Brother Bear [17]

I have never been to the Northwest Territories or Alaska, where I believe this movie is set. I have always been interested in seeing for myself based upon books I have read. The most notable books I can recommend are James Michener’s Alaska and Jack London’s Call Of The Wild. There are many beautiful cartoon depictions of this scenery.

The Disney Studio has given us a look into tales handed down through many cultures. This one is based upon a tribe of Inuit dwellers in North America. A young Inuit hunter, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) seeks vengeance against a bear for the death of his brother Sitka By killing the bear, he is magically changed into a bear himself. His only chance to change back is with a talkative bear cub, Koda (Jeremy Suarez) whose mother was the bear he killed.

Comedy relief is provided by two moose, Rutt and Tuke. Or as they are better known, Bob and Doug MacKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas). They recreate their voices from the SCTV comedy series. Their inclusion probably covers the Canadian broadcast requirements for percentage of Canadian content. “Trample off, you hoofer!” is a nod to “Take off, you hoser!”. One of my problems with this movie is that Rick and Dave provide the only recognizable "star" voices. None of the other voices really have a recognizable character quality to them.

I found this story to be dull, despite the scenery and comedy. I think my children feel the same way, since they have not asked to see this movie again. Despite the use of the magic of the mountain, the story is not very magical. Nor do I find Koda to be “cute”. He seems to be a lippy streetwise punk who had very little parenting whatsoever. So what would be the point in Kenai being a parent to him?

This is Disney’s way of introducing moviegoers to the toughness of the Northwest wilderness. It is a bear-eat-bear brutal existence in reality. But hey, if you want that, watch the wildlife channel. In the Disney Studios, all furry animals are cute, cuddly and playful.

Rent this once, and see it for yourself. Do not buy it, even to flesh out your Disney collection. {BB}

Added: April 4th 2005
Reviewer: BB
29 Point Scale Score:    [17]

Related Link (IMDB): IMDB
Hits: 1930
Language: english