Blu-ray Review: Double Feature of ‘Brother Bear’ Movies

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CHICAGO – In the Disney canon, few recent films are less-remembered than “Brother Bear,” a movie that came out as acclaim and animation legacy was transitioning from the Mouse House to Pixar. It’s one of the last hand-drawn animation films in the history of Disney and came at a time when CGI was about to dominate. Only ten years old, it looks more like an early ’90s product. And yet it was huge. It made over $250 million worldwide. So, it clearly has serious fans who will love to own it and its straight-to-DVD sequel, “Brother Bear 2,” in HD.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

“Brother Bear” is a sweet, gentle film that came out at a time when Pixar was revolutionizing the form. It also feels just a bit too much like a retread of stuff that Disney had done before, both in classics and even recently in films like “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas.” While Pixar was pushing the envelope, Disney was delivering something safe. Having said that, it’s a hard movie to criticize too harshly. There’s nothing overly wrong with it other than the sense that it’s a retread. However, as most parents will tell you, kids don’t mind the same themes being repeated and themes of respect for the natural world and support for others could bear repeating.

Brother Bear 2 Movie Collection was released on Blu-ray on March 12, 2013
Photo credit: Disney

Synopsis:
Disney proudly presents two heartwarming and hilarious movies in one incredible collection - Brother Bear, the 2003 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature, and Brother Bear 2 - together for the first time on Blu-ray. Bring home an entire forest full of fun, complete with digitally restored high definition picture and sound.

After an impulsive boy named Kenai is magically transformed into a bear, he and his little brother bear, Koda, take a courageous (and often hilarious) journey to see the Northern Lights. Experience the excitement of these two fantastic films like never before on Disney Blu-ray!

Special Features:
o Deleted Song
o Deleted Scenes
o Hilarious Animated Outtakes
o Sing-Along Songs
o Music Video
o The Making Of Brother Bear
o Behind The Music Of Brother Bear 2

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com