Brother Bear sits, statistically, as the 5th worst Disney animated film ever, which, according to Rotten Tomatoes, places it 69th out of 73 Disney animated films with only 37%. Ideas of unoriginality and poor writing plague Brother Bear, even if it was an academy-nominated tale, but most agree the critics may have gotten this one wrong. Perhaps it’s because the animal-man allegory is a classic, if not overplayed, Disney tale, but this Joaquin Phoenix-led animated tale of a boy turned into a bear in order to become a man is heartwarmingly fantastic. With great characters, engaging arcs, and beautiful music, Brother Bear is a fun forest ride for all. There are issues with the lack of representation of Inuit actors, but that is another separate discussion altogether.
Joaquin Phoenix Is Fantastic as Kenai in ‘Brother Bear’
Phoenix’s Kenai takes a fascinating journey from a boy to a man in Brother Bear and is perhaps one of the few protagonists in Disney films who truly commits a crime they should be ashamed of. This alone makes the character more complex than your usual Disney hero. Unlike The Lion King, Kenai genuinely gave into hatred, killing someone who turns out to be Koda’s (Jeremy Suarez) mother and is forced to experience the consequences of his actions first-hand. He knows Koda can’t forgive him, but also knows he can’t abandon his human brother; Koda knows he cannot live in hatred, seeing how it has driven Denahi (Jason Raize) mad.
The rest of the cast in this film is fantastic. My own dog is named after Koda in this film, because of how damn loveable that little bear is, as he walks the line between a little annoying sibling, but also someone most anyone would die for. The rest of the characters in this film all make for great comedy, from the Canadian moose, to the arguing goats and other sidekicks. Additionally, Kenai’s brotherhood with Sitka (D.B. Sweeney) and Denahi really works for the emotional beats, and creates this cycle of violence only solved by love. Perhaps its a trodden path, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be praised when it is executed quite well.
Phil Collins Brings So Much Joy and Pain to ‘Brother Bear’
Phil Collins’ score is fantastic throughout, and really works for the upbeat yet melancholic feel of the entire film, mixing love and death so closely. Something that makes it more effective than previous Disney musicals is the fact that the characters themselves mostly don’t sing, which makes the film never feel like it is breaking out of the emotion of the scene, as spontaneous singing can risk doing. It gives the audience a window into the characters’ soul, whilst maintaining a more layered story the audience can analyze from the outside. While many of his songs are sung by other artists, his original “No Way Out” is a heartbreaking tune that plays during Kenai’s confession montage, softly tugging on heartstrings until any viewer would be ready to blubber everywhere.
The Lack of Inuit Voices Involved Is the Biggest Weakness of ‘Brother Bear’
Despite the seemingly accurate Inuit folklore, mixed with beautiful art that highlights the link between all living things, and welcoming, vibrant colors that invite the audience in, it’s detrimental to the film’s legacy that there are no Inuit voice actors in the cast. Whilst everyone is fantastic and Phoenix gives a really boyish and charming performance as Kenai, the lack of representation is astonishing considering the effort gone into other areas of the film, and a reveal of the issues in the past that still continue to this day. The differences in story, tone as well as performances may have been different, yet heightened, if Inuit artists had been involved in the production, and undoubtedtly would’ve been for the better.
Brother Bear may have gotten some things wrong off-screen, but on the surface, it is a solid Disney animated film. With actual consequences to character actions that force them to change their outlook on life, as well as great comedy, Brother Bear feels like a film dreadfully underappreciated and perhaps an example of good execution, but wrong timing. Hopefully in the future this will change, especially with Phoenix only getting more and more love with his roles in Joker and Napoleon, though for now, please don’t follow the reviews. Instead, watch Brother Bear and let the spirits guide you.
Brother Bear is available on Disney+ in the U.S.
Source link
