with Bob and Doug McKenzie (Moranis and Thomas - - “Take off you hoser” “Beauty, eh?”) as moose for comic relief. Set in Pacific NW, indian magically becomes a bear and ends up watching over a lost bear cub like a big brother. His tribe then comes hunting the bears.
I showed my almost 4 y/o the movie trailer last night and he just loved it and wanted to watch it over and over again. For the record, we often call him “Brother Bear” since his baby brother came along 4 months ago (who is nicknamed “Baby Bear.”)
I saw the trailer with Finding Nemo a few weeks ago and that one was also pretty funny – Moranis and Thomas had a lot of good stuff there. (“If you see only one movie this year…” “Too late, you hoser, there’s a movie starting in this theater in like two minutes.” “If you see only one movie this year, like, get out now!” and then, as it faded out “I wonder if they found that Nemo guy, eh?”)
But the plot looks like standard-issue Disney schmaltz – lost young person finds himself on an epic journey with a parent figure – with added movie-Injun sentimentality. I’m definitely waiting for reviews before I decide to go see it (unless the kid makes me go…there’s always that possibility).
I did NOT know that it was Bob & Doug! Yay! How perfect!
The movie looks like the usual Disney drivel (Hunting BAD!) I’ll probably go see it at a cheap matinee. There’s been a couple Disneys that I’ve regretted not seeing in the theatre, so I may as well see this film in one.
I don’t know if they’ll go the full ‘hunting = bad’ route. I mean it at least looks like some sort of Native American story and Native Americans hunt. I think the main character (the human one) learns what it is to be a bear.
For a really good film that is almost the same check out The Bear. It stars Bart the (real live) bear.
I’ve seen this trailer three times, now, in front of three excellent movies: Sinbad, Pirates of the Carribean, and Finding Nemo. I say this so you’ll know I’m not some sort of movie snob: I can enjoy a mindless romp or a well made kiddie movie, no problem. But my God, does Brother Bear look awful. Really, really awful. Talking animal movies can only work if the concept of the food chain is scroupulously ignored. (There are exceptions: Finding Nemo is one. The Lion King is not.) If you can have a conversation as equals with whatever it is you’re about to eat… well, the moral implications are stomach turning, to say the least. Although not as stomach turning as the sidekick bear cub, if the trailers are anything to go by. Christ, I only saw that character for all of two minutes, and I’m already having fantasies of starring at the little bugger through the sights on a hunting rifle. And, needless to say, anyone who gives Phil Collins any sort of opportunity to sing should be seized by federal agents and held incommunicado down in Gitmo with the other terrorists.
But then, I’ve only seen the one trailer. Maybe I’m being unfairly critical.
I greatly fear that at some point in my future life, no matter how hard I try to avoid it, I’ll hear that song about brotherhood from the trailer again. (shudder)
Here’s another warning. This is not one of Disney’s full length animated features. This is just one of their regular animated movies along the lines of Peter Pan 2 and the like.
Disney’s 43rd FLAF is something about singing cows starring Cuba Gooding and Judi Dench. Something that could be very funny and leave after 5 minutes material.
The moose-dudes cracked me up, but when I heard that “soaring” Phil Collins soundtrack, I rolled my eyes. When the plot started to manifest itself, they rolled all the way back and got stuck for the rest of the trailer. I think Phil Collins is the universal symbol for “Suck.”
Now Emporer’s New Groove kicked boo-tay, jin, though I think it actually started as a schmaltzy Elton John-scored movie.
The Emperor’s New Groove was originally about a cocky South American emperor who got turned into a llama, and had to find his way home and learn some humility along the way. The story proved unusable halfway through, so the writers retooled it as a zany comedy instead.
Brother Bear looks like someone found the wrecks of the original Emperor plot, dusted it off, changed a few details (South America to North America, llama to bear), and gave it a quick spit-n-polish.
