Grin and bear big-budget, low-rent 'Brother Bear'

By Eleanor O'Sullivan
The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

BROTHER BEAR (G) "Brother Bear" does pack in all the usual formula options ... life lessons in what's important, jaunty Broadwayish tunes, wise-cracking sidekicks, wrenching violence separating parents and offspring, and improbable new friendships. But it's presented in a low-rent style with little passion or oomph. With the voices of Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez and Jason Raize. Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker directed 85 minutes, Disney.

Right. "Brother Bear" does pack in all the usual formula options ... life lessons in what's important; jaunty Broadwayish tunes; wise-cracking sidekicks; wrenching violence separating parents and offspring; improbable new friendships, blah blah blah.

But it's presented in a low-rent style with little passion or oomph. It feels like the moviemakers went through the motions because it's time again for a holiday season cartoon for the little ones. More about the appropriateness of this cartoon for children a bit later.

The movie does give Joaquin Phoenix a fairly juicy role to chew on voice wise. He's Kenai, a young whippersnapper who comes of age and receives a token from his tribe's resident sage; the token is love. Kenai sneers. A macho type who's into strutting his new manhood, Kenai doesn't grasp the importance of a love token. He tosses it aside.

Well, as we all know, it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature or tribal sages. The token tossing comes back to haunt Kenai, who is turned into a bear by his deceased older brother (the symbol of leadership during his lifetime), which kicks off a manhunt for the disappeared Kenai by his other older brother, who bears the symbol of wisdom.

The point of turning Kenai into a bear comes under the heading of one of those life lessons: Presumably, as an animal on the run from humans, who capriciously kill animals, Kenai will learn that animals have feelings, too, especially when it comes to parent-child bonds.

However, as children (and adults) will see here, the human kills not capriciously in this cartoon but out of defense (and one assumes, also for food and skins, in other words, for survival).

All of this is played out in a lovely wilderness setting beautifully presented by the animators, as are the characters. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas resurrect their "SCTV" brother act in the guise of elk. Jeremy Suarez has an adorable voice that sounds like the pig Babe, etc., but be warned if you're bringing, say, under 10-year-olds; the violence is brief but intense.

In "Bambi" and "Dumbo-like" fashion, mothers are killed and offspring orphaned. Apparently, the animators were so involved in making these moments vivid they neglected to consider the impact of the violence.

Rated G but contains violence.