Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom

Movie review by Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

Forgettable, unnecessary, disjointed polar bear sequel.

NR 2019 91 minutes
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Parents say

age 6+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 6 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom is the sequel to 2016's talking polar bear comedy Norm of the North. This time around, Norm, newly crowned king of the Arctic, is invited back to New York City to receive the key to the city -- only to be caught up in a mistaken-identity crime. Expect a tad of insult language ("nerd," "butt"), some potty humor (i.e., plenty of fart jokes), and a dash of violence (pratfalls, a police chase, etc.), but this is mostly a harmless sequel about the value of teamwork and becoming a good leader.

Community Reviews

Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Adult
May 12, 2022
age 6+

Promising premise runied by boring plot, iffy messages.

The ONLY reason I wanted to see this movie was because I thought the premise of various children show characters competing for an award would actually be pretty funny...right? WRONG. As it turns out, instead of a entertaining competition film, we get a whole bunch of forced character cameos that literally evoke every single cartoon stereotype possible AND add absolutely NOTHING to the movie at all. As if that weren't enough, we get a ridiculously convoluted plotline that involves Daniel Tiger going off into the forest to drink "Funny Water" so he can be "funny" again and win the entire competition. At that point, I was so fed up with this movie that I went upstairs to take a shower while my younger cousin still watched it. When I came back down again, the movie was STILL on, so I decided to just watch the rest of it in the vague hope that it would somehow get better (which it didn't). And what did I find but Lincoln Loud repeatedly dunking Daniel in the "Funny Water" against his will until he can tell some "funny" jokes, which are (surprise!) all at Daniel's own expense. As if THAT weren't enough, we THEN got Lincoln "teaching" Daniel that it's perfectly OK to make mean or hurtful jokes about yourself to make others laugh, because that's apparently how humor works. Wow. OK, OK, I'll admit, he didn't quite say THAT (Thank God), but he WAS talking about self-deprecation in such a way that unknowing kids might interpret it as such. And if that's not a dangerous message to be sending to kids, I don't know what is. Anyway, once that's finally over, we then get Daniel crashing into the festival and confronting Katerina Kittycat's new lover, which THEN just turns out to be a robot controlled by Scooby Doo. Great. Also, this movie is really big on consumerism, even featuring lame tie-in video games as a DVD-ROM bonus feature. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend avoiding this movie at literally ALL costs, unless you need to distract your hyperactive 6-year old for 70 minutes or so. My MPAA rating: PG for some mild violence.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

NORM OF THE NORTH: KEYS TO THE KINGDOM follows polar bear Norm (voiced by Andrew Toth) as he's crowned king of the Arctic. On the day of his coronation, his best human friend, Olympia (Maya Kay), calls Norm with great news: The mayor of New York City is going to give Norm the key to the city, which in this movie literally opens every door in New York. Norm travels to Manhattan with his oldest son (and three adorably mischievous lemmings) for the ceremony -- but that same night, someone in a polar bear suit swipes the key and starts robbing banks. Norm, Olympia, and the gang solve the mystery, only to return to the Arctic and discover that a bottled-water company is stealing chunks of ice to package. Norm must rise to the occasion and save his habitat in an unconventional manner.

Is It Any Good?

Considering that the original was only passable, it's no wonder this sequel is even less appealing; it's likely to delight only very young moviegoers more excited about the experience than the movie. It's not literally the worst animated family movie ever made (there's always something worse, like Alpha and Omega 2), but it's definitely forgettable. It almost feels like two disconnected storylines from an episodic TV show: "Norm and friends have to solve the mystery of who's robbing banks while disguised as bears" and "Norm and pals have to save their Arctic home from an unethical corporation."

The animation is amateurish, and at times the voice performances don't perfectly match up with their characters' lip and facial movements. That's not to say that young, polar bear-loving kids who enjoyed the first movie won't also like this unnecessary installment. But adults, parents, and older kids won't find Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom a satisfying watch. It simply doesn't stack up against all the competition for quality children's and family entertainment.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom's messages about leadership and governance. How does Norm learn to be a good king? How is the mayor an example of how not to rule?

  • Parents can also discuss the ongoing popularity of talking-animal movies. Why do you think this one has only two animal characters that can speak to humans?

  • Why do you think so many kids' movies include potty humor? Is that the only way to make children laugh? What's the appeal?

  • How does the story show the value of teamwork?

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