Preamble
I've been traveling so much that the fact that Disney was putting out a new animated feature almost passed by me. I thought - cool - here's a movie I can take Ethan to see and we'll have a good time. Apparently though, the age of nine is the age where you decide that animated features put out by Disney are meant for babies and not boys. After showing him the trailer online, he decided to do me the favor of accompanying me to see Brother Bear. Apparently, the two moose verbally sparring back and forth was enough to convince Ethan that it might not be a baby movie entirely.

The Story
Many years ago, an indian tribe in the Pacific Northwest, was home to three brothers - Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), Denami (Jason Raize), and Sitka (D.B. Sweeney). Kenai, the youngest, is a bit irresponsible and carefree. Oldest brother Sitka is wise and calm - the guy everyone turns to to "right" any situation. Denami, the middle son, tries to act cool but can't with the irritating presence of his little brother Kenai.

At a certain time in every young man's life, a ceremony is conducted whereby he is bestowed with a wooden totem of the animal spirit which represents his calling in life. Sitka is an eagle (wisdom), Denami has a wolf (bravery), and Kenai in the most recent ceremony, is given a bear (love). A bear? Kenai can't stand bears. And the quality of love? That's not something a guy should be proud to represent.

Angry, he goes off into the mountains and picks a fight with a bear. The bear responds back causing Kenai to have to defend himself. In the process, his brother Sitka sacrifices his own life in order to save the lives of his two brothers. Kenai is devastated and vows to seek revenge on the bear that took his brother's life.

Denami tries to talk his brother out of it. It will alter the spirits. Kenai doesn't listen. He tracks the bear down and kills it. The lights of the mountain swoop down and carry the bear off. Kenai sees the spirit of Sitka and thinks that he has made things right in the universe. In actuality, he has caused a lot of anger with the spirits. Sitka turns Kenai's physical form into a bear in order to teach him the essence of his totem.

Dazed and confused, Kenai doesn't know how to cope now that he's been thrown into the world of animals. His first interactions with animals are in the form of two moose - Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas). Although they are of no help, they are entertaining.

His next interaction is with a bear cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez). Kenai is forced to accept the friendship of Koda because Koda, although irritating in that little brother way, knows how to get back to the lights (spirits) that exist on the mountain. He needs to get back there in order to get his physical, human body back. There's one slight complication. His brother Denami who is so confused and overwhelmed by his own grief, tries to track down the bear who he thinks killed Kenai. He has no clue that Kenai is that bear.

Does Kenai get his human form back before Denami kills him? Who is this Koda bear and why does he insist on babbling non-stop? Ah, probably doesn't take a genius to figure that one out :).

The Scoop
The story is typical Disney. As my friend David says, in a Disney movie someone ALWAYS gets killed early on so that there's some life lesson to be learned (the hard way). Where this film's story line differs from the others is some of the new age stuff that is thrown in. That might make some of you uncomfortable. It didn't me but then again, I'm not a traditional chick.

The heart of the movie belongs with the character of Koda. C'mon, we all adore kids. Take any Disney kid - Simba, Lilo, Nemo - and their wide-eye innocense and enthusiasm for life is infectious. Jeremy Suarez is perfect in this role and there's no doubt that you just want to scoop him up and smooch on him.

The stars of the show were Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. Reprising their characters from SCTV (the McKenzie brothers), these two are a non-stop barrel of laughs. My son was laughing so hard, that I was wondering about his bladder :). Me? I was laughing just as hard. The jokes were full of double meanings which worked well for both adults and children.

The other voices lent to the film - including Joaquin Phoenix, D.B. Sweeney, and Jason Raize - were fine. I think that I was too swept up in Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, and Jeremy Suarez and didn't have the opportunity to be wow'ed by the other guys.

The animation was done by the same people who did Lilo and Stitch and Mulan. I found the colors pre-Kenai becoming a bear to be more muted and icy in nature. Coincidence or were the writers and animators on the same page with Kenai's characterization?!

Once Kenai becomes a bear, there are two things that I noticed. First, the colors are much deeper and richer. The boldness of the brighter colors really wakes you up. Second, the screen ratio goes from flat (1:85 to 1), to widescreen anamorphic (2:35 to 1). Wowsers! What a difference! The imagery is much more dramatic in nature and I have to wonder how they're going to transfer this to dvd...

Let's talk about the music. While it's not in the same league as The Lion King or The Little Mermaid, it's not nearly as annoying as what was used for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron or Treasure Island. Probably the most lackluster tune is the one sung by Tina Turner - Great Spirits. It's used often (must be the "theme" song) and I just find that Tina's voice doesn't seem to match the overall tone of the film.

The End
Brother Bear is rated G. It's the perfect movie for the entire movie. See it!

Recommended: Yes