Disney's Brother Bear DVD Review

This Disney animated movie has everything we've come to expect: grand storytelling, great animation, crazy action, talking animals, a lesson or two to be learned and, of course, some catchy songs.

Brother Bear Basics

Disney's Brother Bear is set in the Great American Northwest - full of forest folk including moose, rams, rabbits, squirrels, not to mention a wooly mammoth or two. The main character in Brother Bear is a boy named Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) who is just waiting for his chance to prove he's a man to his older brothers. When a tragic accident happens, the Great Spirits of the Sky (The Northern Lights) turn him into a bear - the very animal Kenai dislikes most! In order to transform himself back into a human, he must undertake an epic journey. Along the way he learns more about himself and the many different types of wildlife in the world, including an orphaned bear cub named Koda, and a couple of very funny moose (voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, also known as Bob and Doug MacKenzie). "Trample off, eh!"

Brother Bear Beauties

The story is pretty cool, the voices are good and the songs are pretty bouncy. I really liked that none of the characters burst out into big song, but instead the music is used to move the action forward like a music video. (The music is by Phil Collins who also wrote the tunes for Tarzan).

The moose steal this Disney flick. They had me laughing from the minute they entered 'til the credits started rolling. (By the way, stick around for some outtakes after the feature). The ending actually got me - I totally didn't see it coming. I like it when that happens. Bet you're really interested now...

Brother Bear Bummers

Well, the only real thing that bummed me out was that Brother Bear never seems to take off. See folks, this is a road movie, and it travels along, but by the time we're at the end, it doesn't feel like we've gone anywhere. It doesn't have the same rollicking fun feel of Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King.

Brother Bear DVD Features

The release of Brother Bear on DVD means one important thing - More Moose! There's commentary by Rutt and Tuke, but that's not all... There are outtakes too. There's also a bunch of deleted scenes which include a whole new character! If the movie extras aren't your thing, then try the two games on the disc which feature some of your fave cartoon characters. Phil Collins even threw a new song on there to get you groovin'.

Rating:

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