Summer of Magic- "Brother Bear"

Sometimes with Disney, potential outweighs results. I think back to the seventies when the studio decided to tell the legend of Robin Hood. In the eighties, they had all the makings of yet another classic in The Black Cauldron. Even Walt himself wasn't immune to this problem with the highly disappointing The Sword in the Stone in the early sixties. The modern era of Disney has unfortunately garnered quite a few films like this. Dinosaur and Atlantis: The Lost Empire from previous days this past week quickly come to mind, and today, I must regrettably add one more to this list. Brother Bear has every ingredient one could possibly look for to make a classic on paper. It even has Phil Collins doing the music! However, the final project is too often devoid of enthusiasm and genuine emotion as Disney once again settles for mediocrity.

I stated when I began the Summer of Magic that I can usually find something to praise every film for, and thankfully, Brother Bear is no exception to this rule. Since I already brought him up, I might as well get my obligatory applause for Phil Collins in now. After the success of Tarzan, Disney apparently wanted to try and recapture the magic from the Renaissance in this film by bringing back Collins, and the prolific songwriter/performer nearly saves this film from the mires of mediocrity. Such standouts as "On My Way" and "No Way Out" are truly fantastic songs that compliment the film perfectly. In a film desperate for life and energy, Collins's music is like a breath of fresh air whenever it is being played. Additionally, the animation in Brother Bear is quite great too. Actually, the film's highlights are often due to the fact that the animation is downright superb. I think about Kenai's transformation into a bear and the beautiful salmon run sequence in particular. Two Disney cornerstones throughout the studio's history have been animation and music, and Brother Bear delivers the goods in both departments.

As you have probably noticed, for the first time maybe ever in my reviews, I did not start off by discussing the film's characters, and that was completely intentional. Truth be told, Brother Bear's characters are rather weak. Our main character, Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix), is never quite fully developed like a leading man should, and that unfortunately sets the tone for the rest of the ensemble as well. This film relies so much on the theme of family, and yet the main family is either dead or angry at one another for most of the film. I wanted more backstory into Kenai and his family, and I believe that if that would have occurred, Brother Bear would be a much stronger, more cohesive film. However, Disney drops us right into the action and family drama without any context. By the time Kenai becomes a bear and meets Koda, we simply could not care less whether or not he becomes a human again. Speaking of Koda, he is a solid character brought to life by the super talented Jeremy Suarez, but Koda's characterization relies heavily on feeding off of Kenai's character, which means that Koda is not as developed as you would like him to be either. The only character standouts come in the form of Tuke and Rutt, the duo of moose. I'll discuss their greatness later, but even then, they are not integral to the story whatsoever, and when the best characters add nothing to the story, the film usually has a significantly problem on its hands.

That leads me to the story of Brother Bear. Again, it should be great, but it is wholly predictable. The "twist" of Kenai being the one that killed Koda's mother is one that just about anyone can spot right when Kenai first meets Koda. The film acts as if this revelation is some gigantic breakthrough, and therefore, the intended emotional punch falls flat. The story shines, unsurprisingly, when the characters are not speaking and the music and animation are allowed to tell the story. As is the case recently, the cast is not to be blamed for the characterization or the story. Phoenix and Suarez do their absolute best, but in the end, the comedy is tired (with the exception of Tuke and Rutt's dialogue) and the drama is manipulative.

It feels as if Disney was simply going through the motions with Brother Bear, and as I have stated on plenty of occasions before, I hold Disney to a higher standard than any studio out there (except for Pixar). Brother Bear is never able to reach that standard, although Collins and the cast exalt it immensely.

Rating: 7/10

Historical Significance: Brother Bear was the third and final film to be fully produced at Disney's Orlando, Florida, facility inside MGM Studios. Mulan was the first film produced in 1998 and Lilo & Stitch followed suit in 2002. The studio shut down in 2004 as Disney began focusing on computer animation. While Brother Bear never reached the classic heights of its two predecessors from that studio, the moose duo, Tuke and Rutt, became so popular that Disney seriously considered giving them a spinoff television series. Ultimately, that idea was obviously scrapped, however, in the aftermath of the film's domestic box office. American audiences simply did not find the desire to see the film in theaters as Brother Bear grossed a mere $85 million in its initial release.

Behind the Scenes: An interesting technique was used in Brother Bear that I honestly had never seen before. The film begins with a standard widescreen while Kenai is human with realistic animation. However, once Kenai is transformed into a bear about twenty-five minutes in, the screen expands to a 2.35:1 aspect with brighter colors. Some of you probably know a lot more about that than I do, but to actually expand the screen during the film is a bold move that is quite fascinating to watch. Furthermore, one of my favorite stories from Brother Bear production is when Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Suarez were recording their lines together and Phoenix messed up one of his lines. He said, "I don't care that you and Binky found the world's biggest pine cone ever." Suarez realized the mishap and improvised accordingly. He responded, "First of all, it's not Binky, and it wasn't a pine cone, it was a pine nut." The filmmakers loved this interaction so much that they kept that recording in the final cut of the film.

Favorite Character: I have already lamented the lackluster characterization of Kenai. Koda is a significantly stronger character than Kenai, and I almost went with him as my selection here. However, sometimes, I simply find myself in the need to laugh, and Tuke and Rutt make me laugh hysterically every time I watch Brother Bear, so they are my choices for this section. I know in the past I have applauded excellent arcs with genuine emotion appearing in the evolution of certain characters, but with Tuke and Rutt, they are my favorites due solely to the fact that I cannot stop laughing when they are on the screen. There is nothing overtly spectacular about their character; in fact, in terms of story development, they are rather useless, but this film is at its best when these two are on the screen entertaining us all. Even the hide-and-seek joke delivered in one of their scenes is rather predictable and has a sense of "been there, done that," but Tuke and Rutt make it work. I would have watched that proposed television spinoff, Disney!

Favorite Scene: In my review of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, I picked the climatic battle scene as my favorite strictly because of the animation displayed. I am making the same type of decision now with Brother Bear as the sequence showing Kenai's transformation into a bear is my favorite. Unsurprisingly, the music played during this scene is a true highlight as the chorus of voices join together for a legitimately powerful moment. The animation is also gorgeous, especially when the spirits of all these animals are presented to Kenai before he actually transforms. When the transformation finally occurs, the animators brilliantly show-off their skills yet again. Any faults I may find in Brother Bear are not due to its animation or music, and luckily for this scene, this is the best of both worlds.

Updated Ranking: Brother Bear is not Disney's worst film, but I wanted and expected so much more. That is why it finds itself near the bottom of my rankings.

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. The Lion King
3. Aladdin
4. The Little Mermaid
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
6. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
7. Peter Pan
8. Cinderella
9. The Jungle Book
10. Sleeping Beauty
11. Lilo & Stitch
12. Hercules
13. Mulan
14. The Emperor's New Groove
15. Tarzan
16. Pinocchio
17. Lady and the Tramp
18. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
19. Alice in Wonderland
20. Dumbo
21. Bambi
22. 101 Dalmatians
23. Pocahontas
24. Treasure Planet
25. The Great Mouse Detective
26. Fantasia
27. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
28. The AristoCats
29. Fantasia 2000
30. The Rescuers Down Under
31. Fun and Fancy Free
32. The Fox and the Hound
33. Robin Hood
34. Dinosaur
35. Melody Time
36. The Three Caballeros
37. Saludos Amigos
38. Brother Bear
39. Oliver & Company
40. The Rescuers
41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
42. The Sword in the Stone
43. Make Mine Music
44. The Black Cauldron

Luckily for you, my review of Home on the Range, the next film in the official canon timeline, has already been released! Check it out!

-Cody Fleenor