Brother Bear Movie Review:


After unveiling the sensational Pixar film Finding Nemo (2003) this past summer, Walt Disney Pictures moves back into their traditional animation basis with the dismal Brother Bear. This film really struggles to find common ground; it does not even seem like a Disney animated film, Brother Bear is almost like the films that Disney sends straight to DVD or VHS.

Obviously from the title, the film is about brotherhood, though the audiences hardly feel the aspect at all. The story involves three brothers in the Pacific Northwest shortly after the end of the Ice Age. Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) is the youngest of three brothers, which include the middle brother Denahi (Jason Raize) and the oldest Sitka (D.B. Sweeney). Sitka is the wisest of the three and continuously speaks to his two younger brothers about their place among their people and ancestors. Kenai is irresponsible and hardheaded, but he does love his brothers very much, though Denahi always picks on him. Due to Kenai’s clumsiness, a grizzly bear steals the village’s fish and the youngest brother looks to take his embarrassment out on the bear by going after her with a spear. Tragically, Sitka is killed while saving Kenai’s life from the bear. Filled with guilt and anger, Kenai hunts the bear for revenge; however, his ancestors change him into a 7-foot bear for him to gain a new perspective on life. Shocked by his new body and unable to communicate with his brother Denahi as a bear, Kenai heads off on a journey to find where the lights touch the earth, which is the only place he can be transformed back into a man. Along the way he creates a brotherly bond between a young and energized bear cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez). Koda claims to know where the lights touch the earth and contributes to leading Kenai on an adventure of realization and of course brotherhood.

It is hard to describe the various problems in Brother Bear without revealing spoiler information, in which I have chosen to keep this review spoiler free. The concept of Brother Bear really stumbles from the start of the film. It almost seems like directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker along with the film’s five writers just threw together too many weak ideas of presenting the film’s brotherhood theme. The whole notion of a man being turned into a bear by his ancestors to teach him a lesson about cherishing life is hard enough to explain. The characters in the film are not well rounded like in most Walt Disney films; they are really like cardboard cut outs in this film. The three brothers as well as Koda are all pretty stale, as well as the supporting characters, especially the two annoying mooses, Rutt and Tuke, who are voiced by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis. The elements of brotherhood are presented between the characters, but are hardly ever felt throughout the film, especially between Kenai and Koda.

The animation is standard in terms of Disney, but no matter if the visuals were flashy in this film, the content is still dull. The voices are commendable and the musical score by Mark Mancina is solid. The film is also full of Phil Collins musical songs, in which Collins won an Oscar for best song in the much better animated film Tarzan (1999).

Through all this film’s struggles, the ultimate question is will kids watch this film? Sure they will. However, The Lion King (1994), The Little Mermaid (1989), or Tarzan (1999), would seem to be better film choices to deliver themes of family to kids, than Brother Bear. Though Brother Bear is rated G, there are a few deaths in the film, which might upset very young children. There is no other way to define this film, except as probably one of the weakest animated films to ever come from Walt Disney Pictures.

Grade: C-

10/24/03

Joseph Tucker

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