Brother Bear (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Aaron Blaise
Robert Walker

Writers:

Tab Murphy (screenplay) and
Lorne Cameron (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

The story of a boy who became a man by becoming a bear.

Plot:

A young Inuit hunter seeks vengence against a bear, only to be magically changed into a bear himself, and his only chance to change back is with a talkative bear cub.

Plot Keywords:

Bear | Revenge | Brotherhood | Bear Cub | Survival

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix	...	Kenai (voice)
Jeremy Suarez	...	Koda (voice)
Jason Raize	...	Denahi (voice)
Rick Moranis	...	Rutt (voice)
Dave Thomas	...	Tuke (voice)
D.B. Sweeney	...	Sitka (voice)
Joan Copeland	...	Tanana (voice)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Tug (voice)
Harold Gould	...	Old Denahi (voice)
Paul Christie	...	Ram #1 (voice)
Danny Mastrogiorgio	...	Ram #2 (voice) (as Daniel Mastrogiorgio)
Estelle Harris	...	Old Lady Bear (voice)
Greg Proops	...	Male Lover Bear (voice)
Pauley Perrette	...	Female Lover Bear (voice)
Darko Cesar	...	Foreign Croatian Bear (voice)

Also Known As:

Bears (USA) (working title)
Tierra de osos (USA: Spanish title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Inuktitut | Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Germany:o.Al. | Finland:K-3 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:All | Portugal:M/4 | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Philippines:G | Singapore:G | Spain:T | Switzerland:8 (canton of Zurich) | UK:U | USA:G (certificate #40113)

Filming Locations:

Orlando, Florida, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Trivia:

Originally, Kenai was supposed to have an older bear named Grizz guide him through the woods and become like a brother to him. He didn't work out, and was replaced by Koda.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scene, Denahi says "This is a story from long ago, when the great mammoths still roamed our lands", whereas the main story takes place during his lifetime and mammoths are clearly too plentiful to have disappeared so quickly.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Denahi as an Old Man: This is a story from long ago, when the great mammoths still roamed our lands. It's the story of my two brothers and me. When the three of us were young, we were taught that the world is full of magic. The source of this magic is the ever-changing lights that dance across the sky...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#31.3)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Look Through My Eyes

I always wanted a brother.

This movie truly touched me, and apparently many others, as it is

one of the best animated movies I've ever seen. Never having a

brother myself, I found that for the eighty-five minutes I was treated

to a wonderful tale of friendship and fraternity, an experience I

enjoyed so much that I've watched over again twice this week. The

one thing that this movie has done that others have come close to

accomplishing but failed to do so is inspire me to actually be a

better person. The wonderful transformation of Kenai from his

intolerant form into a person who has seen the world through the

eyes of the monster he came to hate so much really affected me in

such a way that now I make my greatest attempt to treat everyone

in the way I would want to be treated- like a brother. Everyone says that the music makes the movie worse, and that it

should have been toned down, but I disagree. The mood is purely

set by some great tunes and a wonderful score by Phil Collins,

Tina Turner, and others. To get me through a particularly stressful

day, I just remember my friends, and how they're like brothers to

me, and I hum the "Welcome" song. It just inspires me. Visuals? Eye Candy? Check. The use of colors is like some thing

out of a very artistic dream. The light created by the tones seem to

come out of the screen and surround whomever should see them

in an aura of florid mist. Compare this to Finding Nemo, which

really doesn't show that much splendor and beauty, and I'll gladly

watch this. Overall this movie has everything a children's movie should have,

and much more. Children will laugh at the jokes supplied by the

movie's comic relief, two highly-Canadian Moose, yet the humor is

not so jejune that adult will feel uncomfortable watching it with or

without their children. The message is one anyone can understand; that before you judge, review the situation as your

adversary would see it. It has a great message, with a wonderful

cinematic experience, and all-together,a wonderful movie, which

gets a ten out of ten on my scale.

Great job, Disney, and thank you.