Brother Bear
Brother Bear | |
---|---|
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Inuktitut |
Budget | $46 million[1] |
Box office | $250.4 million[2] |
Brother Bear is a 2003 American animated
The film was the third and final Disney animated feature produced primarily by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida; the studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of this film in favor of computer-animated features. Brother Bear was released in the United States on November 1, 2003 to mixed reviews from critics and received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 76th Academy Awards, losing to Pixar's Finding Nemo. The film grossed $250 million against a $46 million budget. A direct-to-video sequel, Brother Bear 2, was released on August 29, 2006.
Plot
In a post-
Kenai awakens as he is healed by Tanana and discovers to his horror that he has become a bear. Tanana does not speak the bear language but advises him to go to a mountain to find Sitka and be turned back to a human, but only when he atones for his actions; she vanishes without an explanation. Kenai quickly discovers that the wildlife can now speak to him, meeting a pair of
Eventually, Kenai and Koda reach the salmon run, where a large number of bears live as a family, including the leader Tug. Kenai accepts his new surroundings and is comfortable living with the other bears. During story time among the bears, Koda tells a story about his mother recently fighting human hunters on a glacier, reminding Kenai of his and his brothers' fight with the bear that led to Sitka's death, making him realize that the bear he killed was Koda's mother. Horrified of what he has done, Kenai runs away in a fit of guilt, but Koda soon follows him. Downhearted, Kenai confesses the truth to Koda, who runs away, grief-stricken that Kenai was responsible for his mother's death out of avenging Sitka. An apologetic Kenai leaves to reach the mountain. Meanwhile, Rutt and Tuke, having had a falling out, reconcile in front of Koda, prompting him to forgive Kenai. On the mountain, Kenai is cornered by Denahi, but their battle is interrupted by Koda, who steals Denahi's spear. Kenai comes to Koda's aid, out of love, prompting Sitka to appear and turn him back into a human, much to Denahi and Koda's surprise. However, upon realizing that Koda needs him because of his own mistake, Kenai asks Sitka to transform him back into a bear with Denahi's support. Sitka complies, and Kenai is transformed back into a bear. Koda is reunited briefly with the spirit of his mother before she and Sitka return to the spirit world. In the end, Kenai lives with the rest of the bears and gains his title as a man, through being a bear. The elderly Denahi ends the story by imparting to his tribe the lesson that love is the most powerful gift of all.
Voice cast
- Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai, the younger brother of Sitka and Denahi. After he callously kills a bear, Kenai is turned into one himself to teach him to see through another's eyes, feel through another's heart, and discover the true meaning of brotherhood. John E. Hurst and Byron Howard served as the supervising animators for Kenai in human and bear form respectively.
- Jeremy Suarez as Koda, a cheeky grizzly bear cub who helps Kenai on his journey to where the Lights Touch the Earth. Alex Kupershmidt served as the supervising animator for Koda.
- Bob and Doug, which are portrayed by Moranis and Thomas.[4]
- Jason Raize as Denahi, the middle brother. This was Jason Raize's first and only film role before his death in 2004. Harold Gould provides narration from an older Denahi's point of view. Ruben A. Aquino served as the supervising animator for Denahi.
- D.B. Sweeneyas Sitka, the oldest brother.
- Joan Copeland as Tanana, the shaman-woman of Kenai's tribe.
- Michael Clarke Duncan as Tug, a wise old grizzly bear, and the leader of the salmon run bears.
- Greg Proops as Male Lover Bear
- Pauley Perrette as Female Lover Bear
- Estelle Harris as Old Lady Bear
- Darko Cesar as Foreign Croatian Bear
- Paul Christie and Danny Mastrogiorgio as Rams
- Bumper Robinson as Chipmunks
- Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley as Narrator
Additional vocals by
.Production
Development
Following the critical and commercial success of The Lion King (1994), then-Disney chairman and CEO Michael Eisner urged for more animal-centric animated features. He suggested a North American setting, taking particular inspiration from an original landscape painting by Albert Bierstadt that he purchased. For the characters, the hero would be a bear, the king of the forest.[5] At the time, the original idea, which was inspired by King Lear, centered around an old blind bear who traveled the forest with his three daughters.[6] In 1997, veteran animator Aaron Blaise joined the project as director because he "wanted to be attached so that [he] could animate bears",[7] and was soon joined by co-director Robert Walker.[8] Because Blaise desired a more naturalistic story, Blaise and producer Chuck Williams produced a two-page treatment of a father-son story in which the son is transformed into a bear, and in the end, remains a bear. Thomas Schumacher, then-president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, approved the revised story and proclaimed, "This is the idea of the century."[5] Tab Murphy, who had co-written the screenplays for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Tarzan (1999), and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), came on board to write an early draft of the script.[8]
After the project was
Casting
In March 2001,
As is typical for animation voice acting, Suarez and Phoenix voiced their roles separately, although they both did a recording session together at least two times.
Design and animation
The film is traditionally animated but includes some CG elements such as "a salmon run and a caribou stampede".
According to Ruben Aquino, supervising animator for the character of Denahi, Denahi was originally meant to be Kenai's father; later this was changed to Kenai's brother.[14] Byron Howard, supervising animator for Kenai in bear form, said that earlier in production a bear named Grizz (who resembles Tug in the film and is voiced by the same actor) was supposed to have the role of Kenai's mentor.[15] Art Director Robh Ruppel stated that the ending of the film originally showed how Kenai and Denahi get together once a year to play when the northern lights are in the sky.[15]
Music
Following the success of the
Release
Brother Bear was originally slated for a spring 2004 release, while Home on the Range was scheduled for a 2003 release.[20] However, Disney announced that Brother Bear would be released in fall 2003 while Home on the Range was pushed back for a spring 2004 release. Contrary to speculation, news writer Jim Hill stated the release date switch was not because Home on the Range was suffering from story rewrites, but to promote Brother Bear on the Platinum Edition release of The Lion King.[21] On July 15, 2003, Disney announced that the release date would be moved up by one weekend from its previously scheduled slot of November 7, 2003. However, instead of opening on Halloween, the film would be released on Saturday, November 1, 2003.[22]
On October 20, 2003, Brother Bear premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre where fellow attendees included New York Governor George Pataki and cast members Michael Clarke Duncan and Estelle Harris. Following the showing of the film, Collins performed "No Way Out" before introducing Tina Turner to the stage where she performed the opening song, "Great Spirits".[23]
Home media
Brother Bear was released on VHS and DVD on March 30, 2004. The DVD release consisted of two separate discs, which were both THX-certified. The first disc contained the widescreen version (1.66:1 aspect ratio) and the second disc featured the original theatrical widescreen version (1.66:1 and 2.35:1 aspect ratio). The DVD also included a documentary on the production of the film, an audio commentary track by Rutt and Tuke with an option for visual mode, an artwork gallery narrated by the artists, three deleted scenes, two games called "Find Your Totem" and "Bone Puzzle", and two music videos with Phil Collins.[24][25] By January 2005, the film had earned $169 million in home video sales and rentals.[26] In April 2004 alone, 5.51 million DVD copies of the film were sold.[27]
The film was released in a Blu-ray special edition combined with its sequel, Brother Bear 2, on March 12, 2013.[28]
Video game
Disney's Brother Bear games were released in November 2003 for Game Boy Advance, PC and mobile phones.
Reception
Critical reaction
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of 131 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Brother Bear is gentle and pleasant if unremarkable Disney fare, with so-so animation and generic plotting."[29] Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 48 based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[30] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[31]
On the syndicated television show At the Movies, film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper both gave the film positive reviews. In his print review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert wrote the film "doesn't have the zowie factor of The Lion King or Finding Nemo, but is sweet rather than exciting. Children and their parents are likely to relate on completely different levels, the adults connecting with the transfer of souls from man to beast, while the kids are excited by the adventure stuff."[32] USA Today film critic Claudia Puig gave the film three out of four stars praising the film for its "message of tolerance and respect for nature rings loud and clear. And family audiences are treated to a vibrantly hued movie with appealing characters."[33] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a playful movie that celebrates nature and the spirit world with striking imagery and a smooth blend of drama and comedy."[34]
Writing for Variety, Todd McCarthy summarized that "Brother Bear is a very mild animated entry from Disney with a distinctly recycled feel [because] the film's characters and narrative simply fail to engage strong interest, and tale is probably too resolutely serious to enchant small fry in the way the better Disney titles always have."[35] Kenneth Turan, reviewing for the Los Angeles Times, complimented "the richness and fluidity of its visuals" and the "satisfying ending", but derided that "Brother Bear has an appeal that can't be denied. Too often, however, this film's lack of a fresh dramatic approach and not its technique makes it difficult to embrace as much as we'd like to".[36] Stephen Holden of The New York Times felt the film was too similar to The Lion King. He later wrote: "This opulent movie, with gorgeous rainbow animation, is heavy on message but light on humor."[37]
Many critics and audiences also noted the use of the film's
Box office
In its limited release, Brother Bear played only in two selected theaters in
Awards and nominations
Other media
The song "Welcome" written by Phil Collins was later used as the theme song for Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams during the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. For the parade, the song had slightly changed lyrics and was performed by an ensemble.
Cancelled television spin-off
Disney Television Animation was set to produce a television series titled Brother Bear: The Series for Disney Channel. The Simpsons veteran Pete Michels was to helm the series and was allowed to watch a copy of the film so that he could construct a pilot. The series would have taken place directly after the events of the film and would have seen Kenai and Koda adopt other orphaned animals into their family. Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas were to reprise their respective roles while Will Friedle would have replaced Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai. While the pilot tested well, it was not picked up as Disney Channel executives felt that adapting the film as a series was "counterproductive" to their goal of trying to reach a tween audience, combined with the fact that the movie performed below expectations.[42]
Sequel
A direct-to-video sequel called Brother Bear 2 was released on August 29, 2006. It focuses on the continued adventures of bear brothers Kenai and Koda. While the first film dealt with Kenai's relationship with Koda, this one focuses more on his bond with a young human of his past, Nita.
Video game
A video game of
See also
- List of Disney theatrical animated features
References
- The Wrap. Archived from the originalon December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ a b "Brother Bear". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-8160-6599-8.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (July 6, 2004). "These Two Talking Moose Let Their Antlers Down". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Animation World Magazine. Archivedfrom the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Moore, Roger (October 23, 2003). "Great Expectations". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ a b "Brother Bear". Entertainment Weekly. August 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ a b "Brother Bear: Production Notes – About the Production". Cinema Review. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Brother Bear: Production Notes - Nature Calls". Cinema Review. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Hill, Jim (September 4, 2012). "Why For was Michael Clarke Duncan's Grizz character cut out of Disney's "Brother Bear"?". Jim Hill Media. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- San Francisco Gate. Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Billington, Linda (November 1, 2003). "'Brother Bear' mixes nature, Native culture". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (October 29, 2003). "Looks like a bear market for 2-D animation". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- ^ "Das Interview mit Ruben Aquino, Supervising-Animator (English transcript)". OutNow.CH. February 5, 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
- ^ a b Brother Bear: Bonus Features: Art Review (DVD). Buena Vista Home Entertainment. 2004.
- ^ Moore, Roger (November 1, 2003). "A Genesis For Phil Collins". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Cohn, Angel (October 27, 2003). "Phil Collins Bearly Sings". TV Guide. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Tina, Phil In 'Great Spirits' On Soundtrack". Billboard. July 23, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Diverse Acts Interpret Collins For 'Brother Bear'". Billboard. October 8, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Eller, Claudia; Verrier, Richard (March 19, 2002). "Disney Confirms Animation Cuts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Hill, Jim (January 6, 2003). "Why "Treasure Planet" tanked". Jim Hill Media. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ DiOrio, Carl (July 15, 2003). "Inside Move: Disney wakes 'Bear' for Sat. bow". Variety. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Collins, Turner Lead Disney Premiere". Billboard. October 21, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Brother Bear DVD Review". DVDizzy.com. March 25, 2004. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (March 30, 2004). "Brother Bear Reborn on DVD". Animation World Magazine. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Chaney, Jen (January 23, 2005). "The Year on DVD and Tape". The Washington Post. p. N03. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
- ^ "Studio Briefing: June 1, 2004". MovieWeb. June 1, 2004. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ "Brother Bear / Brother Bear 2 (3-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray / DVD] (2013)". Amazon. March 12, 2013. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
- ^ "Brother Bear". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. November 2003. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ "Brother Bear Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Manfredi, Lucas (November 24, 2022). "Strange World CinemaScore Might Be the Lowest Ever For a Walt Disney Animation Studio Film". TheWrap. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 31, 2003). "Brother Bear (2003)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014 – via RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Puig, Claudia (October 23, 2003). "'Brother Bear': Warm, fuzzy fun". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (October 20, 2003). "Brother Bear". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 25, 2003. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (October 19, 2003). "Review: 'Brother Bear'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (October 23, 2003). "Old school 'Brother Bear'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (October 24, 2003). "FILM REVIEW; To a Grizzly, Humans Are the Hairy Monsters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (October 27, 2003). "Nothing Scary About Brother Bear's Roaring Start". Animation World Magazine. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ "Scary Movin'". Entertainment Weekly. November 7, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Lowe, R. Kinsey (November 3, 2003). "'Scary' shovels in the cash". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Holson, Laura (November 10, 2003). "An Elf and a Bear Trip Up the Final 'Matrix'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Armstrong, Josh (November 26, 2013). "O Brother Bear, Where Art Thou?: Why Disney Channel turned down Brother Bear: The Series". Animated Views. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
Further reading
- Wakabayashi, Hiro Clark (2003). Brother Bear: A Transformation Tale. New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 978-0-786-85420-2.