Brother Bear [Blu-ray]

Arrived new.

Exactly what I expected.

Loved the movie

This is a very good movie and includes the second brother bear film which continues the story. Great writing for both films and good voice scores and even a better soundtrack. Everyone in the family will like this film especially if you like the old school Disney.

Brother Bear is an animated film set in a very simple time. The picturesque wilderness of the film is breathtaking, with green pastures and rolling hills along with the clear waters and snow-topped mountains, one can get lost in the colorful yet calm beauty. We are introduced to the faith of the indigenous people very early on, with the shaman, who is the elder wise-woman of the tribe. She is a kind-natured "nana"/matriarch of the family and is the overseer of the spiritual lives of the tribe. We are then introduced to Keni and his two brothers. The film progresses quickly from frolic and play to the storyline. Keni is initiated into manhood with a formal ceremony where he is given his totem, or charge in life, which is to be a loving bear. He displays his immaturity, by rushing off to the ceremony and not setting the bear trap correctly, which becomes the source of much drama to follow. After coming back and realizing that the basket his brother made has been destroyed, and rushing off to right his wrong, he sets the entire family up for tragedy, revenge, and a great lesson. Sitka, the oldest brother is killed trying to save the lives of his two youngest brothers, and Keni, determined to avenge his brother's death, sets out and kills the bear that he believes is to blame for his brother's death. This cruel act of killing creates unbalance in the spirit-world and Sitka, now an eagle spirit, wants to teach his brother's a valuable lesson. Keni is transformed into a bear and his brother takes Keni's role as the avenger. The irony is that he is not realizing that he has set out on this mission of revenge, and the hunted is his newly transformed brother Keni. Keni meets up with a boisterous cub, called Koda and becomes his protector and friend, and later realizes that he was the "monster" that has killed Koda's mother. It is in this turn of events that Keni and his brother realize and step into the true meanings of their totems, love and wisdom.This film was a great glimpse into the belief of Indigenous Sacred Ways, from the respect of the shaman, the transitional ceremony from boyhood to manhood, the respect for the spirit world and the honor for the beauty of nature. The movie is displayed with precision and craft, from the feeling of how Indigenous people find beauty in the afterlife and the land with its great colorful imagery. We were also even introduced to Hindu/Indigenous Ways with the moose and his individual yoga, along with him acting as a guru and leading the others in yoga. The circle of life was displayed in terms of the animals as well as the humans... We Are One!

I've read the more negative reviews to this movie and I'd have to say I don't agree with them. While Brother Bear is obviously not quite on par with Classic Disney movies like Beauty and the Beast or the Lion King, which are the two it seems most often compared to, it is a cute movie in its own right. I hadn't seen this movie in a very long time, and I just recently re-watched it while babysitting two of my younger cousins. I didn't remember much about it, except that I'd seen it for the first time when I was twelve and loved it. I'm now seventeen, so this review will be a bit more from an adult perspective.I feel I should first address the issue of death in this movie, as that seems to be the most controversial issue. I showed the movie to two of my cousins, an eight year old boy and a six year old girl, and both of them were perfectly okay with it. Honestly I feel this movie goes about portraying death in a way that is sensitive to impressionable young children. It shows the characters who die living on as spirits, and conveys the message that when our loved ones die, they don't completely leave us. As for the spirits, they don't really present a religious issue. My entire family is Catholic and we had no problem with it. It seems to me that smaller kids wouldn't actually register that it's another religion, as the movie does not outright state anything that would denote anyone's faith. As for adults, I'm pretty sure they'll just realize the religion goes with the culture the movie is trying to portray.As for the actual movie, I found it enjoyable to watch and my cousins liked it as well. True, some of the jokes and dialogue are a bit juvenile, such as Denahi telling Kenai he should have recieved "the totem of pinheads." At such moments my cousins laughed and I simply rolled my eyes. Still, since it is a cartoon and meant to appeal to children I figure we can all let that slide. Besides, the movie has humor that can appeal to adults as well, i.e. the beloved duo of Rutt and Tuke. Other than that the story has good messages about brotherhood, the sanctity of life and seeing things from another's perspective.To those who believed the movie was saying that animals are better than us, that's not the impression I got at all. Kenai is transformed because he killed the bear. Yes the actual act of killing was done in self defense, but he only reached that point from his original malicious intentions. The bear did not go after Kenai in cold blood, she was protecting her cub, a natural animal instinct. Kenai actually provoked this by throwing a rock at the bear, which was walking in an opposite direction. His actions were uncalled for and done with no other intention but to maliciously kill another living thing. The point of the transformation was for Sitka to show Kenai that the bear he killed was a living, feeling being that had a child of her own, not just a vicious monster with no intent but to destroy. The movie's purpose was to show that if we don't properly understand something we can grow to hate it. At least that's the impression I got.All in all, the point I'm trying to make from this is that though this movie may not be for everyone, you should probably give it a try before you cast it aside. It may not be one of the best Disney movies made, but in my opinion it has some merit and is worth watching.