Brother Bear 2-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)

SEE THIS MOVIE
I went to Brother Bear not really knowing what to expect. Some of the recent Disney hand drawn animated releases have fallen short of expectations. I have to say that I was extremely impressed by the plot and character development in this movie. The story, while it is a relatively simple one, is one that draws you in and makes you care about the characters. And while many of us can see where the plot is going, the journey is highly enjoyable with some unexpected twists along the way.

For those of you who don't know what the movie is about, it is a coming of age movie about a boy who becomes a man by becoming a bear. Beyond that, it is about breaking stereotypes, and developing a respect for life. It is about dealing with anger and loss. The emotional intensity of this movie is much more similar to Lilo and Stitch or Finding Nemo, than it is to older hand animated movies such as Aladdin or The Little Mermaid. My four year old is very sensitive and had to be held at several...

Typical Disney concept, superior execution
"Brother Bear" has all the traits we are familiar with from Disney, but they are more nicely done than in some recent efforts. There is a grand sentimental theme (brotherly love), a soaring musical score, an earnest effort to incorporate another culture into the film (Inuit), an ornery lead who has something to learn (Kenai), a loveable little sidekick (Koda), and secondary characters for comic relief (Rutt and Tuke, two goofy mooses, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis re-enacting their "McKenzie Brothers" routine).

Somehow it comes together better than most. The quality of the animation is excellent, the characterizations clearer, the funny bits genuinely funny (my favorite bit was the mooses' penchant for doing yoga poses). Moreover, the ending was a bit less trite than is sometimes the case.

Disney true-blue fans will definitely want to see it, but even if you usually have a low tolerance for Disney stories, give this one a look.

Disney has done it again!
We saw a special sneek preview on 10/25/03. Brother Bear is a hit. Well written story line, great music, and beautiful animation.

Make sure you stay until all the credits have run, there's one last "outtake" at the very very end of the movie. Most of the audience had walked out, and missed it.

Aloha,
The Oh Family
Honolulu, HI

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