im Einsatz für Eisbären

Maybe it’s Knut’s influence. Over the last few months, several German-language films about the plight of polar bears in the wild have hit both the television market and the big screen.

The latest film to come across my radar is Im Einsatz fur Eisbaren, featuring the German actor Hannes Jaenicke. Jaenicke travels to the Canadian Arctic to investigate the threats, including climate change and hunting, facing polar bears in the wild.

Eisbären Können Nicht Weinen

A mother bear and her cub check out an AK expedition.

Here at Arctic Kingdom, we’re proud to collaborate with filmmakers from around the globe. Recently, we had the pleasure of working with with Thomas Behrend of Blue Planet films on his German-Language film Eisbären Können Nicht Weinen (or Polar Bears Don’t Cry). The film is currently playing at Germany’s Green Screen Festival, where it is up for a Jury’s Special Award.

This is the second of  Blue Planet’s Arctic films to receive acclaim. Das Abenteuer der Eisbärenkinder (The Adventure of the Polar Bear Cubs in English), which was also filmed with help from Arctic Kingdom, won the Magnolia Award at the Shanghai TV Festival in Singapore, as well as the “Bester deutscher Film Naturvision” in Neuschönau, Germany in 2008.

Where is Arctic Kingdom Today?

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This morning, Graham sent me coordinates for the team members Thomas Lennartz and Michael Robertson’s current location. The two are working on the ice near Baffin Island with a Spanish filmaking crew and a private photographer, respectively.

This sort of piggybacking (two separate expeditions sharing one location in or around the same time frame) is one of the strategies Arctic Kingdom employs to minimize expedition costs while keeping the highest standards for safety and comfort in the field. Read More →

Narwhal Week: BBC NEWS ‘Arctic Unicorns’ Video Captures the Elusive Narwhal

via BBC NEWS, ‘Arctic unicorns’ in icy display.

This week, I’m highlighting narwhals in honor of Arctic Kingdom’s upcoming expedition to Lancaster Sound. The expedition’s primary goal is to view and swim with narwhal and beluga as they begin their summer migration.

So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon that video up there. This is what the Lancaster Sound trip is all about! Read More →

Featured Video: Swimming with Whales & Camping on Sea Ice in the Arctic

Harsh though it seems, the High Arctic teems with life. One of the things I love about this video is how much of that life is in evidence, from large mammals, including narwhal and beluga, to the clouds of plankton that swirl around the camera and divers. And check out the crazy undersea plant life that shows up at around 1:42!

This video also showcases the diving, photographic opportunities, and natural beauty that make Lancaster Sound one of our most popular destinations. Visit the trip page to find out how you can join the fun!

“Everyone Thinks We’re Crazy. But it’s a Lot of Fun”: Arctic Kingdom on Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet

One of the draws of diving under the ice is the visibility — the colder water is, the clearer it gets, making winter one of the best times to view underwater sites such as the St. Lawrence River’s shipwrecks and lost villages.

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