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Brother Bear (2003)

tomatometer

38

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Reviews Counted: 125
Fresh: 48 | Rotten: 77

Brother Bear is gentle and pleasant if unremarkable Disney fare, with so-so animation and generic plotting.

33

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 30
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 20

Brother Bear is gentle and pleasant if unremarkable Disney fare, with so-so animation and generic plotting.

audience

68

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 168,735

My Rating

Movie Info

In the Disney-animated adventure Brother Bear, Joaquin Phoenix provides the voice of Kenai, a young Native American boy whose brother, Sitka (voice of D.B. Sweeney), is killed by a mother bear protecting her cubs. With revenge in mind, Kenai sets out into the woods only to find himself magically transformed into a bear himself. Seeing the world through the eyes of his prey, Kenai is forced to learn a lesson about nature and life. On a comic footnote: Brother Bear also features the voices of Rick

G, 1 hr. 25 min.

Animation, Kids & Family

,

Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman

Mar 30, 2004

$85.1M

Buena Vista Pictures

Cast

All Critics (126) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (78) | DVD (28)

Modest but guileless.

November 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Brother Bear is a very mild animated entry from Disney with a distinctly recycled feel.

June 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A lame duck of a movie.

July 21, 2005 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comment
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It feels like a project that got quietly pushed through the pipeline while the studio gears up for bigger and better things.

November 21, 2003 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Comment
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Give one chef eggs, cream, and sugar, and he'll produce creme brulee. In another kitchen, you'll get plain old vanilla pudding. What we have in Brother Bear, for all the potentially tasty ingredients, is pudding.

November 16, 2003 Full Review Source: Boston Globe | Comment
Boston Globe
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's hard to avoid concluding that Brother Bear was pitched as Pocahontas meets The Lion King since it recycles the themes of both, not to mention a character or two.

November 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | Comment
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...often just as dull as it is engaging...

April 22, 2011 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

Lackluster story only for kindergarteners.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

If "the CEO wants to sell teddy bears" isn't going to inspire writers to do their best work, what on Earth possibly could?

December 10, 2009 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | Comment
Antagony & Ecstasy

Compared to the Disney classics, this is a lazy and forgettable misfire.

November 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

A sweet family film about love and tolerance.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | Comment
Urban Cinefile

It also seems to want to have a message, but it's a little tougher to spot than the usual "Be true to yourself" or "Face up to your destiny."

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | Comment
Eclipse Magazine

Another watchable, old-fashioned, uninspired Disney animation.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Predictable? Yes. Corny? Sure. But Brother Bear is still good, family fun.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

A very nice little cartoon movie that just doesn't reach the stature of its siblings, and is unlikely to gain much standing with age.

February 15, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie City News | Comment
Movie City News

Brother Bear is solid if standard Disney animation. The artwork is gorgeous, the score is decent, the story is strong, and the message is stronger

August 13, 2004 Comment (1)
Reel.com

'Es una de esas joyitas que no pueden faltar en ninguna colección personal y cuyo valor seguramente será reconocido en los años por venir.'

July 20, 2004 Comment

The movie isn’t as witty as Monsters, Inc. and the storytelling isn’t as sharp as in Tarzan, but the theme of environmental kindness is priceless.

June 3, 2004 Comment

Short, sweet, entertaining and mercifully low on the musical numbers.

May 14, 2004 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | Comment
Empire Magazine
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Brother Bear

Fun, but gets really in to spirits and crap. Great music, horrible story, good voice acting. I liked it, but didnt love it.

March 3, 2011
DreamExtractor
Brad Wright

Super Reviewer

Brother Bear is a movie that is so close to being great that it's almost ridiculous. Had there been just a few changes made to the story, characters and dialogue, it would've been a really moving and timeless classic. As it stands though, this is interesting and beautiful to look at, but the negative aspects can be

May 4, 2011
ythelastman89

Super Reviewer

    1. Kenoia: It's me.
    – Submitted by Anthony A (14 days ago)
    1. Kenoia: Koda? It's me.
    – Submitted by Anthony A (14 days ago)
    1. Kenoia: Leave him alone!
    – Submitted by Anthony A (14 days ago)
    1. Koda: Hi-ya!
    – Submitted by Anthony A (14 days ago)
    1. Koda: I'm practicin' my moves!
    – Submitted by Anthony A (14 days ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Bärenbrüder (DE)
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