Brother Bear 2
posted Thursday, September 7th, 2006 by Victoria Fung
Zounds! A sequel to a box office hit that skipped theatres entirely and went straight to DVD? A sequel that’s hands-down better than the original?
Yup. As unbelievable as it sounds, that’s what you’ll find with the recently released Brother Bear 2, which charmingly (and, at times, schmaltzily) lathers on all those classic Disney themes of friendship, family, coming-of-age epiphanies and young romance.
Original music by Melissa Etheridge lends texture and warmth to this animated feature directed by Ben Gluck. And stellar voice performances from Patrick Dempsey, Wanda Sykes, Mandy Moore, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara and Kathy Najimy, among others, keeps the characters lively.
(Full disclosure: OK, you may remember in a past review my confessing to a weakness for movies with talking animals, and this one is replete with some of my faves, including bears and moose!)
Brother Bear 2 takes place at the end of the Ice Age as Kenai (Patrick Dempsey), the Inuit lad who was transformed into a brown bear in the first movie, emerges from hibernation with his hyper, wisecracking little brother, Koda (Jeremy Suarez). On their way to Crowberry Ridge to feast on spring berries, the bears cross paths with Tuke (Dave Thomas) and Rutt (Rick Moranis), two very goofy moose who need serious help in courting a couple of comely moosettes.
Kenai and Koda also encounter Nita (Mandy Moore), Kenai’s childhood friend and love interest (unbeknownst to Kenai, but obvious to everyone else, including the audience.) Nita carries an amulet Kenai gave her years ago. She asks him to accompany her to Hokani Falls, where they used to play, to burn to amulet and break a mystical bond between them that is preventing her marriage to a man named Atka.
Kenai feels torn between his slowly awakening feelings for Nita and his fraternal loyalty to Koda. But Nita is focused on burning that token of their friendship, hoping it will erase her powerful connection to Kenai who is, of course, a bear and therefore not the best matrimonial material.
As you witness the struggle to resolve their conflicts of love and zoological incompatibility in the face of some harrowing obstacles, you will feel their pain, cheer them on and laud their triumphs – as any good G-rated Disney film would have it.
Done in traditional animation, Brother Bear 2 offers up some truly beautiful hand-painted vistas the likes of which I haven’t seen since Pocahontas, a sign perhaps that traditional animation hasn’t quite gone the way of the Woolly Mammoth. Brother Bear 2 is also ethnically expressive: Nita actually looks like an Eskimo, and a lovely one at that. And it comes in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 – which works nicely for 16:9 televisions. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound make for fuller audio – especially during Etheridge’s songs.
DVD bonuses include a behind-the-scenes look at how Etheridge created her music. There’s also a game called, “Trample Off, Eh?” with Tuke and Rutt.
Geek-o-Meter: Brother Bear 2 scores a 9 on the Geek-o-Meter. It’s appealing family fun with wholesome humor, some valuable lessons for kids and a story line that’ll grab audiences of all ages. The ending is predictable but still completely satisfying and there is some genuine emotional heft to the sequel that even the original couldn’t quite manage to pull off.
The DVD, just released on Aug. 29, retails for $19.99.
