Brother Bear (2003)

38% of critics liked it
(125 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(168,735 ratings)

In the Disney-animated adventure Brother Bear, Joaquin Phoenix provides the voice of Kenai, a young Native American boy whose brother, Sitka (voice of D.B. Sweeney), is killed by a mother bear protecting her cubs. With revenge in mind, Kenai sets out into the woods only to find himself magically… More In the Disney-animated adventure Brother Bear, Joaquin Phoenix provides the voice of Kenai, a young Native American boy whose brother, Sitka (voice of D.B. Sweeney), is killed by a mother bear protecting her cubs. With revenge in mind, Kenai sets out into the woods only to find himself magically transformed into a bear himself. Seeing the world through the eyes of his prey, Kenai is forced to learn a lesson about nature and life. On a comic footnote: Brother Bear also features the voices of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as Rutt and Tuke, moose characters reminiscent of their beer-guzzling McKenzie brothers from SCTV and Strange Brew; because this is a family-oriented cartoon - and it would be inappropriate for the moose to quaff beer -- the two moose express a fondness for eating wheat hops instead. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Aaron Blaise, Bob Walker
Written By: Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman
Genres: Animation, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Nov 1, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Mar 30, 2004
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Modest but guileless.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Brother Bear is a very mild animated entry from Disney with a distinctly recycled feel.
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
A lame duck of a movie.
Charles Passy, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It feels like a project that got quietly pushed through the pipeline while the studio gears up for bigger and better things.
Louise Kennedy, Boston Globe
Give one chef eggs, cream, and sugar, and he'll produce creme brulee. In another kitchen, you'll get plain old vanilla pudding. What we have in Brother Bear, for all the potentially tasty ingredients, is pudding.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
It's hard to avoid concluding that Brother Bear was pitched as Pocahontas meets The Lion King since it recycles the themes of both, not to mention a character or two.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...often just as dull as it is engaging...
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Lackluster story only for kindergarteners.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
If "the CEO wants to sell teddy bears" isn't going to inspire writers to do their best work, what on Earth possibly could?
, Film4
Compared to the Disney classics, this is a lazy and forgettable misfire.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
A sweet family film about love and tolerance.
Michelle Alexandria, Eclipse Magazine
It also seems to want to have a message, but it's a little tougher to spot than the usual "Be true to yourself" or "Face up to your destiny."
, Time Out
Another watchable, old-fashioned, uninspired Disney animation.
Kevin Carr, Film Threat
Predictable? Yes. Corny? Sure. But Brother Bear is still good, family fun.
Douglas Pratt, Movie City News
A very nice little cartoon movie that just doesn't reach the stature of its siblings, and is unlikely to gain much standing with age.
James Plath, Reel.com
Brother Bear is solid if standard Disney animation. The artwork is gorgeous, the score is decent, the story is strong, and the message is stronger
Jorge Avila Andrade, Moviola
'Es una de esas joyitas que no pueden faltar en ninguna colección personal y cuyo valor seguramente será reconocido en los años por venir.'
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
The movie isn’t as witty as Monsters, Inc. and the storytelling isn’t as sharp as in Tarzan, but the theme of environmental kindness is priceless.
Natasha Aitken, Empire Magazine
Short, sweet, entertaining and mercifully low on the musical numbers.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Brad W

Fun, but gets really in to spirits and crap. Great music, horrible story, good voice acting. I liked it, but didnt love it.
Conner R

Brother Bear is a movie that is so close to being great that it's almost ridiculous. Had there been just a few changes made to the story, characters and dialogue, it would've been a really moving and timeless classic. As it stands though, this is interesting and beautiful to… More
Brother Bear is a movie that is so close to being great that it's almost ridiculous. Had there been just a few changes made to the story, characters and dialogue, it would've been a really moving and timeless classic. As it stands though, this is interesting and beautiful to look at, but the negative aspects can be overbearing. It's a kid's movie, so the Canadian Moose brothers and Bernie Mac Kid were something I just accepted as part of the package. However, I think that there was basically little to no development of the three brothers. It's just presented and then you're supposed to care about them. Well, at least Juaquin Phoenix was good and helped make the situation a bit easier to take it. I will say that Phil Collins continued his epically constructed score treatment that he started with Tarzan and in fact, it's the strongest element of the movie.
Matt G

Completely unoriginal film, and a seriously miscast Joaquin Phoenix. The story itself wasn't even remotely interesting. I didn't find myself caring for the characters at all. Stay far, very far away from this one. Grade: F
Michael E

this disney movie had i think the best drama of the newer generation of animated disney films and the end result was fantastic
Jay H

Don't care what anyone thinks... I liked this movie.
Richard C

C-
Lady D

Probably not up there with the best of Disney's full length features, but enjoyable all the same. Another hidden message for kids and a little adventure too.
Dead A

I liked the story.
Cassie H

SoSo movie!
Film C

i loved this movi theres a second one but havent seen it but this one is lovely its moving funny and exciting and shows love between family but also to a bear that he adopts
danny d

decent, down for disney but still good
Jason S

It ok.
Leigh R

So sweet, makes you cry...
James A

I fell asleep during this filth.
Nate Z

[center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7779/photo061he.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) is the impulsive younger brother in a tribe of Native… More
[center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7779/photo061he.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) is the impulsive younger brother in a tribe of Native Americans living in Northern America. Where exactly? Well, I don?t know but someplace where Kenai and his brothers can surf wicked glaciers dude. Kenai wants to be accepted into his people more than anything. Too bad he?s a screw-up. Some fish he leaves out attracts a bear that inadvertently kills Kenai?s older, wiser brother. Kenai swears revenge against the bear and kills it. But lo, this upsets the spirits of nature and they turn Kenai into a bear himself. Oh the irony. Kenai must learn all about coping in the animal kingdom while looking after a young cub Koda, whose looking for his lost mother. Take a guess what happened to his mother. No, seriously, go on and guess. I?ll sit here and wait. Done? Okay then.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The story of [i]Brother Bear[/i] has as much life as a bearskin rug. Once again we have a hotheaded jerk that walks a mile in someone else?s paws and learns valuable life lessons through their bizarre transformation. The only thing this movie is missing is Rob Schneider in the main role.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]I don?t know what the makers of [i]Brother Bear[/i] were intending. Is this for young kids? Well there is endless slapstick and cutesy woodland creatures. However, the first part of the story is quite dark and all about family loss. Great way to start a family film huh? With some family killings? If this is also intended for kids I?m pretty sure they?ll be bored at the preachier moments talking about animal cruelty and tolerance.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Disney once again plays it too safe, and by trying to please everybody they end up likely pleasing nobody. This is 20,000 leagues below the artful [i]Finding Nemo[/i]. Why does it seem like when the Diz does things in-house they?re so adverse to risk? What the audience is left with is a formulaic piece of fluff that?s only memorable attribute is being extraordinarily ordinary.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The ending is so bad that it?s beyond belief, so allow me to spoil it. Kenai transforms back into a human after he?s learned his valuable lesson. He then chooses to remain a bear to watch after Koda. What? Why don?t they turn Koda into a boy? Or turn everyone into bears? Or why not turn everyone in the audience into people watching a different, better movie? When the ending hit I yelled, ?No freaking way? loud enough that a few parents shot me glares.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The animation of [i]Brother Bear[/i] is clunky and awkward amidst a crayola-colored backdrop. The visuals often seem drab or like the templates for a better movie. The human characters appear so stocky. The best element of Brother Bear is the voice work of Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis doing a moose variation on their McKenzie brothers.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Phil Collins provides the painfully monotonous pop claptrap that?s cued whenever a montage is needed. How the hell did this man win an Oscar for Best Song over the likes of Aimee Mann, Sarah McLachlan, and the creators of [i]South Park[/i]? The best way to describe Collins? collection of unmotivated ditties is that they?re like soup for the ears: runny, bland, forgettable, and dreadfully unsatisfying. If you can?t tell, I don?t really care for soup (?Soup is too a food!?)[/color][/font] [color=darkred][size=2][font=Arial][i][font='Times New Roman'][font=Arial][size=2]Brother Bear[/size][/font][/font][/i][font='Times New Roman'][size=2][font=Arial] is yet another half-hearted effort from the Mouse House. The story, animation, and voice acting are all sub par. It?s the same sing and dance al over again, except this time it?s in the woods, and this time the sing and dance is your senile[/font] [font=Arial]grandfather with his pants around his ankles doing the jitterbug. Yeah. You get the idea[/font][/size][font=Arial].[/font][/font][/font][/size][/color] [size=2][font=Arial][color=darkred][font='Times New Roman'][/font][/color][/font][/size] [size=2][font=Arial][color=darkred][font='Times New Roman'][/font][/color][/font][/size][font='Times New Roman'][font=Arial][size=2][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C[/color][/size][/font][/font]
Bradley W

Fun, but gets really in to spirits and crap. Great music, horrible story, good voice acting. I liked it, but didnt love it.
Dillon L

Not a great disney film, not even a great regular film. I did find the moose (Bob and Doug McKenzie) to be quite humorous however.
Bradley J

One of the weaker Disney films, but still pleasant enough with good songs. Overall Rating:62
Dedy N C

I dont care if this is a Cartoon Movie. In Real Life Actually human is destroying the Nature. If there's a bear start to killing human I believe that bear will be killed as punishment, But how IF human start killing Bear? Why it doesnt the same? In This movie You'll… More
I dont care if this is a Cartoon Movie. In Real Life Actually human is destroying the Nature. If there's a bear start to killing human I believe that bear will be killed as punishment, But how IF human start killing Bear? Why it doesnt the same? In This movie You'll understand Nature must Balanced, not just for human wish only. Its Your Mother for cry sake, We called it Mother Nature didnt we?
Jackson W

A bizarre Navajo version of Lion King that strangely works in some ways. Sure, the plot had many holes in it, and there didn't really seem like there was any real conflict. However, this is probably the most spiritual of Disney fanfare, getting into discussions revolving around… More
A bizarre Navajo version of Lion King that strangely works in some ways. Sure, the plot had many holes in it, and there didn't really seem like there was any real conflict. However, this is probably the most spiritual of Disney fanfare, getting into discussions revolving around personality, the importance of family, and eternal destiny through animal todums.