Recently re-released from Disney’s vault comes the story of Brother Bear. A mix of magic, adventure and a lot of heart Brother Bear is story about love and acceptance.
The story of Brother Bear follows three young brothers during the ice age. When the youngest brother, Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix), kills a bear out of revenge he is magically transformed into a bear. In order to return to his human self, he must literally walk in another’s footsteps until he learns some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Koda, hilarious moose Rutt and Tuke, woolly mammoths, rambunctious rams and more.
It is through is friendship with young Koda that Kenai discovers the true meaning of love – love of all creatures.
This is one of the few Disney movies I have never seen before, so I watched it with my daughter (5) not knowing what to expect. We both enjoyed the movie, and it gave us a chance to talk about being nice to all animals and all people. My daughter is the perfect age for this movie, however, because of the subject matter I would caution parents about watching it with younger children. (Two deaths, that of the oldest brother and of a mother bear.) That said, K really enjoyed the movie. We didn’t have time to watch it in one sitting, and she was eager the next day to get back to her movie.
The re-released double-feature Blu-Ray, also includes Brother Bear 2. The more light-hearted adventure picks up with Kenai and Koda a few months later and introduces a young girl, Nita (voiced by Mandy Moore), who can understand the bears because of a special amulet. Young Nita and Kenai (this time voiced by Patrick Dempsey) were friends before Kenai turned into a bear, and a bit of a love story unfolds between them. Spoiler alert, the movie has a happy ending.
Brother Bear includes the following bonus features:
- “Deleted song”
- “Deleted Scenes”
- “Hilarius Animated Outtakes” also on the DVD
- “Sing-Along Songs” also on the DVD
- “A Music Video”
- “The Making of Brother Bear”
- And More
- Brother Bear 2 as the following feature;
- “Behind the music of Brother Bear 2” also on the DVD
Brother Bear is available as a double-feature Blu-Ray / DVD combo. Plus right now you can save $6 when you purchase any two of the following titles together:
- Brother Bear 1 & 2 on Blu-Ray/DVD
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1 & 2 on Blu-Ray/DVD
- Mulan 1 & 2 on Blu-Ray/DVD
- Mulan 1 & 2 on DVD
I am sorry I waited this long to see this movie, but I am glad that I can now enjoy it with my girls. It makes an excellent addition to our Disney movie library.
I received a copy of this movie to facilitate this post, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.