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Parents' Guide to

The Journey Home

By Grace Montgomery, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Arctic adventure tale has lots of suspense, some dark themes

Movie PG 2015 98 minutes
The Journey Home Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • The Journey Home Movie: Scene #1
  • The Journey Home Movie: Scene #2

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

allisonsojka
allisonsojka Parent of 7-year-old
February 23, 2020
age 11+
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

When Luke (Dakota Goyo) finds a polar bear cub that has been separated from his mother, he's determined to reunite the pair, even if the journey is dangerous. When Luke's family discovers he's missing, they have no one else to turn to but Muktuk (Goran Visnjic), an experienced tracker who may have been responsible for the death of Luke's father. But when Muktuk rescues Luke after he falls into melting ice, the pair find themselves stuck in a dangerous storm, alone on the ice. Will they be able to survive the dangerous journey to save the polar bear cub? And will Luke ever discover the truth about his father's death?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Although it's a visually stunning homage to the beauty and splendor of the Canadian Arctic, this adventure film falls a bit flat on plot development and dialogue. Kids with short attention spans will appreciate the quick jump into the perilous journey across the ice, but older kids and adults may want a little more character development and less awkward lessons on the Arctic wildlife. But animal and nature lovers will enjoy the playful romping of the polar bear cub and the incredible shots of narwhals, seals, and more.

Parents no doubt will appreciate the overarching emphasis on protecting native wildlife and cultures and the responsibility we all have to protect the defenseless, even if it is a bit heavy-handed. They'll also appreciate the more nuanced messages about the give and take of parents learning to allow kids to become their own people, as well as that of kids learning that parents are complex adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the treatment of wildlife in the film. Do you think it's necessary to protect people from wildlife? Or should people respect the native habitat of wildlife, even if it endangers people?

  • Why do you think people would choose to live in a dangerous place such as the Canadian Arctic? Would you want to live there?

  • What do you know about the Inuit people and their culture? Why is it important to know about and protect the culture of Native peoples?

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