Brother Bear

2003 • 85 minutes

About this movie

Disney proudly presents Brother Bear, an epic animated adventure full of comedy and heart with five great songs from Academy Award® winner Phil Collins (Best Original Song). When an impulsive boy named Kenai is magically transformed into a bear, he must literally walk in another's footsteps until he learns some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Koda, hilarious moose Rutt and Tuke, woolly mammoths, rambunctious rams, and more!

Ratings and reviews

Brother Bear is a modern Disney movie that was not considered a Disney classic, and I can actually see where this is coming from; It's simplistic, predictable, there is nothing "down-to-earth" about it, and it's annoying. Now for simplicity and predictability, I usually enjoy simple films (movies with thin plots), as long as they have something in detail and a lot of spice to it's entertainment value, and for me it really contributes the entertainment value, thanks to the power of the great voice performances, the script-writing, the great sense of timing and rhythm, the cute funny comedy, the astounding music, and what makes brother bear so engaging is the dazzling animation that is on par with Tarzan (1999). Now as for something down to earth, The main theme of the movie that literally lives up to it's title is brotherhood; as the story goes a long, there is some information about brothers visually and verbally, it's all something that we can relate to which is always great. But that's not all: the story delivers strong messages about we are all brothers and they are all the same regardless of what kind we are, getting to know each other's perspectives, taking responsibility for our actions, and there are consequences for negative action as well. The final resolution on how this movie ends is satisfying. As for the characters, they are fleshed out. As for the annoyance of the film, I wasn't annoyed at all. Sure, there is a cheeky talkative bear cub named Koda but he has nobody to talk to and Jeremy Suarez who voices Koda makes him lighthearted. However, I do have one flaw: although most of the comedy is funny and mostly innocent, some of the humor just seems filler like when Tanana becomes rude, and then there is the duo of brother Moose named Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas). But I did find them amusing and sometimes funny due to their voice performances, but there are several lines of dialogue said by the dim-witted moose and it's not so funny. The animation designs and backgrounds are beautifully drawn as the animation strikes a surreal between authentic realism and cartoony wackiness. The colors are bright and beautifully rendered. Even the concept of the their world is fills up the fantastical magic of Disney imagination; brother bear takes place in the post ice age at the Pacific Northwest but has a mystical new-age fantasy twist to it; there is Native American Tribesman, there are magical great spirits, and aurora, there are grizzly bears, Canadian moose, bald eagles, musk ox, caribou, and even Woolly mammoths (weird I know, but that is the spirit of the made-up imaginative fantasy genre within the traditional sense of Disney and on the bright side, even some of the characters find it weird which improves that quality). The screenplay does have some polished composition alongside the memorable imagery. Visually, it is a beautiful and cute movie. The cast for the characters is an exceptional choice; it has an all-star cast that has great material that they have delivered and that is what contributes the amusing entertainment. The score by Mark Mancina and Phil Collins is an emotional dramatic score with superb instrumentation to reflect the culture and enhance the emotion (especially with the Bulgarian Women's choir). The songs in the soundtrack are a good fit each of the story's elements too with enjoyable results. The songwriters for the songs are Phil Collins and Tina Turner, they both have some sentimental singing. So, Brother Bear may not have been everyone's cup of tea when it comes to Disney, but for me, it is such an uplifting diversion because of how sweet, amusing, and dazzling it is; it's a sincerely touching diversion that the whole family can enjoy and be engaged while relating to the themes and morals. Recommended.

Have loved this movie since I was 3 when I saw it at the movie theater. Watched it every day of my childhood until I was about 9, then forgot about it. Just found the movie in my basement 3 weeks ago and have continued watching it everyday since (even as a 15 year old). Love it waaayyy too much. I even showed it to my grandma last night who absolutely loved it. Its so emotional, humorous, inspiring, and heartwarming (and the music is just so beautiful. Its great for the family. I recommend it to everyone.

Will be great to own this movie, which I might probably own when I get my money hooked up on my device, but I have to say this movie was truly amazing when I even seen it in theaters, and learning more what you really are is one of the morals that some can't hardly see, amazing movie