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Visitors Review

richard cavellero 2012-05-25 23:06:10

Still reigns effective! but looses some of the big D magic!

Brother Bear is a good solid disney effort. On many levels it suceeds. Thefilm was filled emotion and brought tears to my eyes. But it felt toorushed, the charachters weren't developed as much, the film was more foradults than kids. It didn't have alot of noticable humor and was mostlyserious. And the music was just not effective. Phil Collins was much moreeffective with Disney's Tarzan. However, Disney still brings good familyentertainment and still reigns truly effective. But Disney films have lostsome of the wonder and it's classic magical effect. Brother Bear is thestory of a group of bros. the youngest of the three reaches a point in hislife when he is to become a man. And is given his totem(a symbol of how tolive your life) by their tribes spiritual leader. But trouble ensues withabear and he ends up taking it's life. The spirits gather and to show himtheway and the consequence of his actions they turn him into a bear. And hemakes some friends along the way and learns lessons about tolearence andtheunderstandement of others. It's true that the film is effectivelyemotionaland entertaining. But it's themes and storyline have been done before andbetter. however a basic rehash done the right way is never bad. Brotherbearmay have lost some of Disney's early creativity but the movie still hitshome (the heart) where it counts!

Jess 2012-05-25 05:19:31

Way More Fun Than You'd Think

While I must admit, it is no Lion King (or Finding Nemo) at some point youjust have to say "Who cares?" Because obviously very few films can getthatgood .. and I must admit as well, half the time I started makingobservations about how similar it is to The Lion King (Whispering to myfriend "Ok, so that rock thing Koda is pointing at just HAPPENS to looklikethe giant skull from the elephant graveyard, right?")True, the plot wasn't as great as it could have been, but gosh I've rarelyseen a movie this year as funny as this movie! The Canadian Moose (Meese?Mooses?) stole each scene they were in, and I'm sure friends and I will bequoting them for weeks on end. The trailers gave the movie a vibe thatonlythe stuff we saw in the trailers would be funny and good, and that's whyithasn't been one of the most anticipated films of the year. We think Kodaisgoing to be this pain in the side, but almost similar to how we acceptDonkey from "Shrek" he ends up being very cute and adorable, and I for onedidn't mind him talking so much.It may seem like this film is a "kiddie film" that only little toddlerswilllaugh at, but hey, I'm a teenager and my friends and I laughed as much asany kid or adult in the theater. Not being an adult, I can't really tellifmy parents would like it, even though I have rather the same taste inmoviesas them, I think it really depends on what kind of humor you like tolistento. I found very little (maybe one line) of potty humor (such relief it isto go to a movie and not feel like you want to toss away your popcorn ...you'd think movie theaters would lose money after a while from all thosesick jokes), but I don't see why so many critics comment on this film as"something the kids will like, but the parents will get a headache from",especially when this film is truly one of the cutest and funniest films ofthe year.The action will scare younger kids, I'm almost certain of that, except forthose who grew up seeing "The Lion King" and aren't so shocked to seedeath... of course I eventually shed a few tears as it is sad (but whodidn't crywhen Mufasa died?). I'd also like to point out that the message of thefilm(not the one they intend on) comes out fuzzy ... what I got out of otherthan the whole brotherhood and circle of life theme stuff is that animalsare good and men are evil ... what the? I keep hearing this from animatedmovies ... and I still don't get how they come up with that answer ...though I've noticed other movies tend to fallow in thatpattern.Overall .. through my ranting and raving, it really is an enjoyable film,ifnot for adults, for sure for anyone my age or younger would appriciateit... and by the way, the animation is glorious and I really hope Disneydesides to bring back traditional animation, cause some how it won't bethesame if every single animated movie was CGI.

Akbar Shahzad 2012-05-25 06:40:02

An excellent film utilizing a dying art form - animation by hand is still the best.

Though I think highly of the new three-dimensional computerized animatedfilms, the traditional hand-drawn stuff just has a different charm. Andwhatever some people say, traditional animation is not dated. This cartoon'sstory is interesting, accurately based on real Inuit beliefs. Everycomponent of it is great, and the scene where Koda discovers that Kenai isreally a man is beautiful. Not going to give away the happenings behind thispowerful, moving scene. The hand-drawn animation is done in the classicalstyle, but the computer graphics are breathtaking. The waterfalls, themountains, the Aurora Borealis... they're fantastic. The two McKenzie mooseare great for comic relief. The characterization is great, and I like theInuit priest. The brotherhood is something I can identify with perfectly -my three cousins are exactly the same. The music depends on preference. Ithink the opening Tina Turner song is OK, nothing special, but the PhilCollins songs are better. It's no Jungle Book, Oliver and Company or LionKing when it comes to the music department. I think Jeremy Suarez (seemsfamiliar in the behind-the-scenes trailer) must be a pretty good actor.Koda's my favorite character in the movie. This cartoon is really great, andI'm torn between it and Finding Nemo for cartoon of the year. It's greatentertainment, an interesting story told through a truly great, but dying,art form.

2012-05-24 17:15:36

GREAT MOVIE!

I LOVED THIS MOVIE! I FIRST SAW IT IN THEATERS AND I THOUT IT WAS REAL GOOD!I GOT IT ON DVD THE FIRST DAY IT CAME OUT!I RECCOMEND THIS MOVIE FOR EVERY KID IN THE WHOLE WORLD!THE GROWN-UPS WOULD PROBABLY LIKE IT TO!I HOPE THEY MAKE A BROTHER BEAR 2!

dbindman 2012-05-24 17:21:33

this movie sticks with you

I saw this with my son when he was 3. For some reason, this moviereally sticks to me, and my son really liked it too. Sure, it isn't"realistic" and it is maybe a tad too much "new age", but it is hard todeny its power. The relationship of the brothers is intense, andoverall there is a deepness here that is quite unexpected. I just found out that the actor who played Denahi killed himself in2004 -- that makes me very sad. He was excellent, and the actingoverall was very good. If you have an open mind, and you are into spiritual oriented movies,you might want to check this one out. But some little ones might findit too intense.

brianh-9 2012-05-24 05:07:16

very good Disney effort

A young man is turned into a bear when he accidently enters into a glowinglight which is circulating spirits of animals and people long dead. Theyoung man was in a fierce battle with a bear that had killed his oldestbrother. The young man, once a bear, befriends a bear cub who has lost hismother. This film starts out rather average until it explores the feelingsof the animals' point of view. The bear cub calls humans the "monsters." Werealize that the animals look at us the way we look at them. The bear seesthe men with sticks as scary monsters. The story starts to really strengthenonce we realize that these animals react to situations, sometimes caused byour way of handling things. The film may be too pat and short for most, butI thought it had a good story, some great animation, funny dialogue, andheart in the right place. I was quite surprised with how well made it was.Disney seem to know how to create strong animated films with the rightmixture of drama and humor. This one is a winner in mybook.****1/2/*****

2012-05-16 21:20:29

Beautiful movie!

This is a beautiful movie, through and through, both for the superbly vivid animation and Brother Bear's core messages of love, inner strength, respect for all, and connecting to the spiritual side of life. The characters are easy to relate to, even in their moments of stubborness or mischief. The moose are, of course, absolutely hilarious! A great family movie for parents and kids or grandparents and grandchildren to watch together. Stunning alpine scenery, inspiring story, and some pretty funny lines blend together for a delightful family viewing experience.

2012-05-16 04:20:46

An Amazing Bear

I saw the trailers for Brother Bear when it was in theatres and didn't really think much about it, until it got the Academy Award Nomination for Best Animated Feature, then I said to myself that this could be good, and guess what...it is!Brother Bear is about Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), a young Native boy who takes revenge on the bear who killed his older brother. When his brother's spirit sees what he's doing, he changes Kenai into a Bear to make him see through the animals point-of-view.AMAZING! I was really impressed at how well done this movie is. I have to admit that this is one of my favorite animated films to date. The music by Phil Collins and (surprise!) Tina Turner are great! The score really stands out too, especially during the exciting transformation scene. Though, not as much music as my second favorite animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, this one still delivers and music placement is put in where music is needed. The story is a bit strong and there are some scary scenes that may frighten little children, but other than that, the kids will forget about it when the two hilarious Moose, Rutt and Tuke, arrive on-screen (voiced wonderfully by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas). The Animation mixed in with a few CGI's are fantastic! as is the detail and the usage of the widescreen scope is used to the fullest extent. I was reading around and one reviewer said that this is a collaboration of all of the Disney themes, such as family in 'The Lion King', the transformation of 'The Little Mermaid', the Natives in 'Pocahontas' and the collaboration of Phil Collins again, just like in 'Tarzan'. I do agree with this and found it incredibly interesting that there are similarities which I welcome to with open arms.I have to comment on how animated films have more adult themes to them these days. The 3 Nominated films of 2003 have elements of death or separation to them. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it's actually, to me, a breath of fresh air. Brother Bear does have some intense and scary moments but at the same time there are are those fluffy scenes that back it up. I grew up watching Disney films right when I was at least 7 years old and ten years later, I have to admit, I still watch them. That may seem a bit sad and embarrasing, on my part, but it just shows how Animated films, such as Brother Bear, have that long range of age where no matter how old you are, you can still learn and relate to what these stories have to tell. It's really a dissapointment to hear that Traditional Animation is fading away, as it really shows the talent of human art, but times are changing and so is technology. So, just as long as Animated films have a great story to tell then I'm open to the posibilities that Computer Animation has to offer.So, in the end, Brother Bear is an excellent mix of Disney themes that is filled with great music, good story and overall just a great film.

rahul verma 2012-05-16 13:37:18

The best cartoon movie of all time.

I want to congratulate the creative team that developed and producedBrother Bear, which is truly an audio-visual masterpiece. The use of aclassic story formula to tell a deeper more meaningful story within astory is nothing short of amazing. This feature is a perfect storm ofartwork, story telling, and music guaranteed to rock your emotionalboat. The secret and beauty of this feature is to look beyond theclassic Disney story and focus on the sub-text being used and you'lldiscover a deeper more inspiring story framed within the classic Disneyformula. In other words don't take this feature at face value. Tounderstand the sub-story, you need to pay attention to the use ofmetaphors as well as the clues within the songs. That's right, thesongs are strongly tied to the sub-story. To start off with, the titlesong 'Great Spirits', tells us 'In a world that's not always as itseems'. This is a hint that this story is not what is seems as theInuit's, Bears, Mammoths, Moose, and Rams are really metaphors forother things. Heck, even Rutt and Tuke's "I Spy" game had nothing to dowith what they were describing. Uncover the metaphor of the mammothsand you'll discover the real story of Brother Bear. Once you do, you'llfind that there is not one wasted scene in this feature. Even the clipsin the trailer are connected.So what we have is a story of Kenai's journey of discovery, not only ofthe world around him but of himself and how he fits into it. By the endof his journey, Kenai understands what his destiny is and embraces it.In doing so, he's knows he can make a difference in this world by beingable to help Koda as well as being able to help his people avoid atragic fate. That's right, the real message of this story has directapplication to today's world.The secret to this movie is its beauty, ironically released as theDisney studio announced it is forsaking hand drawn animation in favorof total CG movies. While the success of 'Nemo' and 'Toy Story' can'tbe questioned, to give up what got you there is a shame, and in myopinion shows an amazing short sightedness.The movie features great music by Phil Collins and beautiful animation.the music of this movie is so amazing that whenever i watch this moviei just got a great feeling from inside.it is a touching movie whichwill touch everyone's heart that's for sure. In short it is a completemasterpiece.

bigben-3 2012-05-15 19:26:03

A "BEAR-ry" Delightful Film.

Warning: MINOR SPOILERSThis are some of the reasons why I am a huge Disney fun.Disney, has yet again wave its magic wand and created some wonders. BrotherBear is one of those wonders, and will go down as one of Disney's finestcreations.Brother Bear is the story of a person, a native American - Indian, desperatefor revenge,who was magically transformed into a bear. The only thing thatcan change him back to his human form, is to go to a place where "lightstouches the earth". He then began his amazing, incredible journey intofinding the "lights" - and eventually finding his own self.As every Disney film, a touch of comedy and colorful characters were addedto this film to reach out the younger viewers. Contrary to most Disney'sfairy tales, most of it's non-traditional movies (Lion King, Lilo andStitch) follows a very simple pattern: Entertain and Educate. Most fairytales are basically based on magics, princess, warriors; mainly made toentertain us and to remind us of our childhood fantasies; where a princessand his knight in shining armor overcomes many obstacles and in the endlives happily ever after.A few films made by Disney has made us laugh along the way and yet deliversa very strong message. Messages that teach us in a very entertaining way -the Disney way.Brother Bear's message was simply the form of acceptance and understanding.Disney may have delivered it in a very unique way, but the main point of themessage is still very strong. In today's society, many of us are caught upwith our own ignorance, our lack or our own understanding towards others, orour own passion for revenge, usually blinds us from the truth. One of themain characters said "bears do not feel anything, they are stupid.." is asymbolic approach of how humans hate things they do not consider "normal" orlike them. As the story goes along, The human transformed into a bear, sawhow bears live and interact with each other. He saw a side of the bears henever saw before. He then realize that beyond the grizzly, terrifyingfeatures of the animals is just one part. His previous thoughts about how helabeled bears being "monsters" while he was still human, completely changewhen he saw how these animals live - a lifestyle no farther fromhumans.Simply put, Don't be too quick judging others. What you see is just onepart; you haven't seen the part we share together. Brother Bear, I must say,is one of the few animated film that teaches us lessons we need to learn.Many may have given this film some very poor ratings and some may say it'snot one of Disney's greatest films. Do yourself a favor and get past all thenegativity. May not be one of the best, but rest assured you won't leavedissatisfied. Treat yourself for some wholesome laughter and genuinelessons. Rating: 10 out of 10. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

jeddknox 2012-05-06 08:31:00

boring

Being a great fan of Disney, i was really disappointed when i watchedthis garbage.The animation was pretty,and the backgrounds wereamazing,but i believe that good animation does not make up for a weakscript,and weak story. I'm gonna have to disagree with the people whosay it is not suitable for children.Yes there are some deaths in themovie but isn't death something that children should at least beexposed to? But i digress. The script is riddled with bad puns and lamejokes...the kind i could expect from most dreamworks movies. The musicwas soppy,the morals forced(and forced without any charmwhatsoever.)and the characters would burst into song at totallyinappropriate times.The characters were also cold,and i really couldn'tmuster up any form of emotion towards them(bar irritation). I am agreat fan of jungle book,Aladdin,and emperors new groove, but thisDisney movie was a total and utter waste of time.....do not watch it!!!

mtnshak 2012-05-05 15:11:58

Interesting but sad....

Why is it all disney movies feel the need to make you sad... I mean itwouldhave been a good movie even without killing off the mother and all that...Imean cmon... kids are young, they dont need to be watching this kind ofthing. I sat crying through half of the movie!

ChayaA 2012-05-05 20:02:18

SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!

Whether you're young or old, go see this film!!!!!! The animation is some of Disney's best! The voice talents were outstanding! The lines were well constructed! The movie pulls you in from the beginniuing and doesn't let go until the ending! Truely a masterpiece!

10fttall 2012-05-04 21:28:00

Somebody left the cap off the airplane glue!

****SPOILERS*******Oh Brother, what a colossal waste of film! This has got to be a new low forDisney. I will admit that it achieved one of its goals, entertaining smallchildren. My daughter was in love with the movie, but she loves anythinganimated. The music stunk, it sounded like Phil Collins singing the same awkwardforgettable lyrics and tune 6 times in a row. The humor was sub-par. RickMoranis' Canadian Moose was trying very hard to be funny, but just didn'tget there. I didn't know the voice credits beforehand and thought it wasjust somebody doing a weak impression of Moranis' Canadian act in the firstplace. The story was mostly predictable, except I never suspected that turntoward stupid that they took at the end. If they were consistent with their"departed spirits can do anything," logic why the heck didn't Koda's momturn him into a boy? Why didn't Kenai go embrace his live brother or spiritbrother first when he was temporarily changed back? Why did he go embracethe bear cub? I don't have the complaint that it's borrowed from other Disney films, infact, a few elements from other Disney films, such as an engaging plot orgood music would have helped out greatly.

2012-05-04 18:53:27

A Movie For Our Times

This movie has gotten some bad reviews. Why? Because Critics analyze, they don't feel. This movie made me geniunely feel. I could have been any one of the main characters. It was highly dramatic, funny, and it made complex themes like death and the afterlife, responsiblitity and consequences, racism and dogma, hatred and revenge, palatable at a child's level of understanding. In this time where words like vengance and justice are thrown about in the same sentence by powerful men and women, this movie is truly important. Yes, it is formulaic. It is also simple and pure, deep and shallow both. The formula works.As far as I can tell, no critic has even yet mentioned the fact that there is no villian in the movie. Incredible! How balsy is that of Disney? The villian role is strictly subjective in this film, as it always is in life. Is it the bear, or the slain hunter's brother? Both are wrong, both are right. Both do damage.Is it the critic or the viewers that are right about Brother Bear? Go feel it out for yourself. You'll be doing your kids a big favor by exposing them to this gentle movie. It is a classic. If more movies were made with this kind of heart, maybe we all wouldn't be so ready to kill each other quite as readily.Kudos to the filmmakers!

2012-05-04 03:06:24

Good movie but beware of the shut up

This was a good movie that we watched as a family. Good story however I was surprised how many times they said SHUT UP and even had brothers spitting on each other. I know it's brotherly behavior however not what I want my three year old learning. All in all I get it a 3-4 rating.

2012-05-02 08:39:28

Excellent!

I watched this movie at the recommendation of a friend and could not have been more pleased. The animation is incredible, from the lush scenery to the emotion of the characters (two and four-legged), the Disney animation department has taken extra special care to details in this movie. The story is so touching, there were several points I was moved to tears and the ending is perfect. The cast is excellent as well, from the talented young actor who voices Koda to the hilarious Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as the moose, and Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai. I cannot say a bad thing about this movie, see it and let that be reward in itself.

2012-05-02 04:50:18

Good Story

Three brothers of an indigenous tribe get into some trouble while out on a hunt. A bear is provoked by the youngest brother which in turn gets his oldest brother killed while trying to save his younger brothers from attack. Though the middle brother takes no action against the bear at first, the younger brother pursues the bear and kills him. The consequence is that he is transformed by the spirits into a bear himself. Assuming the bear has also killed his younger brother, the middle brother attempts to hunt down this bear which now he does not know that it is in fact his own younger brother. The brother turned bear must now find a way to contact the spirits and let his older brother know who he is. Along his path he is joined by a lost bear cub and finds a few other friends along the way.This story is an example of teaching right from wrong and learning about how a shaman in an indigenous tribe provides the path to enlightenment. The shaman shows "brother bear" the way to love through a long sequence of events. I find that the theme is light enough in nature and fairly universal in a religious aspect that it should not offend anyone based on their beliefs. The movie represents more of a primal religion if anything. It shows us examples of love, compassion, and respect for the land and animals in which with we co-exist. Those things exist in most modern religions today. So I would say that this movie covers some universal beliefs and values. So buy it or rent it and see for yourself.

2012-04-29 00:40:58

A good movie

Brother Bear could have been an excellent movie if the makers of the film would have come to the point a bit faster. It story build up slow in the beginning but definitely becomes better halfway. A Disney Classic. The story does make us think about certain things in life and has a clear message: we shouldn't judge by the outside appearance. We should try to understand the opposite party by slipping into their skin to be aware of their life and culture - even if that means crawling into the skin of a bear. Fighting it doesn't mean solving it, it only means getting rid of the problem for a certain time. A great way to teach children to understand what life is and can be all about. A good movie!

bosscain 2012-04-28 12:48:27

a film that will capture your heart

this movie was filled with disney magic,and typical disney storyline.with happiness,satire and the death of a character.the wonderful "disneystyle" of animation makes this movie an instant classic.This movie has aspecial treat for real and true movie goers with a funny segment at theendof the credits,so sit back,listen to the music and you will berewarded.