Brother Bear

Brother Bear is a 2003 traditionally-animated musical fantasy comedy-drama movie produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 21, 2003. It is about a prehistoric human named Kenai who turns into a bear and discovers brotherhood. The 43rd animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, it was originally titled Bears, and was the third and final Disney animated movie produced mainly by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida, that studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of this movie in favor of computer animated features.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328880/news Brother Bear (2003) - News The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Finding Nemo. A sequel, Brother Bear 2, was released directly-to-DVD on August 29, 2006. As a result, Brother Bear was the final Disney animated movie to have a direct-to-video sequel.

Plot
In prehistoric Alaska, the local Native Alaskans believe in the Great Spirits, who create life and are said to appear in the form of an aurora. Three human brothers, Kenai, the youngest; Denahi, the middle and Sitka, the elder; return to the tribe to receive totems, necklaces that take the shape of prehistoric creatures, with each animal being representative of something the brothers must achieve to prove themselves as men. Unlike Sitka, who receives the Haast's eagle of guidance, and Denahi, the dire wolf of wisdom, Kenai receives the cave bear of love, to which he objects, believing them to be thieves; he makes his point a fact when a female cave bear steals their basket of fish. Kenai and his brothers pursue her; when the fight culminates on top of a glacier, Sitka sacrifices himself to save his brothers, by dislodging the glacier, but the creature survives. Kenai takes it upon himself to slay her, blaming it for his brother's death. After fighting and slaying the bear, Sitka's spirit appears in the form of a bald eagle, and the Spirits transform Kenai into a cave bear. Denahi arrives and, thinking that the cave bear also killed Kenai, vows to avenge his brother by killing her.

Kenai falls down some rapids and is healed by Tanana, the tribal shaman; while she does not speak the bears' language, but advises him to travel to the mountain where Sitka's spirit will turn him back into a human being, but only if he atones for his crime; vanishing without explanation. Kenai discovers he can now communicate with animals, meeting two moose called Rutt and Tuke. He ends up getting caught in a hunter's trap, but is freed by Koda, a sassy cave bear cub. The two strike a deal; in exchange for leading Koda to an annual salmon run, he will take Kenai to the mountain. The two form a brother-like relationship, and Koda reveals his mother is missing. The two are pursued by Denahi, who is out to avenge Kenai; unbeknownst to him, his brother is the bear he is hunting. Upon reaching the salmon run, where several bears congregate, including the leader Tug. Kenai accepts his new surroundings and is comfortable living amongst the bears. During a discussion, Koda tells a story about his mother getting involved in a fight with human hunters; this reminds Kenai of his brothers' fight with the bear, and he realizes, to his horror, that he killed Koda's mother.

Horrified by his actions, Kenai runs away in guilt, but Koda follows him. Upset, he confesses to Koda that he killed his mother, and the bear cub runs off in grief; an apologetic Kenai then travels to the mountain on his own. Meanwhile. Rutt and Tuke have a fight, but reconcile with each other in front of Koda, prompting him to forgive Kenai. On the mountain, Kenai is attacked by Denahi, but Koda steals his spear. Out of love for the bear cub, Kenai sacrifices himself, and Sitka's spirit transforms him back into a human, much to the surprise of Koda and Denahi. Upon realizing that the cub needs him due to his own mistakes, Kenai asks to be transformed back into a bear, with Denahi's support. Sitka complies, and transforms his brother back to his bear form, and Koda is briefly reunited with his mother's spirit, before she and Sitka depart to the spirit realm. In the end, Kenai lives with the other bears and gains his title as a man through living as a bear.

Reception
The reaction from movie reviewers was mixed to negative with many panning the movie as copying older Disney movies like The Lion King and the 20th Century Fox movie Ice Age (although Brother Bear began production before Ice Age did), while others defended the movie as a different and reasonable variation of the theme. The popular American movie critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper have given positive reviews of the movie. However, Brother Bear holds a rating of 38% in Rotten Tomatoes, which says that "Brother Bear is gentle and pleasant if unremarkable Disney fare, with so-so animation and generic plotting".http://www.animated-news.com/2003/brother-bear-two-thumbs-up/ Animated News » Brother Bear Two Thumbs Up!

Voice cast
 Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai, the youngest of three brothers who gets turned into a bear, to teach him to see through their eyes
 Jeremy Suarez as Koda, a wisecracking grizzly bear cub, who helps Kenai on his journey to where the Lights Touch the Earth
 Jason Raize as Denahi, the middle brother
 Harold Gould as Old Denahi (English)
 Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley as Old Denahi (Inuktitut)
 Rick Moranis as Rutt, a comic Canadian moose
 Dave Thomas as Tuke, another comic Canadian moose
 D.B. Sweeney as Sitka, the oldest brother
 Joan Copeland as Tanana, the shaman-woman of Kenai's tribe
 Michael Clarke Duncan as Tug, a wise old cave bear
 Paul Christie and Daniel Mastrogiorgio as two rams
 Estelle Harris as Mabel, old lady bear
 Greg Proops as a male lover bear
 Pauley Perrette as a female lover bear
 Darko Cesar as foreign bear
 Bumper Robinson as two chipmunks
 Frank Welker as Animals' vocal effects (uncredited)
 Hope Levy as a valley girl bear (credited as additional voices)
 Additional voices by: Pat Pinney, Brian Posehn, Phil Proctor, Pam Seagall, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Jennifer Darling, Debi Derryberry, Bill Farmer, Hope Levy, Sherry Lynn, Mickie McGowan, Caitlin Rose Anderson, Maxi Anderson, Carmen Carter, Randel Crenshaw, Trey Finney, Ben Johnson, Bethany Johnson, Luke Johnson, B. Wyatt Johnson, Amy Keys, Rick Logan, Susan Stevens-Logan, Arnold McCuller, Tim Mertens, Josef Powell, Lamonte Van Hook, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine W. Waters, Oren Waters, Willie Wheaton, Fred White, Terry Wood and Terry Young.

Crew
 Crew Position   Directed by  Aaron BlaiseRobert Walker Produced by  Chuck Williams Written by  Tab MurphyLorne CameronDavid HoseltonSteve BencichRon J. Friedman Songs by  Phil Collins Original Score by  Mark MancinaPhil Collins Associate Producer  Igor Khait Art Director  Robh Ruppel Film Editor  Tim Mertens Artistic Supervisors  Steve Anderson (Story supervisor)Jeff Dickson (Layout supervisor)Barry R. Kooser (Background supervisor)Phillip S. Boyd & Chrisine Lawrence-Finney (Clean-up supervisor)Garrett Wren (Effects supervisor) Supervising Animators  Byron Howard (Kenai-Bear)Alex Kuperschmidt (Koda)Ruben A. Aquino (Denahi)James Young Jackson (Kenai-Human)Tony Stanley (Rutt)Broose Johnson (Tuke)Anthony Wayne Michaels (Sitka)Tom Gately (Tanana)Rune Brandt Bennicke (Tug & Koda's Mom) Background StylistCharacter DesignArtistic CoordinatorProduction Manager  Xiangyuan JieRune Brandt BennickeKirk BodyfeltBruce Anderson

Songs
 Song  Performed by  Available on the soundtrack disc?  Heard in the film?Great Spirits   Tina Turner  Yes  YesTransformation  Phil Collins  Yes  NoTransformation  Bulgarian Women's Choir  Yes  YesOn My Way  Phil Collins  Yes  Yes (except Koda sings the first few lyrics and the last lyric)On My Way (this version contains Koda singing the first few lyrics and the last lyric)  Jeremy SuarezPhil Collins  No  YesWelcome  Phil Collins  Yes  NoWelcome  Phil CollinsThe Blind Boys of Alabama  Yes  YesNo Way Out (theme from Brother Bear)  Phil Collins  Yes  YesLook Through My Eyes  Phil Collins  Yes  Yes (also on bonus material)
Score by Mark Mancina/Phil Collins

 Release Dates 
 Country  Premiere  VHS release date  DVD release date  Blu-ray release date   November 1, 2003  March 30, 2004  March 30, 2004  March 12, 2013October 12, 2021   December 5, 2003  May 10, 2004  May 10, 2004  September 29, 2014   December 26, 2003  June 30, 2004  June 30, 2004  September 21, 2016   April 16, 2004  September 10, 2004  September 10, 2004  November 15, 2013August 23, 2024

Deleted songs
 "The Fishing Song" - This was intended for the salmon run sequence, but was replaced by "Welcome".
 "This Can't Be My Destiny" This was song by Phil Collins. But unfortunately it never made it to the movie. The song was however mention in the special feature by Phil Collins. This song was never released.

Sequel

Brother Bear 2 was released August 29, 2006.

References

Other websites

 Official site

 Brother Bear at the Big Cartoon DataBase (Dead link)


Category:2003 animated movies
Category:2003 musical movies
Category:Disney animated movies
Category:2000s English-language movies
Category:American family comedy movies
Category:American musical movies
Category:Movies about bears
Category:Movies about brothers
Category:Movies about Native Americans
Category:Movies set in prehistory
Category:2000s American drama movies
Category:2003 comedy-drama movies
Category:American comedy-drama movies
Category:American fantasy-comedy movies
Category:2000s fantasy-comedy movies