7 out of 10
 

An overly done morality tale and a cute film

Disney has become the name in animation for almost thirty years. They have given us some the most memorable characters and some of the catchiest songs. With changing tastes of their audiences they have struggled to keep their movies on the cutting edge.

Brother Bear is the story of how a young Inuit tries to get revenge on a bear that killed his older brother. On the hunt, Kenai because transformed by the spirit of the forest in to a bear and is befriended by a cub named Coda. Coda teaches Kenai the value of brotherhood. It is this lesson that could help him transform himself back into a human.

Brother Bear is not the best Disney has put out, but it is quite good. The animation is colourful and lush. The soundtrack provided mainly by Phil Collins is passable but not quite as catchy as in earlier Disney films. The two directors of this film, Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, try to find a good balance between overly done morality tale and a cute film with animated characters. The catch is that as well follow Kenai on journey the viewer gets hit with a very hard underlying message at the end. The voice talent Joaquin Phoenix (Kenai) and Jeremy Suarez (Koda) provide believable voices in both their characters.

Brother Bear is cute and well made film, but suffers because of the weak soundtrack. Fans of Disney films will love the characters and the art but will leave longing for the glory days.

Not Disney's best but still worth a look