Brother Bear (2003)
Written by Tab Hunter, et al.
Directed by Aaron Blaise & Robert Walker
Do you like Phil Collins? Did you see Tarzan and say to yourself, “It’s just missing more Phil Collins”? THEN I HAVE THE MOVIE FOR YOU.
Another sibling story
All joking aside, I really love this film. I took my little brother to see it on opening day (which was a Saturday, which is really unusual), and we both enjoyed it. It’s an engaging story, centered around siblings (a shift in the focus of relationships that began with Lilo & Stitch, and is most commonly thought of with Frozen). It has some great characters, some genius direction, and yes, even some good music.
Kenai’s transformation
I know I made a Phil Collins joke, but his voice doesn’t actually fill the movie very much (especially when compared to Tarzan). The song he is most featured in is actually my favorite song of the film, “Welcome” (although I prefer the “Parade of Dreams” show stop version much more). Coming in a close second is Tina Turner’s “Great Spirits”, which is so clearly a “Circle of Life” knock-off that I shouldn’t like it, but her vocals really match the song extremely well.
Notice the change in the richness of the colors after Kenai’s transformation
The art direction of the film is pretty stunning, especially once Kenai transforms from man to bear (I mean...spoiler alert, I guess). There’s a detail at this point of the film that I think is really clever: from the opening of the film to the moment Kenai realizes what’s happened, the film is presented in a 1.75:1 ratio, a more box-like frame. Once Kenai awakens as a bear, the ratio shifts to 2.35:1, a more widescreen frame. There is also a shift in color and animation style, with the animals becoming more fanciful and the colors, brighter. It’s a small detail, but it highlights the depth of thought that went into this film.
This is more of a forgotten film in the Disney lineup, which is a shame, because it’s got a great message, and is a great mix of emotion, from comedy to heartbreak. If you haven’t seen it, this really is a hidden gem amongst the Disney Animated Canon.
FINAL GRADE: A-
