It's no secret that Disney movies pack beautiful animation and powerful meaning into run times a major blockbuster couldn't dream of beating, and they do it effortlessly. Consider Disney's latest hits such as "Zootopia" and "Big Hero 6."
"Zootopia" especially gained favor for being simultaneously entertaining and relevant. The film captures what the world has been struggling to accept lately: anyone can be anything, and stereotypes just suck.
"Zootopia" is one of my new favorite Disney films, but there's another film that tackles the same issues, and it came out in 2003. For some reason, I never hear anyone say much about this film. I recently re-watched it to see why.
Turns out, I found a bunch of awesome reasons why we should be talking about it. "Brother Bear" seems to have been forgotten, but it shouldn't have been!
1. The characters are brown.
Because I am a "brown" person myself, I mean this in the most positive way you can imagine. This movie's story is centered around Inuit characters, their culture, their heritage and their beliefs.
This movie ranks right alongside "Pocahontas," "Lilo and Stitch," "The Princess and the Frog," "Atlantis," "The Emperor's New Groove" and Disney's newest, "Moana." Plus, it represents a group of people who are not often featured in American films unless they are filling the role of "natives" for novelty's sake.
2. It proves you can't judge what you don't know.
The main character, Kenai, has a strong, personal hatred toward bears. He refers to them as "monsters" often. The spirits, sensing Kenai might need a life lesson in misplaced hatred, turn him into a bear. Even after his transformation, Kenai has a hard time relating.
That is, until he befriends a bear cub named Koda, who shows Kenai what life is like on the other side of the spear.
Without giving anything away, let me just say the scene above really gives Kenai some perspective.
3. Family is everything.
On a larger scale, this movie shows us what tribal relationships look like for its characters. It also focuses on the close relationships Kenai shares with his brothers.
Of course, there's a little bit of a sibling rivalry going on.
The best part of this movie for me, as the oldest sibling in my family, is how it demonstrates the roles of each sibling. The oldest brother, Sitka, feels it is his responsibility to watch out for his younger brothers. Denahi, the middle brother, struggles to find his place and as the youngest, Kenai feels he has something to prove.
The brothers are all driven in their own ways, but they have an incredible loyalty to each other. For me, that's what being a sibling is all about.
4. The animation is gorgeous.
Look at the way they let the Northern Lights glow against her skin and hair! Not to mention the transformation of those blue trails into flowers.
Animals don't have eyebrows, but eyebrows control a lot of an expression. I love this GIF because of how they manipulated human eyebrows and made them blend into the features of a bear. Perfect.
Also, check out the background. Personally, it reminds me of older styles as seen in "Sleeping Beauty."
5. The soundtrack.
I have two words for you: Phil Collins.
He also did the soundtrack for "Tarzan." You may think I'm exaggerating the hype, but something tells me you know all the words to "Strangers Like Me." (And probably a few others.)
So, if you haven't seen "Brother Bear" or haven't seen it in a while, then I highly recommend watching it. It's definitely a great film that's way too underrated!
