Brother Bear

Now...compared to my previous review, this is a film that would have been a better end note for hand drawn films. Brother Bear is one of those films that is often overlooked, and I feel is a tad under rated. While it does have flaws, they aren't as rampant as other films.

So. Let's hit up all the great stuff first. The transformation sequence in the end of the first act is really pretty. Speaking of which, the first act is actually rather good, save for a spit joke which isn't even funny in the slightest. The only other weak point I can find in this first act is the opening number being sung by Tina Turner, it gives a slight 'Circle of Life' feeling to things but doesn't have that same 'wow' factor.

The middle act is a lot of fun as we see our two main characters Kenai and Koda as they bond and grow closer slowly. The whole story generally follows Kenai as he is transformed into a bear and must travel to the place where the lights touch the mountain. Along the way he meets Koda, a young bear cub who can't find his mother.  They encounter various interesting characters along the way, including a pair of moose. Initially I did not care for the two moose, but this time around they are more tolerable for the large part.

Our third act is just as strong as the first, if not a bit stronger. When our main characters reach a salmon run, they stop and have fun with the other bears, giving us a brief lull between a previous action sequence at the end of the middle act, and the climax of the film. For the most part the entire journey feels like a lot of fun. Eventually though all of the other bears start to share stories, which leads to a really great pair of scenes that set in motion the ending of the film. The only real hamper to this, is that between these two scenes and the height of the climax is the two moose arrive again and act like a speed bump in the tone. While it's understandable why Disney might have put them there at that moment, it does irk me since we were doing so great, only for that one little bit.

All in all, Brother Bear earns it's 4/5 rating.