| BROTHER BEAR |
 2003 - USADirectors: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker - Reviewed by Vickie
This week, Disney is releasing Brother Bear, a sombre, dull and altogether uninspired animated retread about a self-centered young man who learns how to be a better person after he’s turned into a bear. Taking the basic story elements from Emperor and changing the setting, tone and degree of whimsy, Disney’s latest animated offering is kind of a disappointment. The story, set around the end of the Ice Age, finds headstrong and stubborn young Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) struggling with some growing pains: namely, his desire to be thought of as a man instead of a boy. When his older brother, Sitka (voiced by D.B. Sweeney) is killed by a bear, an angry Kenai is overcome with a need for vengeance. A few mystic incantations and some spiritual intervention later, Kenai is, much to his horror, magically transformed into the very creature he’s set out to kill: a big, ole’ brown bear. As is the case with just about every Disney film, Kenai sets out on a journey of self-discovery in a bid to be returned to his human state. He’s befriended by a precocious bear cub named Koda (voice by Jeremy Suarez) and encounters a variety of woodland creatures along the way, all of whom are meant to teach him about tolerance and love (the latter of which is his totem). They include a behemoth bear named Tug (voiced, appropriately enough, by behemoth Michael Clarke Duncan) and a pair of HIGHLY irritating moose (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. in their very best Bob and Doug McKenzie voices). That all sounds well and good, but the resulting film is a boring downer. It’s sad and empty. It doesn’t feel fresh or new, like most of Disney’s animated stable, but instead feels like a story we’ve seen before (because we have) only redone without the heart, spirit and originality. The ending isn’t much of a surprise and the relationship between the two main characters as they travel, while cute, isn’t terribly exciting. The film does, however, possess a nice message about environmentalism and nature, so it’s not all bad. Just a yawner. The much-ballyhooed music from the film, which includes original songs by Phil Collins, is downright overwhelming at times. There are uneventful musical montage sequences that completely slow down the pace of the film and seem to serve as nothing more than brief, animated music videos. The songs aren’t integral to the plot and actually wind up being more distracting than anything else. Will kids still love Brother Bear? Sure they will. And maybe that’s the point – to appeal to a very young crowd whose expectations for cartoon movies are decidedly low. For me, though, not so much. |
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In 2000, Disney released The Emperor’s New Groove, a smart,
funny and altogether terrific animated comedy about a self-centered
young man who learns how to be a better person after he’s turned into a
llama.
