MickeyMoose15
11-01-2003, 05:59 PM
Released November 1st, 2003
Director: Aaron Blaise, Bob Walker
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Joan Copeland, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jason Raize, D.B. Sweeney
Premise: In a tiny village, when the Earth was young and ice still covered the land, a headstrong teenager, Kenai, has an issue with bears. And why not -- the bears compete for the same food and land, loot his village, and ruin his coming of age ceremony. When his oldest brother is lost in a perilous battle with a ferocious grizzly, Kenai ignores the village teachings of brotherhood, choosing instead to track down the bear and satisfy his thirst for vengeance. Kenai, voiced by Joaquin Phoenix, is changed into a bear by the Great Spirits, forcing him to examine the world through the eyes of his enemy. In his quest to regain his human form, Kenai enlists the help of an adorable, talkative and sometimes-pesky bear cub named Koda. Their journey propels them across the northern territory, through glacial caverns, frosty tundra, a valley of fire and treacherous gorges. Over the course of the journey with Koda, Kenai is forced to question everything he knows and learns many important lessons about the true meaning of brotherhood. Ultimately, he realizes that his physical transformation from a man to a bear is insignificant compared to the change that has occurred within him.
Traditional animation is on the ropes, let’s just face facts here people. Computer graphics have become the new medium in the animation genre as we move forward through the 21st Century of filmmaking. Does this mean it is permanent? Not by a long shot! This is not the first time traditional hand-drawn animation has been on the brink of extinction. Back in 1986, before Wells and Eisner took charge of the Disney ship, the genre had been affected greatly by failure after failure including Disney’s own Black Cauldron, which, as mature as it tried to be, was far ahead of its time. Then suddenly in 1989, The Little Mermaid was released to great acclaim and box office coin. Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King soon followed and each new release built on the success of the previous entry leading to a boom in the genre. But most recently a chink has been growing on the suited armor of the traditional animation empire in part to flops such as Disney’s Treasure Planet and Dreamworks’ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Further successes by CGI animated features like Ice Age and Finding Nemo haven’t helped matters. Brother Bear and Home on the Range (April 2004) are part of a last ditch effort for Disney to revitalize this staple of animation before it is too late ....
Click Here to Read the Full Review! (http://www.hostultra.com/~TheMooseHole/Brother%20Bear.htm)
Director: Aaron Blaise, Bob Walker
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Joan Copeland, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jason Raize, D.B. Sweeney
Premise: In a tiny village, when the Earth was young and ice still covered the land, a headstrong teenager, Kenai, has an issue with bears. And why not -- the bears compete for the same food and land, loot his village, and ruin his coming of age ceremony. When his oldest brother is lost in a perilous battle with a ferocious grizzly, Kenai ignores the village teachings of brotherhood, choosing instead to track down the bear and satisfy his thirst for vengeance. Kenai, voiced by Joaquin Phoenix, is changed into a bear by the Great Spirits, forcing him to examine the world through the eyes of his enemy. In his quest to regain his human form, Kenai enlists the help of an adorable, talkative and sometimes-pesky bear cub named Koda. Their journey propels them across the northern territory, through glacial caverns, frosty tundra, a valley of fire and treacherous gorges. Over the course of the journey with Koda, Kenai is forced to question everything he knows and learns many important lessons about the true meaning of brotherhood. Ultimately, he realizes that his physical transformation from a man to a bear is insignificant compared to the change that has occurred within him.
Traditional animation is on the ropes, let’s just face facts here people. Computer graphics have become the new medium in the animation genre as we move forward through the 21st Century of filmmaking. Does this mean it is permanent? Not by a long shot! This is not the first time traditional hand-drawn animation has been on the brink of extinction. Back in 1986, before Wells and Eisner took charge of the Disney ship, the genre had been affected greatly by failure after failure including Disney’s own Black Cauldron, which, as mature as it tried to be, was far ahead of its time. Then suddenly in 1989, The Little Mermaid was released to great acclaim and box office coin. Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King soon followed and each new release built on the success of the previous entry leading to a boom in the genre. But most recently a chink has been growing on the suited armor of the traditional animation empire in part to flops such as Disney’s Treasure Planet and Dreamworks’ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Further successes by CGI animated features like Ice Age and Finding Nemo haven’t helped matters. Brother Bear and Home on the Range (April 2004) are part of a last ditch effort for Disney to revitalize this staple of animation before it is too late ....
Click Here to Read the Full Review! (http://www.hostultra.com/~TheMooseHole/Brother%20Bear.htm)