Brother Bear [DVD]

Product Information

Here, in the theatrical version of the film included in this two-disc set, the movie goes through its own transformation; a Wizard of Oz-like demarcation at the 24-minute mark when the aspect ratio widens to reflect Kenai's new, ursine perspective. The story carries messages about the power of friendship and community, the difficulty of losing a loved one, and the highs and lows of growing up. When he does, though, the spirits that govern interspecies transformations see to it that Kenai is transformed into the big brown bear that he has just killed. The film's lead character is Kenai, an Ice Age youth eagerly awaiting his manhood ceremony, where he will be given the totem that is said to guide its owner through life.

Originally titled Bears, it was the third and final Disney animated feature produced primarily by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida; the studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of this film in favor of computer animated features. Brother Bear isn’t a pretty film per se, but backgrounds are pretty solid and the image is clean overall.

I especially like how the film introduces very young children to another culture and way of looking at the world (without the preachiness of Pocohontas). Independently owned and operated publications like Slant have been hit hard in recent years, but we’re committed to keeping our content free and accessible—meaning no paywalls or fees. Yet there are other films that are beautiful, with lovely unusual stories, and you have never heard of them. Conceptual and development art for Brother Bear, accompanied by the film's score, is described by art director Robh Ruppel and Byron Howard, the supervising animator of Kenai.

Having watched the latter version, I believe that I remember black bars appearing above and below the picture for the "bear" part- switched from full screen to widescreen at that point.

The directors finally gave into their co-workers who said it wasn't working, and Kenai's new travel companion became the younger Koda. SCTV fans will delight in two tag-along moose characters, Rutt and Tuke, voiced by the McKenzie brothers themselves, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas.

In a time when wooly mammoths still existed, a Native American teenager (no, he’s not Cro Magnon) anxiously awaits the initiation ceremony that will usher him into manhood. You can choose to listen to the commentary with visuals or without; with the former selected, you occassionally get to see well-done silhouettes of the moose.A fairly involved making-of documentary, deleted scenes, interactive games, and a music video for the Phil Collins song "Look Through My Eyes," are all fine, but the best part of the disc is the commentary delivered by Rutt and Tuke, the moose in the film voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. The music isn't quite as memorable and energetic as Tarzan's, but a couple of songs do work well enough to make you almost forgive the harsh opening number that Disney decided (unsuccessfully) to push for the Best Song Oscar. I think it was the 'realness' of the animals (which, like in Lion King, move like the real species) combined with action right from the beginning. Brother Bear also marks, if not the end of an era, at least an interruption, as Disney famously closed its Florida animation studio after completing the production. There are also ads for the GameBoy Advance Brother Bear video game and Walt Disney World Magical Gatherings, accessible from the "Sneak Peeks" menu which is accompanied by an intimdiating rift on the familiar Sneak Peeks music.

Find Your Totem" poses a variety of questions and then "the spirits" tell you which symbol most represents you. The aspect ratio shift comes at the moment of transformation, when Kenai's perspective of the world changes. For items that are dispatched using our standard service, we ask that you wait 14 days from the date of dispatch before reporting any items as undelivered.Transformation Song" (2:39) presents a song that Phil Collins wrote for the Great Spirits in this important scene. Muri the Squirrel" was originally one of the first creatures Kenai experienced in the animal world and has his own scene, which was understandably deleted. Certain items can take longer to source than the estimated week, particularly during busy trading periods and may take longer to arrive at our warehouse. The pair's past friendship collides with the present as Kenai and Nita embark on a journey as bear and woman.