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Brother Bear 2
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // G // August 29, 2006
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
OK, here's a question for debate: Is it a good thing or a bad thing that Disney has discovered a gold-mine with its direct-to-DVD animated sequels. On the positive side, these movies are a great way for fans to re-visit their favorite characters and see them in new animated adventures. On the negative side, the movies rarely show any true inspiration and are thoroughly mediocre. Case in point, Brother Bear 2.
Brother Bear 2 picks up some time after the conclusion of Brother Bear. (I don't remember the first film very well, so I honestly can't say how much time has past.) Kenai (voiced by Patrick Dempsey), the warrior who was transformed into a bear, and his young cub friend, Koda (Jeremy Suarez), have just awakened from hibernation and are hungry. They decide to hunt for berries. (Trust me, there's more to the story.)
Meanwhile, Nita (voiced by Mandy Moore) (a human) is about to be married. But, as the ceremony begins, the skies darken and an avalanche splits the ground between the assembled crowd. The villagers assume that this is a sign from the Great Spirits. Nita visits the local shaman...shawoman, Innoko (voiced by Wanda Sykes), who informs Nita that she cannot marry because she still has a bond with another man. We learn through flashback that Nita and Kenai were very close as children and that Kenai gave Nita an amulet. In order to be free of her bond with Kenai, Nita must persuade the man who is now a bear to journey to the location where their bond was formed and burn the amulet. Innoko places a spell on Nita which allows her to communicate with bears. She finds Kenai and is able to convince him to make the quest. And although they haven't seen each other in years, and despite the fact that Kenai is now a bear, the two old friends begin to feel something for one another.
OK, here's another question for debate: Where do you go when you're making a sequel to a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with (and sort of contrived to boot)? You bring in the romance angle, that's what! Brother Bear was already very similar to some aspects of Beauty and the Beast, in the sense that a man was physically altered in order to learn a moral lesson. Brother Bear 2 takes the next step in mining Beauty and the Beast by dragging in the idea that a human could fall in love with a man who is now a beast. In fact, romantic relationships permeate Brother Bear 2, as there is a subplot involving the two moose from the first film, Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas), who are attempting to woo two female moose, Anda (Andrea Martin) and Kata (Catherine O'Hara).
If bringing in a love interest feels like a fairly "by the book" approach to making a sequel, then the rest of the film falls squarely into line. Not unlike its predecessor, Brother Bear 2 is an amazingly innocuous movie. It's neither exhilarating or revolting -- it just merely is. Youngsters may get a kick out of the movie, but any adult will be able to predict the next scene every step of they way. The flirtation between Kenai and Nita, along with the cross-country journey, hails from the "seen it all before" department. The return of Rutt and Tuke smacks of "Hey kids, remember the funny moose?!" as opposed to characters who actually belong in the film. (The cover art, which proclaims "The Moose are on the Loose" may entice viewer who will be disappointed that the movie ins't about Rutt and Tuke.)
And while Brother Bear 2 is in no way original, it does have its high points. The voice-acting is good, except for Wanda Sykes, whose performance is really out of place here. For the most part, the animation is quite good. While it doesn't rival the art of Disney's theatrical releases, the background look great and there is a great deal of detail in the bear's facial expressions. The songs by Melissa Etheridge are appropriate, but there is just one too many.
Video
Brother Bear 2 romances DVD courtesy of Disney DVD. The film has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. Unlike Brother Bear, there is no change in the aspect ratio mid-film for the sequel. The transfer looks excellent, as the image is very sharp and clear. The picture shows no defects from the source material, nor is there any grain. Unlike many animated features which fall apart on DVD, this transfer shows no jittery motion or jagged lines. The colors are bold and beautiful and the landscape scenes have an awesome amount of depth.
Audio
The Brother Bear 2 DVD features both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and a DTS 5.1 audio track. Both tracks sound very good. The dialogue is sharp and clear, with no hissing or distortion. The stereo effects are very good, as there are many scenes where off-screen action is nicely placed in the left or right channels. The surround sound effects are good as well, with the sounds of the forest filling the speakers. The avalanche gives the subwoofer a reason to live. Overall, the audio is impressive and while both tracks are good, the DTS track is slightly clearer.
Extras
Given that Brother Bear 2 is a direct-to-DVD sequel, it's probably not all that surprising that the DVD is lacking in extra features. "Behind the Music of Brother Bear 2" (8 minutes) offers comments from Melissa Etheridge, who discusses her involvement in the film and how the visuals drove her compositions and vice-versa. There are also comments from Josh Kelley (who has a duet with Etheridge on the soundtrack) and composer Dave Metzger. The only other extra is a set-top game called "Trample Off, Eh?".
Considering the fact that I wasn't bowled-over by Brother Bear, I didn't really know what to expect from the sequel. My reaction to Brother Bear 2 was quite similar. The movie certainly wasn't bad, as it has a fairly good story and it moves along at a nice clip, but it's never anything special. This movie is just about as middle of the road as one can get.
OK, here's a question for debate: Is it a good thing or a bad thing that Disney has discovered a gold-mine with its direct-to-DVD animated sequels. On the positive side, these movies are a great way for fans to re-visit their favorite characters and see them in new animated adventures. On the negative side, the movies rarely show any true inspiration and are thoroughly mediocre. Case in point, Brother Bear 2.
Brother Bear 2 picks up some time after the conclusion of Brother Bear. (I don't remember the first film very well, so I honestly can't say how much time has past.) Kenai (voiced by Patrick Dempsey), the warrior who was transformed into a bear, and his young cub friend, Koda (Jeremy Suarez), have just awakened from hibernation and are hungry. They decide to hunt for berries. (Trust me, there's more to the story.)
Meanwhile, Nita (voiced by Mandy Moore) (a human) is about to be married. But, as the ceremony begins, the skies darken and an avalanche splits the ground between the assembled crowd. The villagers assume that this is a sign from the Great Spirits. Nita visits the local shaman...shawoman, Innoko (voiced by Wanda Sykes), who informs Nita that she cannot marry because she still has a bond with another man. We learn through flashback that Nita and Kenai were very close as children and that Kenai gave Nita an amulet. In order to be free of her bond with Kenai, Nita must persuade the man who is now a bear to journey to the location where their bond was formed and burn the amulet. Innoko places a spell on Nita which allows her to communicate with bears. She finds Kenai and is able to convince him to make the quest. And although they haven't seen each other in years, and despite the fact that Kenai is now a bear, the two old friends begin to feel something for one another.
OK, here's another question for debate: Where do you go when you're making a sequel to a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with (and sort of contrived to boot)? You bring in the romance angle, that's what! Brother Bear was already very similar to some aspects of Beauty and the Beast, in the sense that a man was physically altered in order to learn a moral lesson. Brother Bear 2 takes the next step in mining Beauty and the Beast by dragging in the idea that a human could fall in love with a man who is now a beast. In fact, romantic relationships permeate Brother Bear 2, as there is a subplot involving the two moose from the first film, Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas), who are attempting to woo two female moose, Anda (Andrea Martin) and Kata (Catherine O'Hara).
If bringing in a love interest feels like a fairly "by the book" approach to making a sequel, then the rest of the film falls squarely into line. Not unlike its predecessor, Brother Bear 2 is an amazingly innocuous movie. It's neither exhilarating or revolting -- it just merely is. Youngsters may get a kick out of the movie, but any adult will be able to predict the next scene every step of they way. The flirtation between Kenai and Nita, along with the cross-country journey, hails from the "seen it all before" department. The return of Rutt and Tuke smacks of "Hey kids, remember the funny moose?!" as opposed to characters who actually belong in the film. (The cover art, which proclaims "The Moose are on the Loose" may entice viewer who will be disappointed that the movie ins't about Rutt and Tuke.)
And while Brother Bear 2 is in no way original, it does have its high points. The voice-acting is good, except for Wanda Sykes, whose performance is really out of place here. For the most part, the animation is quite good. While it doesn't rival the art of Disney's theatrical releases, the background look great and there is a great deal of detail in the bear's facial expressions. The songs by Melissa Etheridge are appropriate, but there is just one too many.
Video
Brother Bear 2 romances DVD courtesy of Disney DVD. The film has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. Unlike Brother Bear, there is no change in the aspect ratio mid-film for the sequel. The transfer looks excellent, as the image is very sharp and clear. The picture shows no defects from the source material, nor is there any grain. Unlike many animated features which fall apart on DVD, this transfer shows no jittery motion or jagged lines. The colors are bold and beautiful and the landscape scenes have an awesome amount of depth.
Audio
The Brother Bear 2 DVD features both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and a DTS 5.1 audio track. Both tracks sound very good. The dialogue is sharp and clear, with no hissing or distortion. The stereo effects are very good, as there are many scenes where off-screen action is nicely placed in the left or right channels. The surround sound effects are good as well, with the sounds of the forest filling the speakers. The avalanche gives the subwoofer a reason to live. Overall, the audio is impressive and while both tracks are good, the DTS track is slightly clearer.
Extras
Given that Brother Bear 2 is a direct-to-DVD sequel, it's probably not all that surprising that the DVD is lacking in extra features. "Behind the Music of Brother Bear 2" (8 minutes) offers comments from Melissa Etheridge, who discusses her involvement in the film and how the visuals drove her compositions and vice-versa. There are also comments from Josh Kelley (who has a duet with Etheridge on the soundtrack) and composer Dave Metzger. The only other extra is a set-top game called "Trample Off, Eh?".
Considering the fact that I wasn't bowled-over by Brother Bear, I didn't really know what to expect from the sequel. My reaction to Brother Bear 2 was quite similar. The movie certainly wasn't bad, as it has a fairly good story and it moves along at a nice clip, but it's never anything special. This movie is just about as middle of the road as one can get.
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