Brother Bear [DVD]

Product Information

Originally titled Bears, it was the third and final Disney animated feature produced primarily by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida; the studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of this film in favor of computer animated features. The segmented-layout to the documentary just barely prevents it from being the perfect supplement to the film, but nonetheless, it is a well-produced and entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the film.

Disc two begins with the whopping, 45-minute making-of featurette “Paths of Discovery,” followed by a collection of embryonic deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes peek at the Bulgarian women who sang on the “Transformation” song, and the never-before-heard “Fishing Song.In any event, you won't want anything to do with the reformat job, and it's quite disappointing that Disney chose to make this the viewing format for Disc 1. transfer preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of the film, while a second image is presented in a 1. The sentiments expressed in the film are run-of the-mill love-thy-neighbor bromides that are great for youngsters but, considering the two-dimensional character development, will seem familiar and dull to parents. The first disc contains what Disney describes as a “family friendly aspect ratio”, that means full frame 4:3 to you and me. If it is true that Disney has decided to forsake for the foreseeable future traditional cel-animated features, then Brother Bear is a triumphant swan song -- or bear song, if you prefer.

He has no choice but to see the world through another's eyes while he learns some valuable life lessons and strives to regain his human form. The three sequences and introduction from the two directors run 11 minutes and 5 seconds altogether with a "Play All" function. Brother Bear also marks, if not the end of an era, at least an interruption, as Disney famously closed its Florida animation studio after completing the production.Best of all, Brother Bear manages to thrill and amuse audiences with an effectiveness that surpasses most of today's cinema. Bear Legends" (2:55) is a short but dry bunch of Native American tales featuring wall drawings and narrated by Tanana. In 'Brother Bear 2' (2006), Kenai (voiced by Patrick Dempsey) is back, the human transformed into a brown bear, and he is off to the picturesque Pacific Northwest at the end of the Ice Age.

We take intellectual property concerns very seriously, but many of these problems can be resolved directly by the parties involved. The Sneak Peeks that play at the beginning of Disc 1 are for Aladdin, The Incredibles, Chicken Little (Disney's computer animated film coming to theaters in 2005), The Three Musketeers, Mary Poppins: Special Edition (the booklet provides us our first look at this set's cover art), Mulan II. Muri the Squirrel" was originally one of the first creatures Kenai experienced in the animal world and has his own scene, which was understandably deleted. Recently bought about 12 disney movies for my little girl and i think this definately looked the best. These include some clips from other Disney films and shorts; the raccoon featurette, for instance, briefly features Pocahontas' Meeko.

Now, brother hunts brother and Kenai's only hope for survival is to befriend his own worst enemy, a grizzly cub named Koda.