Brother Bear (2003)

Note des utilisateurs:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Aaron Blaise
Robert Walker

Writers:

Tab Murphy (screenplay) and
Lorne Cameron (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 novembre 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Aventure | Family | Fantasy

Accroche:

The story of a boy who became a man by becoming a bear.

Plot:

A young Inuit hunter seeks vengence against a bear, only to be magically changed into a bear himself, and his only chance to change back is with a talkative bear cub.

Plot Keywords:

Bear | Revenge | Brotherhood | Bear Cub | Survival

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 17 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

An improbable gem

Ensemble

Joaquin Phoenix	...	Kenai (voice)
Jeremy Suarez	...	Koda (voice)
Jason Raize	...	Denahi (voice)
Rick Moranis	...	Rutt (voice)
Dave Thomas	...	Tuke (voice)
D.B. Sweeney	...	Sitka (voice)
Joan Copeland	...	Tanana (voice)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Tug (voice)
Harold Gould	...	Old Denahi (voice)
Paul Christie	...	Ram #1 (voice)
Danny Mastrogiorgio	...	Ram #2 (voice) (as Daniel Mastrogiorgio)
Estelle Harris	...	Old Lady Bear (voice)
Greg Proops	...	Male Lover Bear (voice)
Pauley Perrette	...	Female Lover Bear (voice)
Darko Cesar	...	Foreign Croatian Bear (voice)

Autre(s) titre(s):

Bears (USA) (working title)
Tierra de osos (USA: Spanish title)
Frère des ours (France) [fr]
Mon frère l'ours (Canada: French title) [fr]

Durée:

85 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais | Inuktitut | Serbo-Croatian

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Son:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Classification:

Iceland:L | Germany:o.Al. | Finland:K-3 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:Tous | Portugal:M/4 | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Philippines:G | Singapore:G | Spain:T | Switzerland:8 (canton of Zurich) | UK:U | USA:G (certificate #40113)

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Orlando, Florida, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Anecdotes:

Phil Collins performed "On my way", "No way out", and "Welcome" in Italian, French, Spanish and German. In the French version of the movie, "Look through my eyes" is also sung in French by Collins. In the Japanese version of the movie, "No way out" is performed by Collins in Japanese.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Kenai is falling of the ledge before he goes into the ice cave, his rope completely disappears.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
Denahi as an Old Man: This is a story from long ago, when the great mammoths still roamed our lands. It's the story of my two brothers and me. When the three of us were young, we were taught that the world is full of magic. The source of this magic is the ever-changing lights that dance across the sky...

Movie Connections:

References Finding Nemo (2003)

Soundtrack:

No Way Out (Theme from Brother Bear)

An improbable gem

I didn't go out of my way to see this film, as it had already been pretty much disregarded by both the critics and the public. Shame on me. BROTHER BEAR has many strengths to recommend it, and I hope it eventually finds an audience on video.

I'll admit a bias: I live in the Yukon Territory, and the story obviously takes place in next-door Alaska (with characters named "Sitka", "Kenai", and "Tanana", it's pretty obvious). Like many other Disney movies, it takes its inspiration from a traditional legend. Unlike many other Disney movies, this movie manages to remain respectful to the original legend.

The messages are wonderful. That love is an important thing for a real man to learn. That "the spirits" need to be respected. That vengeance can have a terrible price. This movie manages to do it (mostly) without resorting to daffy sidekicks and sappy tugs at the heartstrings. Yes, there's Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas revisiting their "Bob and Doug Mackenzie" roles as the two moose, but I didn't find them jarring at all. The story works.

So does the animation. This is a visually beautiful film. Yes, it's apparent to my (computer pro) eye that Disney's animation unit is making more use of computer techniques. Mostly, though, you see them used to wonderful effect, like making a realistic snowfall, or moving the point of view through a shot. The animation style is also very appropriate for the story. And as a northerner, I loved the many aurora shots; they looked spot-on.

Not everything in BROTHER BEAR worked for me, unfortunately. Phil Collins' music for TARZAN was quite good, but it mostly falls flat here (except maybe for "On My Way"). A couple of numbers come close to the embarassingly bad category.

Still, this is nowhere near enough for me to disregard this movie. I put it above THE LION KING (way above), probably a little ahead of TARZAN, and almost on the same upper-echelon with THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.