My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses: "Brother Bear" - The Ursine, Animalistic Movie From the Post Disney Renaissance Timeline That Was Meant to Be Another "The Lion King"

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.

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And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize

Before starting this entry, I just wanted to make a note that this entry is my 100th Entry. Yeah, it`s remarkable that I`ve made so many entries to my blog and that I`ve finally reached my 100th Entry. And while I don`t want to sound conceited in any ways, it`s still a milestone on it`s own right. But yeah, let`s proceed to the actual analysis.

Yes, I (Koda) wanted to show that I could point with one of my claws like a finger :) I told ya so ;)

Yes, I thought my claws were
candy :)

When The Lion King was released in the Summer of 1994, it not only turned out to be the Peak of the Disney Renaissance. It also turned out to be Disney`s biggest hit ever (at least before Frozen came along). And for us who lived during the 1990`s remember what a big Phenomenon it was. And despite how Lion King wasn`t exactly the end of the Renaissance, it`s true that it was such a hit that Disney was having trouble to top it. Mainly because how the two movies who followed it, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, were two controversial risktakers in their own right and therefore declined the Renaissance (despite how great those two movies were, in my opinion, it is essentially the truth that they declined the Renaissance for their controversies. But that`s another story for now).

I must enjoy standing on two
legs before I`ll grow and it
gets heavy :)

However, Lion King was a quite remarkable feature for the Disney Renaissance for the reason of being one of two animal movies released in that decade. Considering that both Disney (and animation) are practically synonymous with animals, it`s remarkable how the Renaissance had only two of them. As most of those movies starred humans (of course we`ll have to bring out the notion about how formulaic and derivative the Renaissance was, as it`s recycled the same formula through an entire decade. Despite how great those films are). But it`s remarkable that we had to wait some years before Disney released an animal-starring movie again. First up was Dinosaur and while it could`ve been perceived as irrelevant for being a Secret Lab Production (and for being a CGI Feature), it still was technically an animal movie. Later on we saw The Emperor`s New Groove. And while it`s never officially perceived as an animal feature, it still featured a human transforming into a four legged creature. However, of all of the following features, there was one movie who was deliberately modeled after Lion King. And that was Brother Bear.

General Information About Brother Bear

Released in November of 2003,

Brother Bear was directed by first time Directors Aaron Blaise (animator on Rajah in Aladdin, young Nala in The Lion King and the soldiers in Mulan) and Bob Walker. And penned by Tab Murphy (Hunchback, Tarzan and Atlantis The Lost Empire). It was the Third Full-Length Feature made at Disney Florida Studios, after Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. It was also the second animated movie to have a soundtrack by Phil Collins (who was approached to do Bear at the U.K. premiere of Tarzan) and Mark Mancina, which made it instantly comparable to Tarzan (Collins also co-wrote the score this time). But also having Tina Turner, the Blind Boys Of Alabama and the Bulgarian Women's Choir among the soundtrack. And having Joaquin Phoenix (chosen for his vulnerability), Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Jason Raize (in his only film role), Michael Clarke Duncan and D.B. Sweeney (Dinosaur) among the cast. Animators like Byron Howard (Tangled, Zootopia), Alex Kupershmidt, Ruben Aquino, Broose Johnson and Tom Bancroft were among the crew. Chien-Yi Chang (Mulan) was the production designer.

Brother Bear
was among the end of the Hand Drawn Animation Boom, as it was released when it was clear that CGI was taking over animation. And while it performed better than both Atlantis and Treasure Planet, it still didn`t set the Box Office on fire ($85,336,277 Domestically and $250,397,798 Worldwide). It received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, losing to Finding Nemo. Otherwise, Bear was a quite remarkable feature for actually changing ratio during the film. By starting Full-Screen and turning to Widescreen after the Bear Transformation (the second film from the early 2000`s to be Widescreen since Atlantis). Which was deliberately made to have the audience experience the change (by also bright the colors and enhance the sounds) and to show the widescreen of Alaska. And sure, it does feature a type of animal that has been featured a lot in animation, bears.

Behind the Scenes Information

Some years from now, we`ll be
enemies :)

In reality, while the very existence of Brother Bear is thanks to The Lion King, the truth is that the filmmakers had a hard time to find a story worthy to tell. But Michael Eisner was the brain behind it, wanting a North American setting, which he had his own personal interest in. And for chosing a Mountain equivalent of an animal king, a bear was chosen. Blaise wanted to be a part of the project for his own interest in bears and wanted it to be made in the Florida Studio, for the ambition.

You should be glad that you`re
not stepping on the snow,
Koda :) But that`s what
happens when I`m your private
rider :)

Tom Schumacher suggested that Blaise could direct. Blaise did research on bear myths, specifically Native American ones. At the time it was inspired by King Lear, about an old blind bear who traveled the forest with his three daughters. At one point the story was about a bear cub who helped an older bear who knocked him down. Because Blaise wanted a more naturalistic story, Blaise and producer Chuck Williams wrote a two-page treatment of a father-son story (inspired by Harry Chapin`s Cat's in the Cradle) in which the son is transformed into a bear, and in the end, remains a bear. Driven by how his father is never there for him after his mother died, the boy (Kodi) saves his father from a erruption.

I (Kenai) wanted to be the
ursine version of Grumpy :)

Schumacher liked the idea (originally it was called Timber). Around 2000, the story evolved where Kenai is taken in by an older bear, Grizz. However, the crew were struggling to get some charm into the film. So Grizz was turned into Koda. But because the crew liked Duncan's vocal performance, Grizz was changed into Tug (who was Kenai`s dad at one point). Denahi was originally meant to be Kenai's father, but was later changed to Kenai's brother. And since the point was that Bear should be about brothers, Kenai`s father, Chilkoot, was cut away from the film. Both the directors and producer were into emotion, so they wanted the film to be emotional.

Don`t be fooled, my ass hurts
after sitting like this for many
hours straight :)

The directors wanted a real rugged, artful-looking film and didn`t wanted it to be detailed and highly rendered. And they wanted bold, impressionistic landscapes. The prehistoric setting gave the artists some license to exaggerate a bit and create a fantasy landscape. While Brother Bear features a tribal, indigenous people (like Pocahontas), the creators wanted to have license to mix different tribes. Also for politically correct reasons. But they deliberately set the story in prehistoric times, to not offend a specific people. Originally the Transformation song was sung by Phil himself, but Mancina wanted the Bulgarian Women’s Choir to sing it. The mooses were given Canadian dialects, in order to mirror the real world with different dialects.

I may be smaller than you, but
my claws are bigger :)

The crew had to make sure that the title had was licensed from the Berenstain Bears.
Originally it was called Bears, but it was too generic. While originally the Great Spirits were going to transform Kenai themselves, it was too vague. So therefore it was decided that Sitka was changing Kenai. Denahi was originally a giant bear named Denali, but since the automaker had the name, they changed it. Joaquin Phoenix had also lost his brother at the time of recording the movie. And recorded so many takes of him for the scene where Kenai looks for Sitka that the director forgot to say "cut". Brother Bear was originally slated for a spring 2004 release, while Home on the Range was scheduled for 2003. However, Disney switched the date to promote Brother Bear on the Platinum Edition release of The Lion King (being released on Saturday, November 1, 2003, a rare occasion for a movie). The directors thought that nobody would listen to their commentary, so that`s why they made the voice actors for the Mooses to record one.

How Brother Bear Was Different and Similar From it`s Counterparts of it`s Era

I got my colors from this
stump :)

However, to scrutinize Brother Bear in the post-Renaissance canon, at least it seemed like a retrograde. While most of the post-Renaissance features were actually trying to be distinctive and expand their horizons, they didn`t felt as homogeneous as they did in the 1990`s. Both Groove, Atlantis and Lilo & Stitch genuinely felt like they could`ve come from other studios (with the exception of Treasure Planet, who despite being a departure, still felt Disney in tone). But Bear actually genuinely felt like a Renaissance Picture. With the same feel and flair. And it was also steeped in the same components and well-known elements of Lion King, Bambi, The Fox and the Hound and Pocahontas. And we all know that Pixar`s Brave would recycle this element (and sure, another contender would be Ice Age, for sharing the same timeline). So yeah, Bear has been labeled for being derivative (as it is). However, if we`re really going to scrutinize it, at least it didn`t follow the Renaissance rut completely. Since it didn`t had any love interest for the protagonist (as Bear is a surprisingly male-centered film, since the only major female character was Tanana), nor a villain.

But to compare it to it`s post-Renaissance counterparts, at the end, Brother Bear does share a thing with common with Groove: Having a plot about a arrogant male turning into an animal to learn a lesson. But since it`s known that Groove was retooled from the serious drama Kingdom of the Sun, at least Bear could serve as being the drama that Groove was meant to be.

However, regarding the plot of Brother Bear, it`s allegorical and resonant in true Disney sense. For being about looking through anothers eyes and facing the consequences of your actions. But Brother Bear is also unique for having the protagonist not just being an arrogant prick who needs to learn a lesson, but being an actual, ruthless murderer. But just like it`s Florida-made predecessor Lilo & Stitch, it mostly has well-rounded characters and not having them embodying good or bad archetypes (as none of the characters faces an actual villain). And just like Stitch, it`s about siblings, in this case brothers. And frankly, while it stresses the message of how humans are more monsters than the bears, it`s still a cue taken from life. Since bears actually do fear humans.

The Fate and Flaws of Brother Bear

We`re going to be standing
here all day long if we`re
going to argue whether it`s a
rainbow or not :)

However, the overall fate of Brother Bear is somewhat a lackluster one. While it certainly has it`s small fanbase and there are people who consider it to be on par with the Renaissance, it`s fair to say that it`s staple is a glum one. It`s not particularly highly regarded and was shunned critically by many reviewers on it`s release. Since the post-Renaissance was essentially seen as a New Dark Age for Disney, Bear was essentially considered to be among the worst of that timeline. But since it was (as aforementioned) considered to be a retrograde, at least many people thought that Bear should`ve been the movie to end the Dark Age and Disney`s official Hand Drawn Pantheon, instead of the universally loathed Home on the Range.

I`m a bear from Picasso :)
Don`t ask me why :)

However, regarding the actual criticisms at Brother Bear, one relevant flaw is how it`s mostly perceived for being an dramatically uneven film. Since the film abruptly changes it`s tone after the transformation sequence, as it mostly becomes a comedy when Kenai is transformed into a bear. Well, it`s easy to see that statement. Despite how the film doesn`t completely loose it`s dramatic tension, the comedy doesn`t really blend with the dramatic tension. Cause yes, many people have ranted about how the tone shift is the biggest flaw of the film. Sure, the comedy may not be the worst comedy ever to grace in animated film. But Brother Bear does essentially becomes two movies in one, not only due to the actual ratio and transformational change. But how the tones between the two acts are quite uneven (and it also has outtakes, which was certainly new for a Disney movie, especially since it was something that was imported from Pixar).

The Purpose of This Entry

Even a bear can
be yin and yang :)

However, it would`ve been awfully tempting to make this entry about why people were turned off by Brother Bear. And while it would`ve been an very engaging discussion, the truth is that I would`ve rather turn the case around and make the entry about two big issues that I`ve always had with the film. And while it`s not meant to be harsh criticism, they`re still two issues that I`ve pondered about since when I saw the film from the get-go.

First Criticism: Kenai`s Motivation

Since I`m a female, I need to
look scary to compensate for
my gender :)

The first issue is Kenai`s motivation for killing the bear. Prior to Brother Bear`s release, it was announced that Kenai would kill the bear in order to avenge his brother, due to how the bear killed Sitka (and it`s awfully remarkable how the trailers and TV spots frankly never revealed this part of the plot). But frankly, that`s not what happens at all! Cause the bear never actually kills Sitka! In fact, it`s Sitka who sacrifices himself in order to save Kenai and Denahi in order from Kenai`s own blatant stupidity. While it`s perhaps easy to see why the creators made the decision of not having the bear killing Sitka (for politically correct reasons), it still makes Kenai`s motivation to avenge him weaker.

I know that you`re turned off
by my breath, but you
shouldn`t worry about that :)

As it would`ve frankly resonated more if the bear actually killed Sitka. Cause frankly, Kenai not only kills an innocent bear for no reason whatsoever. But the whole plot hinges on how all the events are frankly started of Kenai`s own recklessness. And not how Sitka is actually killed (it`s quite remarkable despite it`s violent premise, Brother Bear is a surprisingly bloodless and non-graphic film. Which is why I was surprised when I got only a G rating).

Second Criticism: Koda`s Forgiveness

Yes, I wanted to live up
to my species with this
hug :)

The second (and most crucial) issue is the case of Koda`s facing the consequences of Kenai`s actions. Of course the reason for pairing the orphaned Koda is to have Kenai learn to take the consequences of his actions (and sure, their dynamic is instantly comparable to Shrek and Donkey`s dynamic in Shrek and Manny and Sid`s from Ice Age). Cause Koda happens to the cub of the bear that Kenai killed (which makes Koda just another young Disney orphan, which makes it another blatant recycling from Bambi, by having a young animal child loosing his mother to a human hunter). As the reveal is pretty much presented as a twist. But frankly, both Koda and Kenai goes through arcs, as Kenai learns to see through anothers eyes and Koda learns to forgive (which was the central theme of the story from the get-go). But Koda`s arc is essentially the biggest issue of the film (and one that I had problems with from the get-go). Cause his purpose is essentially not only to forgive, but learn to love the creature who killed his mother (the confession scene where Kenai tells Koda what he did was changed cause it was too direct).

This is our way of
snowboarding :)

And frankly, Koda`s purpose is quite unrealistic, even for a Disney movie. In fact, surprisingly enough, there were hardly complaints about this issue by reviewers during it`s movie`s release (but later on there have been complaints about it). Cause frankly, Brother Bear tells a story about a harrowing trauma, but blatantly ignores the (logical) consequences of Koda`s trauma by having him frankly loving the murderer of his parent. Which makes the scenario quite unrealistic and frankly somewhat disturbing. Yes, Koda gets to nuzzle with the spirit with his mother, which is essentially more than both Bambi and Simba did. But Koda`s final mission is frankly more disturbing, as it`s simply just way too unrealistic. While some people have ranted about how Kenai remains a bear when he shouldn`t, his arc is still satisfying for remaining a guardian to Koda. But at least the ending has been praised for not changing things to how they used to be, but staying the way they are. For having the characters coping with the new changes. Which deserves it`s praise.

Epilogue

I`m (Koda) better
than a waking
clock :)

At the end, Brother Bea
r is essentially stuck with a lasting dud-staple. Sure, it has it`s fanbase, but frankly it`s never truly risen from the ashes and become a true Disney classic. However, since I usually conclude my writings with my own personal opinions, I remember that I was looking forward to Brother Bear and knowing about it through websites long before it`s release (yes, it was during a time when Disney weren`t so keen to keep their secrecy policy about their future releases). Mostly due to it`s tribal setting and intriguing premise. However, when I finally saw the film, the truth is that it was a mixed bag for me. The first twenty minutes were truly captivating, but the film lost it`s momentum afterwards. I didn`t mind the comedy, but frankly, the film became a dramatically uneven mixed bag and was a little po-faced and heavyhanded.

I`m pretending to
be a rooster :)

While my purpose of this entry was to address my two issues with Brother Bear, the truth is that yes, I was bothered about those issues. So frankly, I felt that Brother Bear was a little disappointing and didn`t reach it`s full potential. While later viewings have softened my view on the film and while I do like it`s strengths (animation, score and epic tone), it`s still not on my favorite list, as it`s still hampered by it`s flaws. Still, it`s not as Brother Bear is not a movie that I completely hate, either. And I do have it on my DVD Collection. However, considering that it`s already been 20 years since this movie was released Theatrically and it`s going to be 20 years since it was released on DVD, there`s nothing left to wish Brother Bear Happy Belated 20th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.