My rating: 6/10
The absolute best Disney films, like Mary Poppins, feature a story line, music, characters, and magical animation effects that are fully enjoyable for all ages, from the youngest to the eldest. Lately, the craftspeople at Pixar have produced the best all-ages films. Brother Bear is a fine enough film for the 9 to 11 age group, but the story line makes it a difficult film for younger children to handle, and the inconsistencies of mood show through as flaws for older, more critical members of the audience.
Brother Bear contains a curious mixture of scenes of traditional lovable Disney animal characters singing together and getting along famously, and then other scenes of battles to the death. The deaths in the film, which are all preceded by fairly lengthy, loud and somewhat graphic battle scenes, are what make the film challenging for the young set. My 7 year-old had to close her eyes and hold her hands over her ears, and get a few reassuring pats from me, in order to make it through those scenes. Without giving away the plot, I will warn that a good number of characters die, and there is a revelation at the end of the film (about who did what to whom) that can be heartbreaking. All this is much more overwhelming than the death of Bambi's mother ever was.
That said, the storyline is a fairly interesting one (for those who are able to handle it), and the film does convey a positive message about how man should interact with nature, as represented by the bears. Thankfully, the film is not completely idealistic, since it does recognize the necessity of the food chain, as illustrated by the long scene of the bears happily munching away on a salmon run. The representation of Native American spiritual beliefs is no doubt less than perfect, but anyone who looks to a Disney animated film for 100% historical accuracy is looking in the wrong place.
The animation is fine, but nothing spectacular. Phil Collins provided a few good upbeat songs, but they accounted for several of the severe shifts in mood, as the film swung back and forth between battle scenes to joyful celebrations of life. The McKenzie brothers from Canada, appropriately cast as moose, provide the comic relief, but I don't think they'll be getting their own TV show on the Disney channel, as did Timon and Pumbaa from the Lion King.
The absolute best Disney films, like Mary Poppins, feature a story line, music, characters, and magical animation effects that are fully enjoyable for all ages, from the youngest to the eldest. Lately, the craftspeople at Pixar have produced the best all-ages films. Brother Bear is a fine enough film for the 9 to 11 age group, but the story line makes it a difficult film for younger children to handle, and the inconsistencies of mood show through as flaws for older, more critical members of the audience.
Brother Bear contains a curious mixture of scenes of traditional lovable Disney animal characters singing together and getting along famously, and then other scenes of battles to the death. The deaths in the film, which are all preceded by fairly lengthy, loud and somewhat graphic battle scenes, are what make the film challenging for the young set. My 7 year-old had to close her eyes and hold her hands over her ears, and get a few reassuring pats from me, in order to make it through those scenes. Without giving away the plot, I will warn that a good number of characters die, and there is a revelation at the end of the film (about who did what to whom) that can be heartbreaking. All this is much more overwhelming than the death of Bambi's mother ever was.
That said, the storyline is a fairly interesting one (for those who are able to handle it), and the film does convey a positive message about how man should interact with nature, as represented by the bears. Thankfully, the film is not completely idealistic, since it does recognize the necessity of the food chain, as illustrated by the long scene of the bears happily munching away on a salmon run. The representation of Native American spiritual beliefs is no doubt less than perfect, but anyone who looks to a Disney animated film for 100% historical accuracy is looking in the wrong place.
The animation is fine, but nothing spectacular. Phil Collins provided a few good upbeat songs, but they accounted for several of the severe shifts in mood, as the film swung back and forth between battle scenes to joyful celebrations of life. The McKenzie brothers from Canada, appropriately cast as moose, provide the comic relief, but I don't think they'll be getting their own TV show on the Disney channel, as did Timon and Pumbaa from the Lion King.