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Title: Brother Bear (2003)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Joaquin Phoenix | ... | Kenai (voice) | |
| Jeremy Suarez | ... | Koda (voice) | |
| Jason Raize | ... | Denahi (voice) | |
| Rick Moranis | ... | Rutt (voice) | |
| Dave Thomas | ... | Tuke (voice) | |
| D.B. Sweeney | ... | Sitka (voice) | |
| Joan Copeland | ... | Tanana (voice) | |
| Michael Clarke Duncan | ... | Tug (voice) | |
| Harold Gould | ... | Old Denahi (voice) | |
 |
Paul Christie | ... | Ram #1 (voice) |
| Danny Mastrogiorgio | ... | Ram #2 (voice) (as Daniel Mastrogiorgio) | |
| Estelle Harris | ... | Old Lady Bear (voice) | |
| Greg Proops | ... | Male Lover Bear (voice) | |
| Pauley Perrette | ... | Female Lover Bear (voice) | |
|
|
Darko Cesar | ... | Foreign Croatian Bear (voice) |
Kenai, a man who resents bears after a fight with one kills his older brother, is turned into a bear so he can see life from a different perspective. He is visited by the spirit of his older brother, and is told that, if he wishes to be changed back into a human, he must travel to the place where the lights touch the Earth, in other words, the Northern Lights. Fueled by hope, Kenai sets off on his long journey, and, along the way, encounters a younger bear, Koda, who is a chatterbox and a fun-loving spirit; Koda is trying to find his way back to his home, the Salmon Run, which, coincidentally, is right next to where the lights touch the Earth. Koda and Kenai team up, but are hunted by Kenai's other brother, Denahi, who fears that the bear has killed Kenai as well. Along the way, the two bears meet other friends, including two moose, some rams, and some mammoths, with whom they hitch a ride. However, Kenai discovers that he likes being a bear, and realizes that humans aren't only ... Written by fallgeek
I didn't go out of my way to see this film, as it had already been pretty much disregarded by both the critics and the public. Shame on me. BROTHER BEAR has many strengths to recommend it, and I hope it eventually finds an audience on video.
I'll admit a bias: I live in the Yukon Territory, and the story obviously takes place in next-door Alaska (with characters named "Sitka", "Kenai", and "Tanana", it's pretty obvious). Like many other Disney movies, it takes its inspiration from a traditional legend. Unlike many other Disney movies, this movie manages to remain respectful to the original legend.
The messages are wonderful. That love is an important thing for a real man to learn. That "the spirits" need to be respected. That vengeance can have a terrible price. This movie manages to do it (mostly) without resorting to daffy sidekicks and sappy tugs at the heartstrings. Yes, there's Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas revisiting their "Bob and Doug Mackenzie" roles as the two moose, but I didn't find them jarring at all. The story works.
So does the animation. This is a visually beautiful film. Yes, it's apparent to my (computer pro) eye that Disney's animation unit is making more use of computer techniques. Mostly, though, you see them used to wonderful effect, like making a realistic snowfall, or moving the point of view through a shot. The animation style is also very appropriate for the story. And as a northerner, I loved the many aurora shots; they looked spot-on.
Not everything in BROTHER BEAR worked for me, unfortunately. Phil Collins' music for TARZAN was quite good, but it mostly falls flat here (except maybe for "On My Way"). A couple of numbers come close to the embarassingly bad category.
Still, this is nowhere near enough for me to disregard this movie. I put it above THE LION KING (way above), probably a little ahead of TARZAN, and almost on the same upper-echelon with THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.