Product Details

• Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Jason Raize, Dave Thomas
• Directors: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker
• Writers: Aurian Redson, Brian Pimental, Broose Johnson, Chris Williams, David Hoselton
• Format: Color, NTSC, THX, Closed-captioned, Dolby
• Language: English
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: March 30, 2004
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (282 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00016JF2W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,327 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SEE THIS MOVIE, November 7, 2003

By A Customer

I went to Brother Bear not really knowing what to expect. Some of the recent Disney hand drawn animated releases have fallen short of expectations. I have to say that I was extremely impressed by the plot and character development in this movie. The story, while it is a relatively simple one, is one that draws you in and makes you care about the characters. And while many of us can see where the plot is going, the journey is highly enjoyable with some unexpected twists along the way.

For those of you who don't know what the movie is about, it is a coming of age movie about a boy who becomes a man by becoming a bear. Beyond that, it is about breaking stereotypes, and developing a respect for life. It is about dealing with anger and loss. The emotional intensity of this movie is much more similar to Lilo and Stitch or Finding Nemo, than it is to older hand animated movies such as Aladdin or The Little Mermaid. My four year old is very sensitive and had to be held at several points during the movie. But my six year old loved it, and learned some valuable lessons as well.

If I had anything negative to say, it would be that the music is not as memorable as I would have liked. I wish that they had asked Sir Elton John to contribute to the music for the picture. I like Phil Collins, but the music is too reminiscent of Tarzan for me. Still, it's not enough of a negative in this movie to make me change my rating.

Overall, I think that if they made more hand animated movies like this, they could continue to put them out forever. CGI is nice, but part of what makes Pixar movies memorable is the care given to the plot. This movie will probably be one of the great animated sleeper movies of all time--definitely can't wait to own it on DVD as well.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Typical Disney concept, superior execution, November 3, 2003

By 

bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

"Brother Bear" has all the traits we are familiar with from Disney, but they are more nicely done than in some recent efforts. There is a grand sentimental theme (brotherly love), a soaring musical score, an earnest effort to incorporate another culture into the film (Inuit), an ornery lead who has something to learn (Kenai), a loveable little sidekick (Koda), and secondary characters for comic relief (Rutt and Tuke, two goofy mooses, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis re-enacting their "McKenzie Brothers" routine).

Somehow it comes together better than most. The quality of the animation is excellent, the characterizations clearer, the funny bits genuinely funny (my favorite bit was the mooses' penchant for doing yoga poses). Moreover, the ending was a bit less trite than is sometimes the case.

Disney true-blue fans will definitely want to see it, but even if you usually have a low tolerance for Disney stories, give this one a look.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disney has done it again!, October 25, 2003

By 

Kimberly Oh (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

We saw a special sneek preview on 10/25/03. Brother Bear is a hit. Well written story line, great music, and beautiful animation.

Make sure you stay until all the credits have run, there's one last "outtake" at the very very end of the movie. Most of the audience had walked out, and missed it.

Aloha,
The Oh Family
Honolulu, HI