Rating: 
Summary: I was very surprised!
Review: Honestly, I thought Disney had lost thir touch when they started doing sequel after sequel. I was wrong.
Brother Bear is a great movie! It was excellent animation, and the bears facil expressions are funny yet realistic. The music, ALL by Phil Collins is great.
I cant think if one not great thing about this movie. Its an all around great expeiernce.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly, I liked it!
Review: I can't say that about a lot of animated films. Although "Brother Bear" doesn't compare with gold standard Disney films as "Beauty and the Beast" and the first version of "The Lion King", it does well enough on its own merits without having to be compared with them.I write as an adult who loves animation and story, and sometimes I hate going to the movies where people insist on bringing their kids. And tonight, I thought I'd avoid this and would have the screen room to myself when unfortunately some people with their kids came and, out of the whole doggone empty room, chose to sit all around me, and were obviously more interested in their popcorn than the movie! So, I'm forced to tune them out and try to enjoy the movie, anyway. My first surprise was hearing Tina Turner's voice on the theme! I knew that she had retired from touring, but apparently she's still recording. It was great to hear her again! I also thought First Nation people depicted were done rather realistically, only I don't know if they represent a real tribe or not. But, I came to enjoy a movie, not do research. And as usual, the animals themselves were great. I remember how Disney used to draw cartoon bears...thankfully, these are much more realistic. Sensually, the colors are fabulous. The opening sequence is good, but not impressive like...oops, I said I wouldn't compare. The imagery is what amazed me so much about it. I loved the antelope scene, and the snowstorm was fabulous! The professional reviewer said the CGI was shocking; I didn't find it so, personally. In my opinion, CGI is a part of animated film from now on, so get over it. I think that if preferring CGI to not be there is like wishing cars built in 2004 still had fishtails! I was impressed with the voice actors and didn't realize who they were until the end credits, which I always stay for. Part of me always cringes, though, when they do things like use an African-American's voice for a black bear, for example. To sum up, I don't know what kids will think of it; there are no bodies shown and no blood; if they don't know what death is, they need to get out more. If you are an adult, in my opinion this is not the worst animated film you'll ever see in your life. And if you want to take your kids to see it, fine, but don't assume no adults will want to see it by themselves, and don't assume they want to be around your kids, either!
Rating: 
Summary: Hug your Teddy
Review: As the on-screen narrator puts it, BROTHER BEAR is about a boy who becomes a man by becoming a bear. (Sigh) There are these three brothers, Sitka, Denahi and Kenai, who live back in the time of wooly mammoths. (It must be the pre-historic U.S. because our heroes speak American English.) The older one, Sitka, is drowned during an encounter with a bear. The hot-headed youngest, Kenai, goes after the animal to exact vengeance, and eventually kills it (off-screen and bloodlessly, natch). Then, some nebulous Supreme Intelligence transforms Kenai into a cute, juvenile bear, who's subsequently stalked by a now-vengeful Denahi. While on the run, Kenai teams up with an even cuter bear cub. It's through this exercise in trans-species awareness that the audience and Kenai get the message, i.e., we humans need to become one with the other creatures of the planet - or at least bears - and grow out of our self-centered attitude. All to a score of the same general tone as the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony". (Another sigh) BROTHER BEAR just oozes political correctness, though why the empathy doesn't extend to the salmon that both on-screen humans and bears kill by the score isn't explained. Perhaps it's because bears are warm and furry, and salmon are cold and slimy. Perhaps salmon just don't have a sufficiently obnoxious political action committee. Most of the film has that two-dimensional animation of the traditional Disney cartoon. Only sporadically are there quasi three-dimensional effects that even approach what a jaded viewer expects nowadays. In any case, BROTHER BEAR can't begin to compare with the eye-popping and clever FINDING NEMO. The children in the audience seemed to enjoy this film. Grouch that I am, I could only fidget to keep from falling asleep. My wife liked it and said, "Don't you ever have fun?" However, I can't help but remember FANTASIA, that classic of music and light which held me spellbound as a child, and which retains its appeal decades later. It's safe to say, I think, that the Disney animators are no longer pre-eminent in their field. Or they need to upgrade their computer software. If your an adult, rent FINDING NEMO instead, and chow down a bear burger.
Rating:
Summary: paws up
Review: i loved this movie. from the previews i expected a juvenile childrens comedy but this is up there with ice age. it has a fantastic story , a little comedy , and a hint if shrek with the annoying sidekick bear Koda.
Rating:
Summary: My Apologies!
Review: Hello? It's me again, ya' know ("What Is This Hoo-Ha!") to be quiet honest, I haven't even SEEN this new Disney flick yet! The animation looks great, the characters are funny, maybe I should actually SEE this movie and SEE what it is REALLY like! Me Sorry, Disney! But I still recommend The Rescuers Down Under over any Disney masterpeice (It be the best!).
Rating: 
Summary: Brother Bear: a spiritual journey
Review: This was a unique story with complex characters. Beautiful scenary and well-done animation. We are shown a cultural rite of a tribe in Alska. Kenai is about to get his totem. A totem is an animal and characteristic which is to guide you. The shaman conducts the ceremony and passes along what the spirits tell her is your totem. Kenai was hoping for a cool totem, but gets The Bear of Love. He hates bears and how uncool is it that his totem is love? His older brother even makes fun of him ["kenai loves me, he loves me not.] Kenai's oldest brother explains that HIS totem was the eagle of guidance and he thought it was weird too. But, then he realized he was to guide his younger brothers. He assures Kenai that when his life is guided by his totem, he will become a man. I really enjoyed the peek into the culture and I LOVE the idea of a totem. [I want one too!!! I'd like to know what's supposed to be guiding my life so I can be a real grown-up woman, instead of pretending, eh?] I'm not going to spoil the whole movie, so I'll let you watch and find out what happens. The moose in the film are very funny. Remember the SNL skits with the Canadians "Eh?" Well, it's even funnier when the Canadians are moose. I think some of it went over the kids' heads, but the adults laughed. The smaller bear Kenai traveled with, Koda, is amusing as well. His character is well-played. The dialogue is good. The film does a great job of making you feel as though you are seeing things through an animal's eye. Some points to consider: It takes roughly an hour of film before the main character, Kenai, is turned into a bear. If you saw The Emperor's New Groove you'll recall the main character became a goat pretty quickly into the story. I think the kids were expecting Kenai to become a bear pretty quickly as well. Although I was fine with the delay, my children were anxious for the transformation to happen. The essential points are the movie are really pretty deep for children. I'm not one who feels that they have to get EVERYTHING in a movie, but seriously, I think the point of the film didn't hit with them at all. My 5 year old was scared during several of the bear/hunter scenes. Personally, I didn't think they were horribly scary, but he did complain of being frightened. I don't think he is scarred for life, though. ;-) My 5 year old lost some interest before the film ended. My three year old was over it an hour in and began ambling up and down the center aisle with some other toddlers--but this is to be expected. My 5 year old child asked, "When is this over?" When there was roughly 30 minutes left. HOWEVER, he did NOT want to leave. He did want to stay and see it through. So, make your own judgements. It's not a bad movie. I don't think it's excessively violent. I wasn't bothered by the music at all as some other reviewers were. I do think the film has a positive message and it touched on some interesting things I am still thinking about afterward, but these themes are too advanced for children. Can they enjoy the film anyway? I think so. Will it be their favorite movie ever? Probably not. But, not every film you see, has to be your favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Storytelling
Review: I appreciate that some children's movies are only for children and only the kids may get it. But there's something special to me about a movie that can entertain adults and children alike. We saw it with our 6-year old son. Brother Bear will now rank as one of my all time favorites. It will no doubt be a classic with its focus on mutual respect, family pride and love. The "battle scenes" between adults and humans may be a tad too intense for some toddler age children, but I thought the directors handled those scenes very age appropriately. I found the spiritual component very compelling and not too over the top for those of us who are just simple, church going folks and not into out of this world new age beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, but ruined by the music
Review: Brother bear is a beatifully-animated and very dramatic movie, with a plot that, on its own, would probably interest most adults. (When I saw it, I wasn't entirely sure that the kids in the audience understood what Kenai, the man who is changed into a bear, was telling Koda, the little kid bear, in one particularly important part of the movie.) There are several scenes in the movie that are so beatifully done, and several moments that are so emotionally intense, that you will probably find yourself crying at least once. The problem with Brother Bear is this: the music, which is done by Phil Collins, is ABOUT the plot and does not ADVANCE the plot. The songs have bizarre, obvious lyrics that are word-for-word about what is happening on-screen, minute-by-minute. (This is also the thing that is wrong with the music in "Tarzan.") For example, there is a scene with three brothers walking with canoes, and the song sounds a lot like this: "There are three brothers! They love each other! They don't always get along but they always have fun together!" Another one, when one of the bears is looking around at a bunch of other bears, goes something like this: "It's so good to be here with family! Let's all share and let's all be happy! I like other bears!" Wow. How does that add anything at all to my understanding of the characters or the plot? It seems to me that Disney can't get beyond this music thing. The original Disney full-length animated features were musicals, and for one very good reason--they were made during the Golden Age of American musicals, a time when musicals were extremely popular. Musicals of that time are characterized by songs that are integral to the plot and actually move the plot along. This so-called Golden Age ended in the late fifties, but Disney didn't change its format. Eventually movies were made where the music only seems to be there for the sake of having music, like it's some kind of Disney formula. (Music + cute characters + death of main character's mom = Disney movie.) The animated Disney movies that have had the most success, since the end of the Golden Age of Musicals, are those that truly are musicals. In other words, they are the ones that have music that moves the plot along. Some good examples are The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and the Lion King. (Note that the latter two have stage versions.) The fact that the music in Brother Bear does NOTHING for the plot almost kills the movie. It almost isn't worth seeing because of it, and it makes it into a kids' movie that is not easily enjoyed by adults. The plot of the movie itself is interesting, but it is overshadowed by the oversimplified token celebrity musical interludes. This movie can't ever hope to compare to recent greats like Beauty and the Beast or the Lion King, entirely because of this Phil Collins music. It really is a shame.
Rating:
Summary: Tereribly sad!
Review: This movie is probably good for very little kids who don't understand death, but for everyone else it is very sad. It's also not funny enough to be entertaining. It is way too long and there isn't enough going on to make little kids smile. I wouldn't reccommend unless your child is interested in death and boring movies!
Rating:
Summary: Brotherhood, Love and Respect for Nature...
Review: Brother Bear shattered all of my (low) expectations. The film was thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end and teaches children the values of brotherhood, love and respect for nature. The animation is fantastic and the music is really the centerpiece of the film. Phil Collins and Tina Turner have turned in Disney's best soundtrack since the legendary Lion King. Joaquim Phoenix voices Kenai, the main character who is transformed into a bear by the spirit of his late brother to teach him the meaning of love. Kenai encounters Koda, a bear cub searching for his mother and the two become friends (eventually). The two moose voiced by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis provide the comic relief, they basically have just resumed their Mckenzie Brothers schtick from Strange Brew but hey it's still funny. One of the strongest points of the film is the respect and appreciation of nature learned by Kenai through valuable lessons. I can easily say that Brother Bear ranks up with The Lion King and Aladdin in terms of sheer enjoyment. It is a great film with a great message. Highly Recommended.
| 
