Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie!!
Review: I loved this movie, took my four year old son tonight and really enjoyed it, just as much if not more than him. It has actual meaning and depth unlike most kid flicks that just try to make money. We will definitely be buying this film...
Rating:
Summary: Through the Eyes of a Bear
Review: Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. I was somewhat reluctantly dragged to see this with my younger siblings when I got back from school today and pretty much grumbled the whole way about how I just wanted some popcorn and then I was sneaking into "School of Rock" again. (I'm 15 in a month! Yay! ^^;) Well, the next movie, "Home on the Range" looks funny, but not like classic material. I'm so sad to find out that Disney isn't doing 2D handdrawn movies anymore. Computer animation is cool, but it can never replace the true classic movies like "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast". In 15 years when I have my own kids, THOSE are the movies I'll be showing them, I probably won't even remember Nemo or Monsters Inc. (Although they're good movies too) Anyway, back on topic. The movie starts off showing 3 brothers actually acting NORMAL! (Gasp!) Not really annoyingly loving or like all despising each other like seems to be common in a lot of movies. It shows the real aspects of having a sibling or siblings. Kanai is an Inuit boy determined to become a man. His brothers, one wise and patient, the other a joker who gets on his case a lot at the beginning. Kanai ties up some fish in a net in a tree and when he comes back from his manhood ceremony (being given "the loving bear" as his totem), he finds a bear made off with the fish since he didn't tie it up properly. He goes after the bear and gets his oldest brother killed. This angers him and his surviving brother acts like he blames him, so he runs off, determined to kill the bear. With a lot of difficulty, he does, but the spirits that rule over his tribe aren't pleased with his actions and transform him into a bear like the one he killed. I won't go any further into it as far as plot goes, just trying to give you the intro. The people who don't like this movie obviously weren't paying attention to that AMAZING visuals... The scenery is breathtaking and the character designs are well-done (the bears need a bit of work, but I may just be biased since I had nightmares with "The Country Bears"). Like some said, I don't think Phil Collin's music was probably as good as in "Tarzan" for example, but it's a whole different kind of mood, so it's hard to compare. "On My Way" and "Through My Eyes" are amazing songs though that remind me of the Tarzan days. I honestly expected to be bored out of my skull when I entered, but I was more into it than my sisters later on. It's a charming movie with strong characters and a detailed-plot. It's also funny. REALLY funny. The moose are obviously the comedy relief, but the other characters can be just as funny, if not more at times. (I loved the scene with Kanai's older brother dancing around with flowers in his hair making fun of his "love" totem... ^^;;) I predicted what was going to happen in regard to Koda at a certain point. The bear cub also surprised me. I honestly was getting really annoyed at the commercials, and was prepared to despise the little creature once I saw him on the big screen. But I found myself feeling really empathetic towards the little orphaned cub. (Even if you think the commercials look cheesy, see the movie... That's a general rule with Disney movies...) This somewhat reminded me of the Lion King as far as the big picture of spirits and humanistic behavior in animals and such. It's like the north-american lion king with a slightly different plot. I really loved it though and found myself actually crying during a certain part. (I NEVER cry at movies...) This is a really emotional and powerful film to be seen with your family or sibs or whoever you can get to go with you. It'll warm your heart during this cold winter season.
Rating:
Summary: SEE THIS MOVIE
Review: 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 points during the movie. But my six year old loved it, and learned some valuable lessons as well. If I had anything negative to say, it would be that the music is not as memorable as I would have liked. I wish that they had asked Sir Elton John to contribute to the music for the picture. I like Phil Collins, but the music is too reminiscent of Tarzan for me. Still, it's not enough of a negative in this movie to make me change my rating. Overall, I think that if they made more hand animated movies like this, they could continue to put them out forever. CGI is nice, but part of what makes Pixar movies memorable is the care given to the plot. This movie will probably be one of the great animated sleeper movies of all time--definitely can't wait to own it on DVD as well.
Rating:
Summary: A Disney Hit!!
Review: This is not my favorite Disney, but it is still a wonderful movie worthy of 5 stars. My son was just mesmerized through the entire movie and says it is one of his most favorite movies ever. Warning, though. There is a bit of violence in this movie. Not as much, or as senseless, as the violence found in Lilo and Stitch or Tarzan, but it does have some. However, the overiding message of the movie is that Love is more powerful than Hate. So I would say that the violence is put in the movie to show the contrasts between hate (hurtful and unproductive) and love (peaceful and joyful). Another moral of the story is that you should not judge other's action for you may not know what their incentive or motivation is. Walk a mile in their shoes before you pass judgement. This moral doesn't stand out, but it is still there. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas coming together to act as two brother moose that talk and act like the McKenzie Brothers from Strange Brew was funny and sure put me in the mood to pick that movie up again sometime. I'm glad they didn't make any bear jokes or anything like that. They were great together and I was delighted by their return. In the end, great animation, great story, and great lessons to be learned. I would not hesitate recommending this movie at all to ALL AGES (children and adults). Disney does it again!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing - from the B team, maybe?
Review: I've always thought that there's an A team and a B team churning out movies at Disney. The A team produces little gems like the Lion King, Tarzan, and Lilo and Stitch, and the B team produces movies that ... well ... consistently fall short of their potential. Brother Bear is such a movie. The idea is top scenario material, consistently wasted on a story which is always half as funny and half as cute as you expect. The songs are not bad, but again, nothing like those in Lion King or Tarzan. The drawing is top notch, but the characters are just not so well designed. The little bear falls short of being cute and funny many times, and looks like he's wearing gothic-style black lipstick. All things considered, it's not too bad a movie, but it's a wasted opportunity to do something really top-notch.
Rating:
Summary: Disney has yet another hit on it's paws
Review: I figure since I wrote a review for the soundtrack,might as well do it for the movie as well. Which I saw on opening day to a packed house,and currently no.2 top movie in the USA at the moment. ^_^ As described by the other Amazon members,it's about a boy named Kenai who loses his oldest brother to a bear,and after killing the bear,is transformed into one. Kenai befriends Koda along the way. And towards the end,they look upon themselves as brothers and learn the importance of brotherhood. This movie actually has values in it. Which is good. Seeing as how some movies today are mindless dribble that do poorly in the box office soon after they hit. Brother Bear is really good and for sure will be a Disney hit. Go see this!
Rating:
Summary: Go Bear!
Review: This was such a good movie! Very dramatic, though. Might make some of us cry, others close to.
Not like "The Lion King" at all! Whole different story and much more exciting.
Can't wait till this comes on video!
Rating:
Summary: A True Disney Classic!
Review: A lot of the more recent Disney animated films haven't been so great. Definately not movies worthy of being in the Platinum Collection (wich includes to date Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and the Lion King). Brother Bear was so unexpected. I guessed that Disney was trying to cash in on the success of Tarzan (the other Disney film with music by Phil Collins), but the two are nothing alike. I went into the movie thinking the plot would be man turns into a bear resulting in good family fun. There is so much more to it. I really don't want to give anything away because the story takes you through so many surprises. The moose and the young bear, koda, definately steal the show, but you really do care for Kenai, the man who turns into a bear. I think Disney should have released this film after Home On The Range, the next and last Disney hand animated movie. That way they could go out with a bang. Home on the Range looks good, but good like Emporors New Groove was good. I really hope they change their mind and make more hand drawn, because I get sick of computer animation after a while. Take your family or friends to see Brother Bear. There is something for everyone in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Disney concept, superior execution
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: Swansong to 2d Animation
Review: I understand that "Brother Bear" will be Disney's last 2 dimensional animated movie (well, there is another one in April, but I think this is their last shot at a classic). It makes me sad to hear that. I am probably in the minority, but I have been delighted by Disney's last few movies aimed at an adult (as well as kid) sci fi/fanstay market- very daring in plot with beautiful animation and stories. These included "Atlantis", "Lilo and Stich," "Treasure Planet" and "Brother Bear" These films have all been on the edge, trying something new, and I fear that Disney will be put off by the negative reviews to stop continuing in this creative direction with 2D animation. If this movie is really one of the last, then it is a beautiful film worth remembering. I know critics have picked on it for being too hacked up from other plot pieces, but I still think the theme is original. Some of the silent scenes, such as Sitka's funeral and the "Monster with a Spear" segments when Kenai sees the painting of the hunter and the bear are really haunting. The beauty is that the film plays these scenes mostly in silence, letting the music and the art set the mood. In general, most of the movie was played out in this subtle way, which I think enhanced it. I also enjoyed how the film shifted to brilliant colors and full screen length when Kenai becomes a bear- a subtle way of showing how he now must see things through different eyes. The comic relief with Kenai learning how to be a bear and the antics of the "Great White North" moose knockoffs was very good. The Phil Collins songs were not as good as in "Tarzan," (though the scene with "No Way Out" was very moving), but the instumentals were really beautiful, especially where the movie relied on native Inuit music t o set the mood (such as Sitka's funeral segment). All in all, this is a fantastic movie. I came away with a real appreciation for the film's message about respecting other creatures instead of following stereotypes. I also enjoyed laughing at the subtly sarcastic humor interlaced through the movie. (Hang on through the credits and you will see one last little joke- most people miss it by walking out when the film ends) I hope against hope that Disney will continue with 2D animation. Some aspects of 2D painted cells cannot yet be captured in 3d- such as the graceful movements of characters, the wafting hair on long-haired characters (have you noticed in 3D animation it is very rare to see long-haired characters with their hair loose), the lush, painted sets that resemble Maxfield Parrish art, the precise movements of the animals (which Disney seemed to painstakinlgy research- notice how the bears fluff up their ruffs when agitated, the way the moose scratch at fleas, or the loping grips of the claws as Koda climbs up a tree - 3D animation has not yet gotten that natural in look). Oh, well. If Disney switches to 3D my wish would be for them to create some sort of alternative animation division that would create a few 2d films for art's sake or discover international versions of 2d films to develop for the US market - they did this with the English translation of "Spritied Away", and it paid off for them with the Oscar awards's "Best Animated Film 2002" I hope you take the chance and go see 'Brother Bear', It is worth the price of admission. And it helps to show Disney the importance of keeping this type of artwork alive.
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