Image © Disney
“Brother Bear” (2003), Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 44th animated motion picture. An allegorical nature fantasy pic about a dude who gets turned into a bear. Set in the post-ice age Pacific Northwest, a young Intuit named Kenai seeks revenge on the bear who killed his brother. After killing the bear, the spirits of nature, including his deceased brother, transform Kenai into a bear himself in order to teach him some important life lessons. Kenai meets Koda, a precocious bear cub, and finds out through him that bears have feelings and families, too. The film’s serious tone is lightened a bit by two moose characters voiced by Canadian comedians Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas (they do their classic “Great White North”/Bob and Doug McKenzie shtick from “SCTV”–eh). While the film is not a favorite, the appealing concept of family members and nature always looking over you and helping you become the best person you can be is portrayed in a beautiful and thought provoking way.
Stanford Clark 