(2003)
2.5
Perry Seibert
Brother Bear is a piece of familiar Disney material. The tale of learning to walk a mile in someone else's fur involves the young hot-headed Kenoia (voice of Joaquin Phoenix) being transformed into a bear by his older brother in order to learn compassion. The sentiments expressed in the film are run-of the-mill love-thy-neighbor bromides that are great for youngsters but, considering the two-dimensional character development, will seem familiar and dull to parents. Brother Bear does have some good animation. The film was hand-drawn, a technique which, at the time, was being touted as soon-to-be-dead. The film is pleasant to look at, unlike the computer effects-heavy Treasure Planet. Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis provide a few welcome moments of humor as a pair of Canadian moose who sound more than a little like their Strange Brew characters Bob and Doug McKenzie. While the film offers no surprises, it certainly lives up to the studio's brand name.
Brother Bear on AllMovie
Brother Bear (2003)
