The Next Disney Classic
Disney hasn't made a movie this good in a long time, in fact, it's been nearly a decade. Brother Bear has everything an animated film by Disney should have. It has a simple, but at the same time, comlex story, several deep main characters, hilarious sidekicks and brilliant animation. I enjoyed every second of Brother Bear, and that's a lot more than I can say about other movies so far this year.
Long, long ago, the earth was emerging from the ice age, and there lived a tribe of men in the north. Among this tribe are three brothers, the eldest of which is killed by a bear. The youngest of the brothers, Kenai, seeks revenge, and kills the bear, only to be transformed into a bear himself. Thinking that the transformed Kenai killed human Kenai, Denahi, the middle brother, sets off to kill him as well. Kenai escapes into the wilds, where he finds a grizzly cub named Koda. While he finds Koda annoying and bothersome, he becomes to realize that Koda is his only chance for survival, and that he is Koda's chance for survival.
Kenai and Koda are excellent characters, who are both struggling for the same thing- they just don't realize it. Denahi is an almost sympathetic character, as we see him track Kenai across the wilderness, carrying a burden he doesn't have to. These three characters were my favorites, though of course, there are several hilarious sidekicks. My favorites are the two moose (meese?), Rutt and Tuke. These goofball Canadiens will draw the most laughs, from warming up to eat grass and mocking the bear Kenai who still thinks he's a human. There are big horn sheep that yell at their own echo, and all the bears in the movie have great personality, including one who thinks her husband is dead when he's right next to her. But still, it's the adventure of Kenai and Koda that will realy draw you in. I can almost guarantee you'll leak a tear or two by the time this one is over with.
The ending is quite good, far better than any Disney standards. For once, the ending may not be politically correct, but it is definitely the right one. It just wouldn't have made sense without it. Hopefully Disney will continue this tradition in their future movies where a happy ending doesn't need to equal a sappy one. Like I said, I enjoyed this movie to a great extent, much more than other movies this year. It's exciting, funny, and has characters you really care for. It's the best animated movie in years and years, beating out even the likes of Finding Nemo and Shrek. Will it eventually beat out The Lion King? Only time will tell.