Brother Bear (2003)

Rating: 2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Hibernating

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Brother Bear on DVD.

This oddly uninvolving film from Disney does not break any new ground in animation, and doesn't seem to have much of a point. Worse, a collection of terrible songs by Phil Collins continuously halts the movie in its tracks. A Native American hunter (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) kills the bear that caused his older brother's death, and finds himself transformed into a bear to learn a lesson about love. He befriends a lost younger bear (voiced by Jeremy Suarez), who talks a lot. The picture feels more like the results of a board meeting than any actual urge to tell a story. Only Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas bring the movie to life. Playing their old Bob and Doug McKenzie characters as a pair of moose, they even make one very funny and very subtle reference to their old favorite, beer. Young children should enjoy Brother Bear, but I can't imagine it sticking in the memory very long.

DVD Details: It probably takes longer to watch all the extras on Disney's two-disc special edition than the actual film is worth thinking about. Fortunately, it does come with a hilarious "Rutt and Tuke" (a.k.a. Bob & Doug McKenzie, a.k.a. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) commentary track. In addition, the set contains outtakes, deleted scenes, games, a new (ugh) Phil Collins song, a video, a making-of featurette and other stuff. The film itself is available in widescreen (1 to 2.35) and in standard (1 to 1.66)

Starring: (voices) Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Jason Raize, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, D.B. Sweeney, Joan Copeland, Michael Clarke Duncan
Written by: Steve Bencich, Lorne Cameron, Ron J. Friedman, David Hoselton, Broose Johnson, Tab Murphy, Jeffrey Stepakoff
Directed by: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker
MPAA Rating: G
Running Time: 85 minutes
Date: November 1, 2003