Featured Film Review
'Brother Bear' Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Suarez, 2003, Walt Disney
Brother Bear is the latest Disney animated film that came out last fall. Today was it's release date on DVD and VHS here in the States.
The film is about this boy Kenai who is about to reach manhood and must recieve his totem. When he gets his totem it is revealed to him as the Bear of Love. He is very much disappointed in this because he is still young and believes a man is defined by how well he defends his family and fights in battle.
After recieving his totem he and his brothers go off to find their basket of fresh fish taken by a bear. Kenai was supposed to tie it up in the tree so that wouldn't happen, and his older brother Denahie (sp) blames him for it refusing to make another basket to hold the fish. So Kenai goes after the bear to bring back the basket.
In doing so Kenai ends up trapped by the bear needing his brother Denhaie and Sitka's help (Sitka is the oldest). Eventually after the strugle between them and the bear is over Sitka is dead. The tribe gives Sitka his proper ceremony and funeral. Afterwards Kenai decides he's going to get the bear and kill him getting revenge for his fallen brother.
Kenai finds the bear eventually and they engage in a battle. On the top of a hill Kenai ends up killing the bear. After he kills the bear a great light comes and he can see the spirit world. The spirit world takes him up and transforms him into the bear. Denahie gets to the hill to find Kenai's shoes the only thing left of him. Assuming that the bear has killed his brother Denahie goes after the bear, who is really Kenai.
Through his journey as a bear Kenai runs into a young cub named Koda. Koda helps him get out of a trap and in return Kenai promises to go with him to the salmon run where the bears meet once a year. Their trip is long and hard and throughout it Kenai learns to love Koda.
When they finally make it to the salmon run all the bears sit around and toss a salmon and whoever catches it must tell the most exciting thing that happend to them that year. Kenai catches it and tells that he had gone on the longest hardest journey with the most annoying little cub he'd ever known, his brother. Then Koda tells his story. He recalls his mom getting attacked by a human. Then two more humans come and corner her. One of them made a huge glacier break off and his mom went into the river. That's the last Koda saw of his mother. It's then that Kenai realizes that he had killed Koda's mother.
Later on after thinking about it for a while Kenai tells Koda the story. How he was the one who killed Koda's mother. Koda at first refuses to believe it and then runs away hating Kenai for what he had done.
Kenai goes on alone for a while. Then he runs into Denahie who thinks Kenai is the bear who killed Sitka and Kenai. They struggle for a while and Denahie almost stabs Kenai when Koda comes in and swats the spear out of Denahie's hand. After that Sitka turns Kenai back into a human. The brothers share a warm moment, but Kenai realizes he's needed more by Koda. Sitka allows Kenai to remain a bear, and Denahie puts Kenai's bear totem around his neck again so the tribe will know that it is him and not to hurt him.
At the end Kenai gets to go up to the wall of the ancestors and put his paw print on the wall, like he had always dreamed of doing.
The music in the movie is great. Phil Collins arranged a majority of it and there are guest artists such as Tina Turner, the Bulgarian Women's Choir, and the Blind Boys from Alabama I believe. For those that don't like Phil don't worry he doesn't do as much singing as you'd think. He chimes in here and there on most of the songs and only does the lead on one.
The comic relief is brought to you by Bob and Doug Mckenzie. For those of you who don't know that's Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis. They bring it in the form of two Canadian Moose. Popping in and out of the movie they always jump in with a one or two liner that will have you rolling.
Spirituality plays a bigger part in this movie than most Disney animated movies. The makers of the movie have said they did a lot of research on the Inuit spirituality as well as other Native American tribes. That is infact the main point of the movie. Kenai recieves the totem of the Bear of Love and must eventually figure out its true meaning.
I highly reccommend the movie. It's not only great for the kids but people of all ages. If you like animated motion pictures you'll definately love this one.
I give it two paws up.
Reviewer: Brad
If you would like to join in on a discussion about this film, please go to the forum here: Brother Bear