Plot: What’s it about?
Kenai (voiced by Joachim Phoenix) is the youngest of three brothers, so he tries his best to keep up with his older brothers. Of course, they tease him and let him know he will always be the youngest, but the bond of the brothers is strong. So when the oldest brother is killed by a bear, Kenai finds himself shattered and confused. His first instinct is vengeance, which he assumes will bring some kind of relief to the situation. So he hunts down the massive bear from the attack, then kills it with a hateful vengeance. This event changes Kenai’s life forever, but not in the ways he hoped or expected. A mystical force spins into action and by some magical stroke, Kenai finds himself turned into a bear. Now he is his own worst enemy, but his situation is soon to become more dire, when fate throws another curveball. His other brother arrives and is unable to find Kenai, which makes him believe that he has lost another brother. Kenai is there of course, only in his new bear form and the brother assumes the bear is responsible. So he wants to slay this bear to avenge Kenai, unaware that his younger brother is inside the creature. Now Kenai must keep ahead of his brother to stay alive, which means new friends are needed. When he befriends a young bear named Koda, he learns more about brotherhood than he ever imagined…
The once towering empire of Disney animation has fallen, or at least been moved into a small office downtown. The visual edge to the animation remains sharp, but the stories have faltered and competition has gotten harsh. Pixar’s output now stands as the best in the field, while Disney has shuttered its traditional animation studios. So Brother Bear is one of Disney’s final hand drawn projects, at least for now. And it is a fine example of why Disney has been toppled, as it offers little aside from beautiful visuals. The animation is quite good, with some gorgeous moments, but the substance behind the style is slender at best. The story falls into the formula trap right from the start and never looks back, not even for a second. I admit, the moose added some fun and when the comic elements work, Brother Bear can be passable. But whenever drama creeps in or exposition has to be undertaken, the ship sinks right to the bottom. So we have an average at best motion picture, not the kind of experience Disney needs to climb back to the top. But I suppose if you’re a kid or a parent in need of family entertainment, you could do worse. The moose are hilarious, especially for the adults and the movie has some other highlights. So if you’re a diehard Disney fan, you’ll want to purchase this, while other will want to give Brother Bear a rental.
Video: How does it look?
Brother Bear is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. An alternate 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen edition is included, but in all honesty, who in the world would want to watch a scope film like this one in an altered format? In any event, the transfer is what you’d expect from a new Disney release, which is top notch in most respects. An all digital treatment yields a pristine print, so grain and debris are never an issue. I have to admit, the image looked a little soft at times, not a lot, but enough to stand out. I found detail to still be more than solid, but given that this is a new release, I expected a more refined visual presence. But in the end, the movie still looked quite good and aside from the softness, I have no complaints.
Audio: How does it sound?
I was pleased to find two 5.1 surround options here, as Disney has included both Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. This might not be the most dynamic material in town, but it has some pep and both tracks sound terrific. The surrounds don’t pulse at all times, because of the dialogue driven nature of the material, but rest assured, all the speakers get put through the paces. The songs have a lot of presence and depth, which makes them more powerful to listen to, while sound effects are more prominent than expected. I didn’t expect a lot of background noise, but this track has superb subtle presence, which adds to the experience. I still wouldn’t call this a power driven soundtrack, but it puts the speakers to good use, to be sure. No problems with dialogue though, as all the vocals sound loud and clear here. This release also includes Spanish and French language tracks, as well as English subtitles, should you require those options.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary by the moose, Rutt & Tuke is a highlight, but the session is only offered on the altered version. Even so, it is well worth the trouble, as actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas have a lot of hilarious comments. The first disc also holds a reel of outtakes, a few brief featurettes, a music video, and an interactive game of some kind. On the second disc, the main supplement is a forty-five minute documentary on the production. The piece has some substance, but rarely keeps a good focus, which means there isn’t much depth. So every few minutes, the direction changes and no one goes into much detail. You can also view a selection of deleted scenes, which round out the release’s bonus materials.
