Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Fantastic!

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Feature, losing to Finding Nemo. There will be spoilers ahead: As is almost a given with any Disney animation, the animation and the overall look of the film is nothing short of breathtaking. That's a good thing for any Disney project (The Mouse is very good at this after doing it for this long) but it's particularly helpful here, because the plot's just a touch thin. My view of the film is colored by the fact that I can't stand the lead character, Kenai. The plot is largely driven by Kenai's being an immature idiot for most of the film.The film is framed by a segment which is a retelling of the story after the fact. There are three brothers-Sitka, Denahi and Kenai. Kenai is about to find out what his totem animal will be. Sitka's is the eagle and Denahi's is the owl. Kenai, being an impetuous overgrown kid at heart, is certain his totem will be something fierce and grand. In the beginning of the film (shot in a different aspect ration than the last hour or so, to set the two sections apart visually) Kenai does foolish things rashly and without considering the consequences.When the time comes to find out what his totem animal is, Kenai is disappointed that it's the bear of love. He dislikes bears even before this and likes them even less now. When a bear gets into a store of fish, largely because Kenai is careless and impetuous, he sets out after the basket the fish were in. His brothers go after him to keep him out of trouble and Sitka is killed in the process. Denahi clearly blames Kenai for this.Kenai hunts the bear and kills it. The Spirits, his brother Sitka now among them, choose to transform Kenai into a bear, so that he can atone for this and learn what he must learn in order to grow up. Denahi, not knowing that the bear is Kenai, thinks Kenai has been killed and proceeds to hunt him in his guise as a bear.In flight from his brother, Kenai encounters Koda, a bear cub. Koda helps Kenai out of a trap and they start journeying to the salmon hunt, which is near where the Spirit lights are. Kenai also runs into the film's comedy relief-two moose, brothers voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, who reprise their old Doug and Bob McKenzie routine. I thought it was funny, but I'm old enough to remember when it was new.As Kenai spends more time with Koda on the way to the hunt and then later with the bears in a community, he begins to understand things he didn't before. The sections with the bears are particularly nice visually.The last twenty minutes of the film is very information-dense and feels a bit rushed. I don't want to spoil the last part of the film, so I won't discuss what happens. One word of advice-watch all the way through to the end, after the closing credits. There's a really good closing bit with Koda.This film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray and is worth getting. Recommended.

Kenai is the careless youngest brother of three. He is given the totem of love in the shape of a bear by tribe elder Tanana. He doesn't like bears and he's not amused by the love bear totem. He left the basket of fish on the ground which is taken by a bear. He goes in search of the basket, and gets into a confrontation with a giant bear. Luckily his older brothers come to rescue him, but the eldest brother Sitka falls off a cliff. Kenai vows revenge on the bear. When he kills the bear, magic from the sky transforms him into a bear. The second brother Denahi finds Kenai's spear and ragged clothing. He assumes Kenai has been killed by the bear, and picks up the quest for revenge. Meanwhile Tanana tells bear Kenai that he must go to the top of the mountain where the lights touch the ground. It's there that he'll find Sitka's spirit who will guide him in his quest for redemption. On the way, he encounters the moose brothers Rutt and Tuke, and a baby bear Koda.Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas relive their SCTV persona playing Rutt and Tuke. They are sweet charming fun. The little bear Koda brings a poignant story from the bear's point of view instead of the hunters. There is a serious message being delivered in this Disney film. It is one of the final hand drawn animation in Orlando in favor of computer animation. In that sense, it feels somewhat dated and bland, but it's still a good family movie especially for the little ones.

This is probably my favorite Disney movie. I love all Disney movies but this is definitely my favorite. I think the soundtrack is amazing one of my favorite songs is, "On My Way." The reason I gave the movie a 9 instead of a 10 is because the movie is very sad at some parts. I think this movie sends an amazing message. I also think this movie underrated. This movie really sends you a message about how you should handle difficult situations. Koda is adorable and Rut and Tuk are really really funny. This movie did make me cry because it was so touching. I feel like watching it right now but I can't because my disk is scratched which makes me sad but i'll probably download it on Itunes or something.

I have learned that sometimes critics have their heads up their a**es and their prejudice, arrogance and jaded perspectives make them disregard anything with pure heart and emotion and love, praise and adore mindless fart humor and depravity. If you are one of those people who loves what critics say and can't form your own opinion, you'll probably have a preconceived opinion of this movie so disregard my review. Also if you hate stories that teach and educate and make you inspire to be a better person, disregard the rest of this review. This film is a breathtaking, emotional roller coaster of intellect,wit, pure heart and moral. It takes you on an astonishing journey filled with soul. It is visual eye-candy, epic and breathtaking. The vividness of the colors and brush strokes actually takes you on a magical enchanting journey and leaves you awestruck with its beauty. So yeah the animation is AMAZING!The voicing by the actors is so fitting and they do a marvelous job. Effortlessly so if i may add.The music is pretty amazing and in fact adds to the amazement of the story. It carries the emotion of the story. Most people listen to the instrumentals instead of the words. Try listening to the words and they will carry you on an immensely emotional and feeling ride. The words add to the story and the characters thoughts. Wonderful. Not particularly the best ever in terms of instrumentals, but the words and their meaning make up for this ten-fold. The transformation song and "On My Way" were a particular delight.Now to the story which i feel is the most important thing: It is firstly educational and takes a more cultural turn by taking you through the mythology of the Inuits and way of life. It is a different time and culture and it is both awe-inducing and educating. Not for people who prefer films like Shrek or Simpsons. Now the emotional depth of this film can make you weep throughout as it showcases love, arrogance, prejudice, intolerance, tolerance, pain, death, family, darkness and finally light. It transcends above nearly all films in terms of emotions and heart. It is heart-breaking and tear inducing as it showcases human cruelty and arrogance. A subject people will really dislike or feel in denial about. It showcases pain and heartache like no animation does these days since people prefer the superficial. It shows the themes that are present today such as intolerance, arrogance and sheer heartlessness. And finally it shows a journey of education not only in terms of cultural differences but learning that intolerance and preconceived notions are imbecilic, it is about responsibility, it teaches the importance of stepping into another's shoes and feeling what they feel as well as learning the power of love. It is very intelligent so very few will get or be able to understand and appreciate its messages. And plus if you hate emotion, education and being taught valuable life lessons or feel you are too superior for them, you will not like this movie. Otherwise if you are intelligent and have a heart, you will adore it as i have.Definitely one of my favorite animated films and i've seen over 200. Actually it is one of my favorite films period, not just from the animated ones. A masterpiece and i know i will get hate for saying this but it is the truth, this movie is way better than several Pixar films which are good visuals but superficial story lines that don't capture heart, horrors of the world and emotion as Disney films of the past do. I said several Pixar films and not all. Up, Wall-E and Monsters Inc are masterpieces and Brother Bear is in their league of excellence. Though it is way way way more magical and beautiful than the Toy Story Trilogy, Brave, The Incredibles, Cars and Finding Nemo. I have watched this film every year since i was a kid when it released and it has still not lost its magic and that is the true mark of a pure classic, one that will never lose its charm.