The rapid shrinking of the Arctic’s ice cap due to global warming “has left polar bears on thin ice,’’ narrator Meryl Streep informs us in this superficial 3-D documentary from four-decade IMAX veteran Greg MacGillivray.
It takes about five minutes to detail the impact on a pair of cubs and their mother, who is forced to make a sort of Sophie’s Choice — though that term is mercifully not used — to survive in an environment where food has become scarce due to climate change.
Yes, there’s some spectacular footage. But there’s also an awful lot of filler for a 40-minute movie, including a subplot about caribou (no sign of Sarah Palin, though), some superfluous musical contributions from Sir Paul McCartney and what looks like a clip from the 90-year-old documentary “Nanook of the North.’’
“To the Arctic’’ may have its heart in the right place and entertain young children, but when credits rendering the names of Streep and the crew as chunks of ice break into shards, it is a pretty good indication of just how hokey things will get.