"Love is the most precious of totems. It reveals itself in unexpected ways." -- Tanana
Initial thoughts before viewing: I saw this in theaters and I liked the movie enough to buy it on DVD.
If you have never seen Brother Bear or need a refresher, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the plot summary.
Highlights:
-Brother Bear uses its aspect ratio as a storytelling device. The film begins at a standard widescreen aspect ratio of 1.75:1 while our protagonist Kenai is a human; in addition, the film's art direction and color scheme are grounded in realism. After Kenai transforms into a bear twenty-four minutes into the picture, the film itself transforms as well: to a wider, anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and towards brighter, more fanciful colors and slightly more caricatured art direction.
-Transformation Sequence. This sequence is so moving and beautiful, it's enough to propel Brother Bear out of the bad/mediocre rankings amongst Disney films. The song entitled "Transformation" was written by Phil Collins (who previously worked w/ Disney in Tarzan) and performed by the Bulgarian Women's Choir for the film. The lyrics are sung in the IƱupiat language (also spelled Inupiaq). When translated to English, the lyrics help explain what is happening to Kenai:
Everything will become clear to you
When you see things through another's eyes
Everything will become clear to you
Whatever's meant for you, you will find
Aside from the haunting song, the vivid colors and mystical imagery used in the sequence are mesmerizing. This is the best 2:36 of this movie, and I highly recommend you watch it.
-Brother Bear shares a worthwhile message about the dangers of prejudice. This movie has real stakes - 2 substantial characters (Sitka and Koda's mother) die within the first 15 minutes of the film due to Kenai's arrogance and drive for revenge. Kenai does not come off as a likeable or endearing human character, and we see once he's transformed into a bear that he still maintains his prejudice against bears as a species for a good chunk of the movie. There is a powerful and understated scene where Koda explains "Those monsters are really scary, especially with those sticks" to Kenai while they are looking at cave drawings of a human and a bear. Kenai has a visible ah-ha moment when he realizes that for Koda, it's humans who are the monsters. And thus the understanding begins to seep in.
Disliked:
-Whitewashing, yet again. The film is set in post-ice age in Alaska and features a cast of native main characters. Kenai, the film's main native protagonist, is voiced by a very not-native Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix does a great job as Kenai, but still...
Random Thoughts While Watching:
-Is Kodak adorable...or annoying? I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes the character is genuinely funny ("First of all, his name's Bucky, not Binky. And second, it wasn't a pine cone, it was a pine nut, and it was huge, even bigger than your fat head"), while other times I totally get why Kenai is so annoyed with this ever-talking, obnoxious little furball. Eh, I guess that's brothers, right?
Closing Thoughts:
I've always liked Brother Bear. Upon rewatch, I will concede that it's by no means a perfect movie. Kenai is bitterly unlikeable, the story runs a little long in the middle. But I still maintain that on the whole, there is more good than bad here, and the movie is a hidden gem buried amongst the sea of disappointing 2000s-era Disney features.
The bottom line: Brother Bear is a surprisingly decent mid-tier movie. It's a film with lots of heart, beauty, and a valuable lesson on the dangers of prejudice that kids would do well to learn early on.
My Rating: 5.5/10
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