Brother Bear - 7 stars out of 10

Brother Bear - 7 stars out of 10
1050th Review

“Brother Bear” greatly exceeded my expectations.  I have grown to have little faith in any Disney animated film produced between 1999 and 2008 (the post-Mulan era) as traditional musicals were out and the “let’s try to appeal to a new generation” philosophy was in; however, “Brother Bear” had some of the heart of the Disney Renaissance.  Like “The Lion King” and “Mulan,” the themes of this film are geared toward adults while the adventurous content and humor keep children entertained.  The shortcoming of “Brother Bear” is that, unlike the aforementioned films in which kids understand the important themes in a more innocent way, there is disconnect in this film where the adults “get it” and the kids simply enjoy the adventure without a resonating moral.  That being said, the comic relief is right on par with the Disney classics.  Rutt and Tuke are like the Canadian version of Timon and Pumbaa, voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in a tribute to their famous Bob and Doug McKenzie characters.  The rams are even funnier during their 2 minutes of screen time.  I would watch the movie again just for them.  The atmosphere transports us to a place that is mysterious and intriguing, even though it isn’t too far away.  Most importantly, the film has a gut-wrenching moment of realization for the audience.  Maybe I am just naïve, but I never saw that twist coming and it was presented with perfection.  After so many subtle hints throughout the film, it just hits you at the same time that it hits Kenai.  I really love how they completely change the perception of the opening of the film by simply changing the bear’s eyes from beady, frightening ones to loving cartoon eyes.  It really is one of the best-presented Disney moments.  Unfortunately, a lot of the film just can’t contend with its Disney predecessors.  I love the soundtrack by Phil Collins but I would have much rather heard the characters sing the songs.  The animation was better than any other animation studio, but just not up to par with Disney’s standards.  The voice acting is okay but no comparison to films like “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.”  The characters aren’t even that memorable (I can’t picture Kenai as a human right now, and can barely remember the names of the other characters).  I think that 7 stars is a fitting rating for this film.  Above average, entertaining, worth watching, but nowhere near Disney’s greatest.