Brother Bear

Disney has often been criticized for coming up short when it comes to
original stories for their feature animated movies. Films such as Snow
White, The Little Mermaid and more recently Tarzan were all based on
previously published (and successful) tales. Brother Bear reinvigorates
the charm and fun that belong in Disney movies and sports an original
story by virtually inexperienced writers.

Brother Bear tells the story of a Native American boy named Kenai
(keen-eye) who is in a hurry to prove himself a man among his tribe. In
his haste, he exhibits prejudices towards the animals, specifically
bears, believing them to be unthinking, unfeeling killers due to a
tragic accident that is in a strong way his own fault. The great
spirits that his tribe members believe in choose to transform the boy
into the very thing that he unjustly hates: a bear. In his journey to
become human again Kenai learns to see through the eyes of another and
instead learns to care for his brothers in nature, including a young
bear cub, Koda, who has been separated from his mother.

The root story is common, especially among animated movies. Step into
another’s shoes to gain a better understanding of who they are and to
realize you aren’t so different after all. It’s an excellent lesson
that has been told time and time again, but is often ignored by the
world. The way in which it is told, however, is entertaining, emotional
and frequently hilarious, thanks to many bit characters, but mostly to
two confused but good hearted Canadian Moose. Rutt and Tuke, voiced by
Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas respectively, provide dimwitted but
good-hearted banter throughout the movie and easily become the
audience’s favorite characters.

Truly laugh out loud moments occur frequently enough to keep the touchy
feely moments bearable (no pun intended). Even a few tear jerking
moments are happily turned to laughter, quickly keeping the movie from
being too much of an emotional heavy. At just short of an hour and a
half, the film still seems a bit long in the tooth to start, taking
nearly 45 minutes to get to the meat of the story when Kenai is turned
into a bear. Still, it provides humor and drama on every age level.
Even if you aren’t heavy with child(ren), Brother Bear is fun and
funny, whose lesson is pointed without being preachy. Oh, and stay for
the ‘outakes’ during the credits and a short clip at the credits’
finale.