I'd like to start off by saying my favorite Disney movie is The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Not saying it was the best, but it's a movie that appealed to my interests in a lot of ways. Also, it's one of Disney's more different films and took a lot of risks to adapt the original story in a respectful and unique way. The Disney Renaissance and even the 2D films from the early 2000s will always remain a significant aspect of my childhood.
That said, Brother Bear is one of the few Disney films that I actually didn't see as a kid. I remember seeing the advertisements for it and thinking it look all right. I didn't think it looked bad, I just never got around to seeing the whole movie.
(Just to note, I was born in 1993. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out there was no 2D Disney film from 1993. So Brother Bear was released in 2003, and I'm glad there was at least one Disney film released in a '3 year in recent years.) So I decided, since it's now 2013, I would finally watch Brother Bear for it's 10 year anniversary, and for the first 24 minutes or so, it was like something I had never seen from Disney before! It centered around this Inuit tribe who's culture was so fascinating and these three brothers who were very likable and relatable characters. The movie wasn't bogged down by having to appeal to kids with awkward comic relief. It was a genuinely good story that was equally as much a kids film as it was an adult film. The tundra imagery and landscapes were gorgeous, the animation was top notch, the lighting was magnificent, absolutely everything was just perfect! Honestly, if after the point when Kenai becomes a bear, the movie were consistent with the first third, this would have easily been my favorite Disney movie of all time! Now, I saw the Nostalgia Critic's Disneycember review, so I knew the rest of the movie wouldn't be as good. It wasn't, but I think it's not as bad as he makes it. I think some parts are really good, but what really brings it down is the fact that the movie thinks it needs to appeal to the kids in a modern way. So all of the animals talk like modern people, and it just comes off as lame and jarring where the people in the early scenes talked in a more timeless way. Not to mention it does end up having awkward comic relief.
I was wondering what I would do to make the second and third acts consistent and just as good, and I thought of something.
First, since the Inuit culture was one of the best things about the first act and we won't see the tribe until the very end, I would make the animals' culture just as interesting. The Inuits have their culture, and the animals have their own which actually is similar in a lot of ways as Kenai would discover.
Second, both Kenai and Denahi would BOTH be the main characters. This would just as much be just as much Denahi's journey as it is Kenai's. Basically both characters would share about the same amount of screen-time and we would see more of Denahi's survival tactics as opposed to just seeing him when he is attacking Kenai as a bear (which, by the way, are actually some of my favorite scenes, the set up is brilliant). We could even see him doing some other things like meeting the sister tribe to restock on supplies and health so we don't abandon the Inuits altogether.
Third, get rid of all that modern crap. The story is supposed to be in the style of an old folktale with a hint of Shakespearean style drama. A story that can appeal to anyone on an emotional level. Since this was Disney's last real effort in hand-drawn animation, I think they should have really gone all out and made something unique since it was an almost certain guarantee that the movie wasn't going to do that well at the box office.
All in all, I think this movie is just good, and could have been amazing. But for what it is, I would definitely watch it again. The ending was was at least really good. Personally, I would have had Kenai stay a human and have a bittersweet ending for him and Koda, but I still like this ending okay.
At least Disney ended their animation with something even slightly spectacular. Until then, I'm just waiting until the do bring back their animation and do something incredible with it.
That said, Brother Bear is one of the few Disney films that I actually didn't see as a kid. I remember seeing the advertisements for it and thinking it look all right. I didn't think it looked bad, I just never got around to seeing the whole movie.
(Just to note, I was born in 1993. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out there was no 2D Disney film from 1993. So Brother Bear was released in 2003, and I'm glad there was at least one Disney film released in a '3 year in recent years.) So I decided, since it's now 2013, I would finally watch Brother Bear for it's 10 year anniversary, and for the first 24 minutes or so, it was like something I had never seen from Disney before! It centered around this Inuit tribe who's culture was so fascinating and these three brothers who were very likable and relatable characters. The movie wasn't bogged down by having to appeal to kids with awkward comic relief. It was a genuinely good story that was equally as much a kids film as it was an adult film. The tundra imagery and landscapes were gorgeous, the animation was top notch, the lighting was magnificent, absolutely everything was just perfect! Honestly, if after the point when Kenai becomes a bear, the movie were consistent with the first third, this would have easily been my favorite Disney movie of all time! Now, I saw the Nostalgia Critic's Disneycember review, so I knew the rest of the movie wouldn't be as good. It wasn't, but I think it's not as bad as he makes it. I think some parts are really good, but what really brings it down is the fact that the movie thinks it needs to appeal to the kids in a modern way. So all of the animals talk like modern people, and it just comes off as lame and jarring where the people in the early scenes talked in a more timeless way. Not to mention it does end up having awkward comic relief.
I was wondering what I would do to make the second and third acts consistent and just as good, and I thought of something.
First, since the Inuit culture was one of the best things about the first act and we won't see the tribe until the very end, I would make the animals' culture just as interesting. The Inuits have their culture, and the animals have their own which actually is similar in a lot of ways as Kenai would discover.
Second, both Kenai and Denahi would BOTH be the main characters. This would just as much be just as much Denahi's journey as it is Kenai's. Basically both characters would share about the same amount of screen-time and we would see more of Denahi's survival tactics as opposed to just seeing him when he is attacking Kenai as a bear (which, by the way, are actually some of my favorite scenes, the set up is brilliant). We could even see him doing some other things like meeting the sister tribe to restock on supplies and health so we don't abandon the Inuits altogether.
Third, get rid of all that modern crap. The story is supposed to be in the style of an old folktale with a hint of Shakespearean style drama. A story that can appeal to anyone on an emotional level. Since this was Disney's last real effort in hand-drawn animation, I think they should have really gone all out and made something unique since it was an almost certain guarantee that the movie wasn't going to do that well at the box office.
All in all, I think this movie is just good, and could have been amazing. But for what it is, I would definitely watch it again. The ending was was at least really good. Personally, I would have had Kenai stay a human and have a bittersweet ending for him and Koda, but I still like this ending okay.
At least Disney ended their animation with something even slightly spectacular. Until then, I'm just waiting until the do bring back their animation and do something incredible with it.