PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 10/24/03)


So, like, there's this movie, eh? And like, it's called Brother Bear. You've toh-dally seen the ads with those two moose, yah? Well, they're the comic relief, see. But the movie also teaches kids about respecting animals, and seeing things from someone else's perspective. Beauty, eh?

Set in the majestic Pacific Northwest around ten thousand years ago, Brother Bear is the story of Kenai (voiced by Phoenix), a boy on the brink of manhood who's eager to prove his independence. Though there's a lot of teasing involved, his relationship with his two older brothers is a very close one, and the young men are all integral parts of a loving larger community as well. It's a world in which tradition is honored, and the spirits of long-gone ancestors (both human and animal) are revered for their ability to create change on Earth.

A moment of Kenai's carelessness sets off a chain of events that culminates, tragically, in the death of his oldest brother. Although not directly responsible, a bear played a big part in the accident—and Kenai is hungry for revenge. Determined to find and kill the animal, Kenai heads off on a mission—that is, until the spirits decide to turn him into a bear. Suddenly, the handsome teenager (imagine a young Keanu Reeves in cartoon form) is swirling in a glorious, multicolored (slightly-trippy looking) vortex of spirit energy, from which he emerges as a big, brown, and bewildered bear.

The filmmakers do something pretty nifty at the moment Kenai realizes he's no longer a human: The aspect ratio, which had been the standard format up to that point, makes a switch to a widescreen format. Just as Kenai's perspective on things is shifting, so is ours: We are now seeing and feeling the beautiful nature vistas of the film in a brighter, bolder way, as an animal living off the land might.

What follows is a sometimes funny, sometimes poignant journey as Kenai learns that animals not only talk (one clever moment shows a formation of flying birds, with a little one crying, "Are we there yet?"), but indeed have communities of their own, and rich personalities. The two brother moose, voiced by the wonderful Canadian comedians Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, are a thinly veiled homage to Moranis and Thomas's side-splitting schtick as brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie on SCTV, and provide not only a nice share of yuks but a heartfelt salute to brother-hood in general. As Kenai's human brother starts hunting him (unaware that the bear he's chasing is his own flesh and blood), our hero learns some hard and powerful lessons about the relationship between man and animal. The emotional thrust of the story lies with a young bear named Koda (voiced by Suarez), an impossibly cute critter who has recently been separated from his mother, and thinks of Kenai as a surrogate brother. This kind-hearted, trusting, and downright lovable creature is the ultimate embodiment of the benevolence and innocence inherent to so many animals.

While not a masterpiece along the lines of The Lion King, and not a super-smart witticism-fest like Lilo and Stitch, Brother Bear is deeply heartfelt, touching, and beautiful. Phil Collins provides six new songs, the best of which is a rousing number called "Great Spirits" (Collins composed it, but Tina Turner sings it). There is a moment towards the beginning of the film in which we hear Turner's thunderously gorgeous voice belt out this invigorating tune over sweeping shots of raw, magnificent nature and the panoply of animals- both endearing and majestic- who inhabit it. The moment is nothing short of magical. And long after the movie ended, this animal-lover found herself dreaming of it again and again.

—Susannah Gora