Animals, songs, self-discovery. You guessed it, Brother Bear is a Disney movie. How does it measure up against the studio's greats?
It made a lot of sense for the House of Mouse to produce one of its last 2D features in a safe way. Without having a strong computer division, Disney had to bet on what had worked before. And just like that, Brother Bear was born.
The movie's biggest merit, by far, is the central story. It just has a lot of heart. Yes, the characters could use a bit more tweaking and polishing but still, they advance the story without any issues. The production value is high as ever for a 2D feature and even though some of the visual effects do show their age, the movie looks fantastic even 20 years after its release.
Most probably, Brother Bear will never be considered one of Disney's best but it definitely is a great reminder of the studio's hand-drawn glory days. One can hope there is more of them on the horizon!
+ production design
+ story
+ animation
- predictable character arcs
8/10
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