Brother Bear (2003)

Brother Bear is a piece of familiar Disney material. The tale of learning to walk a mile in someone else's fur involves the young hot-headed Kenoia (voice of Joaquin Phoenix) being transformed into a bear by his older brother in order to learn compassion. 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. Brother Bear does have some good animation. The film was hand-drawn, a technique which, at the time, was being touted as soon-to-be-dead. The film is pleasant to look at, unlike the computer effects-heavy Treasure Planet. Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis provide a few welcome moments of humor as a pair of Canadian moose who sound more than a little like their Strange Brew characters Bob and Doug McKenzie. While the film offers no surprises, it certainly lives up to the studio's brand name. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide