Brother Bear (2003)

Directed by: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker | 85 minutes | animation, family, adventure, fantasy | Original voice cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Jason Raize, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, DB Sweeney, Joan Copeland, Michael Clarke Duncan

Respect for nature – or natural balance – is an important theme in several Disney films, but nowhere does it go as far as in ‘Brother Bear’, in which the main character has to put himself literally and figuratively in the bears he sees as monsters. ‘Brother Bear’ has a familiar structure: it is a road movie à la ‘Ice Age’ in which an Indian boy transformed into a bear is saddled with a cute but irritating bear cub, with whom he gradually develops a “surprising”, loving bond. The pleasantly deranged sidekicks that appear along the way, the tragic death at the beginning of the film, and the ghostly apparition in the sky, are anything but new in (Disney) animation films. No, the film cannot be caught on excessive originality. Yet ‘Brother Bear’, despite its standard elements, looks good. Who knows, maybe the well-known formula works in favor of the film. The viewer knows what to expect and can just focus on the atmosphere and the individual scenes, which are generally just fine.

Despite the “weighty” theme of death and rebirth, and the inclusion of the spiritual world, ‘Brother Bear’ comes across as light-hearted. The film doesn’t feel like the “big new Disney classic” but almost like a sequel that happens to be caught on TV on a drizzly Sunday afternoon. And apart from the need to proclaim the message of love and respect for all living beings, the film doesn’t seem very concerned with impressing the viewer by staging one bombastic scene after another. A cynic might say that this shows a sort of laziness or lack of ambition, but with such an attitude, the film’s likeable sides could be overlooked.

One of the reasons ‘Brother Bear’ works is its beating heart. It is a film without outspoken villains and with a focus on developing a loving bond between the bears Kenai and Koda. And even if the central relationship in “Brother Bear” resembles that in “Shrek,” “Ice Age,” or “Open Season,” it’s just form. Because Koda may talk a lot, but he cannot be blamed for much more than enthusiasm. The annoyance that Kenai experiences by hanging out with this cute bear is therefore not exactly palpable, and mainly says something about the quirks of Kenai and his (understandable) chagrin after his shapeshifting. In any case, Koda is likeable, warm and cuddly enough to endear him to the viewer and make them care about his fate. However, since the battle between him and Kenai seems to be mostly game, this isn’t the most successful place for humor. Fortunately, there are two wacky Canadian moose named Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas) who take care of this department more than successfully. Their silly jokes and pranks often hit the mark, even if it is sometimes too bland for words. Even when they play together an endless “I see I see…” game, where they both choose the same subject – a tree – because there is nothing else to see in the distance, the viewer’s resistance is eventually broken down, because they so dryly and tirelessly carry on with their blandness. Only the continuous ending of sentences, with “eh” (because Canadians just talk like that), eventually starts to get annoying.

In fact, these characters and relationships – the moose also maintain a warm bond with our bear friends – are enough to keep ‘Brother Bear’ going. But it’s not just silly gossip. Kenai is being chased by his own brother, who of course does not know that he has been transformed, and sees the bear as his brother’s killer. This occasionally creates some tense moments, although as a viewer you don’t believe for a moment that it will end badly.

Although much in the film is predictable, the ending is actually quite surprising. Although there is a kind of poetic justice in the final solution, it is unexpected, and perhaps not equally educational for all people, in the long run. But time will tell.

‘Brother Bear’ is certainly not a high-flyer among the Disney films, and the music and animation are unfortunately mediocre, but the film still manages to move and entertain, with nice characters and a nice, casual atmosphere.