Brother Bear

Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: October 24, 2003

6.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 154 Ratings

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MrMovieBuffMar 22, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The best Disney films are the anthropomorphic ones, in other words, the ones where the animals are the main focus of a story. We see this in such classics like; 'Bambi' (1942), 'Lady and the Tramp' (1955), and 'The Lion King' (1994), and in 2003, Disney decides to tackle it again in 'Brother Bear'.

What the movie focuses on is a young man named Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) who, along with his older brothers; Denahi (Jason Raize) and Sitka (D.B. Sweeny) try to achieve their goals and get their rewards. Kenai is hoping to receive his totem, a necklace that is shaped like an animal, and what the animal represents can differ. The bear, which is the one he receives, means love, and he is dismayed at this as his brother, Denahi, teases him constantly about getting such a non-masculine totem.

Kenai wants to prove himself, but ends up coming across an incident with a vicious looking bear. The eldest brother, Sitka, decides to sacrifice himself to save his two brothers from the vicious animal. The bear escapes, and the leaves the two brothers to feel guilty. But Kenai isn't done yet, he decides to search for the bear, and kill it there and then so he can mourn for the death of his brother.

Little does Kenai know that after he slaughters the bear, the lights that touch the mountain where he was standing on that contain the spirits of the dead, including his oldest brother, Sitka, decide to transform him into a bear as some form of punishment. It is one of those stories where we see our main hero attempting to learn his lesson the hard way, and realize that what he is doing, or what he has done, is wrong.

Kenai, now transformed into a bear, ends up coming across a little bear cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez), and they agree to help each other find the lights and head back up to the mountain. We learn about Koda's story and how he and his mother were separated, and now he must feel it is his time to find her. We also learn that, later, Kenai is the one responsible for Koda's mother's death which is what transformed him into a bear in the first place. This is an effective twist as it may catch the viewer off guard, but can also be a little predictable given how many times you have seen this story told in the past.

At the end, Kenai does reach the mountain with Denahi present, as he believes that he is the bear that killed Kenai. The lights touch Kenai and transforms him back into human, however, he decides that it is best to become a bear as he has grown to become fond of little Koda.

The ending here, for me, is extremely flawed and incredibly rushed, the fact that we were rooting for this character to become human within the first two acts of the movie, and then decides that he should stay as a bear due to the fact that he feels guilty for the mother Bear's death seemed odd.

The music here is good though, it has that "Lion King" vibe to it which is nice to listen to on an adventure like this. The songs by Phil Collins are also good, though, given that this is supposed to be a musical, none of the characters sing, and it is mainly in the background which seems a little off. There is this one scene, in particular, where a guilty Kenai (as a bear) confesses to Koda about what happened to his mother, but all we get is the camera spiraling around the two characters as he tells the story, with Phil Collins singing in the background. I understand what Disney was trying to do there, crafting an emotional scene only through facial expressions and music, but it didn't quite work as well as expected.

Overall, 'Brother Bear' is mediocre Disney fare, it isn't a great Disney film like; 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991) (my absolute favorite), 'The Lion King' (1994), or 'Mulan' (1998), but it's still something for the kids to enjoy. As a child however, I don't remember enjoying this movie as much as the others I listed, and even as an adult, it still doesn't agree with me. It's not that this is a bad film, it's just, the story could have been told more effectively without depending too much on the visuals and the music.

Speaking of visuals, they are marvelous, the landscapes and colorful backgrounds do prove to be eye-candy, especially in 2D animation, since 3D animation was making its way into mainstream films with Pixar leading the way in innovation.

'Brother Bear' tells a good story, the execution needed some tweaking here and there, we could've been looking at the next 'Lion King'.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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MovieLonely94Oct 23, 2010

it wasn't the best disney movie when it was overshadowed by Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, but this movie was pretty much worth a try.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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FuturedirectorJun 12, 2017

May hardcore sensitive or young viewers, but Brother Bear cannot avoid its flawed result and crappy animation. Disney's animated classics have been better than this one.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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MovieGuysMar 7, 2014

Brother Bear is sweet and heartwarming, but it's not that fun or entertaining. it's almost like a dramatic film for adults aimed for kids, not knowing its place.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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MichaelDFeb 24, 2011

Not as good as for example, Toy Story but still for kids (aged 6-10), they'll probably enjoy it.

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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FranzHcriticJul 7, 2014

I vaguely remember watching this movie when it came out. I remember sweetness, but also very cynical and now, after re-watching it, I could easily picture out how the film would finish and I even found the most tragic scenes hard not to fallI vaguely remember watching this movie when it came out. I remember sweetness, but also very cynical and now, after re-watching it, I could easily picture out how the film would finish and I even found the most tragic scenes hard not to fall asleep to.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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tdickensheetsFeb 19, 2016

Was good movie.

I have the DVD.

I draw bears.

I like Koda.

I like the songs.

People didn't understand this movie. They didn't about the story.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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Iky009Jan 6, 2014

Outra fraca animação da DisneyOutra fraca animação da Disney … Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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SimpsonFansSep 16, 2016

After the box-office failure of "Treasure Planet," I wonder whether Brother Bear might not be the last traditional bit of Disney animation for a while.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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clem666Jul 24, 2021

One of my childhood movies. Disney deals here with another different culture in human history. 'Brother Bear' is beautiful, inspiring, colorful and still a testament to the early days of 3D special effects (for better and for worse).One of my childhood movies. Disney deals here with another different culture in human history. 'Brother Bear' is beautiful, inspiring, colorful and still a testament to the early days of 3D special effects (for better and for worse). Characters are as simple as the plot. Jokes are agreeable. Remarkable and iconic soundtrack, many thanks to Phil Collins. The credits scenes are just unforgettable. It's a shame they were compiled here because some of them just contained the best jokes of 'Brother Bear'.

Unfortunately 'Brother Bear' is characterized by many flaws. There are too many moments where you wonder where this film wants to go. Many scenes are just useless despite this movie being surprisingly short. Characters are way too shallow: Kenai and his brothers have no parents, no family, no friends, no external social support, no other goal in life than revenge. And it goes the same way for Koda: no father, no friend, no depth. The only moments where the characters could have been deepened are skipped. In general the pace is really tricky. I realize that this movie has no real feminine powerful role which is rare for a Disney movie. Is it just because the movie title contains the word 'brother' and is about brotherhood? In the end all the plot is stuck between Kenai-Koda-Denahi without ever getting some fresh air until the end.

I maintain that the morale (always search behind the appearances, respect nature, learn to forgive because the hate path only generates more violence and suffering, ...) is awesome, especially for kids. But wow, this movie could have done it in a way more simple and structured way.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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greedybadideaMay 25, 2020

In a post-ice age Alaska, the local tribesmen believe all creatures are created through the Great Spirits, who are said to appear in the form of an aurora. A trio of brothers, Kenai, the youngest; Denahi, the middle; and Sitka, the eldest,In a post-ice age Alaska, the local tribesmen believe all creatures are created through the Great Spirits, who are said to appear in the form of an aurora. A trio of brothers, Kenai, the youngest; Denahi, the middle; and Sitka, the eldest, return to their tribe in order to receive their totems, necklaces in the shapes of different animals. The particular animals they represent symbolize what they must achieve to call themselves men. Unlike Sitka, who gained the eagle of guidance, and Denahi, who gained the wolf of wisdom, Kenai receives the bear of love. He objects to his totem, stating that bears are thieves, and believes his point is made a fact when a Kodiak bear steals their basket of salmon. Kenai and his brothers pursue the bear, but a fight ends on top of a glacier, during which Sitka gives his life to save his brothers by dislodging the glacier, although the bear survives the fall. After Sitka's funeral, an enraged Kenai blames the bear for Sitka's death. He hunts down and chases the bear up onto a rocky cliff, fighting and eventually slaying it. The Spirits, represented by Sitka's spirit in the form of a bald eagle, show up and transform Kenai into a bear after the dead bear's body evaporates and joins them. Denahi arrives and, believing that Kenai was killed by the bear from earlier, vows to avenge Kenai by hunting it down.

Kenai falls down some rapids, survives, and is healed by Tanana, the shaman of his tribe. She does not speak the bear language, but advises him to return to the mountain to find Sitka and be turned back to a human, but only when he atones for his actions; she vanishes without an explanation. Kenai quickly discovers that the wildlife can now speak to him, meeting a pair of moose brothers named Rutt and Tuke. He gets caught in a trap, but is freed by an outgoing bear cub named Koda. They make a deal: Kenai will escort Koda to an annual salmon run and then the cub will lead Kenai to the mountain. As the two eventually form a brother-like relationship, Koda reveals that his mother is missing. The two are hunted by Denahi, who is still determined to avenge Kenai, unaware that the bear he is pursuing is actually Kenai himself. Eventually, Kenai and Koda reach the salmon run, where a large number of bears live as a family, including the leader Tug. Kenai accepts his new surroundings and is comfortable living with the other bears. During a discussion among the bears, Koda tells a story about his mother recently fighting human hunters on a glacier, reminding Kenai of his and his brothers' fight with the bear that lead to Sitka's death and making him realize that the entire time, the bear he killed was Koda's mother herself.

Horrified and traumatized at what he has done, Kenai runs away in a fit of guilt, but Koda soon follows him. Crestfallen, Kenai confesses the truth to Koda, who runs away, grief-stricken. An apologetic Kenai leaves to reach the mountain. Meanwhile, Rutt and Tuke, having had a falling-out, reform their brotherhood in front of Koda, encouraging him to forgive Kenai. On the mountain, Kenai is cornered by Denahi, but their battle is interrupted by Koda, who steals Denahi's spear. Kenai sacrifices himself for Koda, out of love, prompting Sitka to appear and turn him back into a human, much to Denahi and Koda's surprise. However, upon realizing that Koda needs him because of his own mistake, Kenai asks Sitka to transform him back into a bear with Denahi's support. Sitka complies, and Kenai is transformed back into a bear. Koda is reunited briefly with the spirit of his mother, before she and Sitka return to the Spirits. In the end, Kenai lives with the rest of the bears and gains his title as a man, through being a bear.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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