Brother Bear 2

"Brother Bear", released in 2003, is not one of the most popular Disney animated features, but like a number of the more popular ones, it did get the direct-to-video sequel treatment. "Brother Bear 2" was released in 2006. I saw the original for the first time just last month, nearly seven years after its release, and certainly didn't like it as much as some clearly do, but thought it was pretty good nonetheless. These Disney direct-to-video sequels aren't usually that good, and I figured this one would be no exception. Even though this one is more popular than some of the others, it didn't quite surpass my expectations. For the most part, I thought it was simply mediocre, with occasional funny moments, but also found that it got slightly better towards the end, so I thought it was still better than "Home on the Range".

Kenai now lives happily as a bear with his orphaned foster brother cub, Koda. Winter is almost over, and the bears have just awoken from hibernation. On their way to Crowberry Ridge to get berries, Kenai and Koda stop to sleep, and Kenai has a dream about Nita, a childhood friend of his, and it is then obvious that he is haunted by his memories of her. Meanwhile, Nita is about to get married, but the wedding is interrupted by the Spirits, who make it clear that they do not approve! When they were children, Kenai gave Nita an amulet, and she will not be able to marry somebody else unless she makes it to Hokani Falls in time for the vernal equinox and burns the amulet, and Kenai has to go with her. Innoko, the "sha-woman," puts Nita under a spell so she can communicate with bears, and Nita goes out to find Kenai and begin the trek to Hokani Falls. Along the way, the three of them (Kenai, Nita, and Koda) face more than one problem.

When I started watching this sequel, I already didn't find it very interesting, but knew this could change as the film went along. I didn't care much for the Nita character and the voice acting provided for her by Mandy Moore. The humour in "Brother Bear 2" usually doesn't work so well. Innoko, voiced by Wanda Sykes, is clearly supposed to be funny, but isn't, and basically, the same goes for Aunt Siqiniq and Aunt Taqqiq. Also Koda is once again pretty lame as a comic relief, and there are some poor lines in the film, such as Nita's comment when she sees Kenai as a bear for the first time. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas returned to play Rutt and Tuke, the moose brothers based on the two actors' iconic "SCTV" alter egos, Bob and Doug McKenzie. If it weren't for them, the humour in this movie would generally miss the mark. The animation in this sequel is like that in the original "Brother Bear", pretty good, but not great. I also didn't find the adventure very entertaining for the most part. Towards the end, I found that there are some exciting and touching moments, which is what makes it slightly better at this point, and this is why I'm giving the film a 6/10 instead of a 5. So, "Brother Bear 2" may be entertaining for many kids and some adults as well, but unsurprisingly, like probably most of these direct-to-video sequels, I wouldn't call it a must-see.

I found Brother Bear Two and inspirational and beautiful movie. What I was able to reap from the movie was that through adversity and many obstacles true love, be it the love of a family or the love of another in this case a bear to human that our own spirit will direct us. Their heart are intrinsically linked the movie shows that thought we all have difficulty it can be overcome. I absolutely loved the music it was inspirational also. Melissa Etherage is wonderful and her music was outstanding. I'm afraid that some were expecting the movie to be really funny and not expecting a heartfelt message. I'm truly sorry if they were disappointed. Personally I love the movie and rate it 10 of 10

The original 'Brother Bear' deserves better recognition as a good Disney animated film, so I was looking forward to seeing this straight to DVD sequel.

Now, these tend to be a bit hit and miss, but thankfully this is one of the better ones. There's a lot of heart, there's some lovely messages in there too.

I thought this worked well, I enjoyed it.

Well, to start off, I adore the original Brother Bear. So, as you can imagine I was a little ticked off when I heard Disney was making yet another one of their trashy sequels. I've seen some, Hunchback of Notre Dame 2 for instance...terrible, absolutely horrifying. And to find out that this might be done with one of my favorite movies was not the greatest piece of news. I decided to see it, actually buy it, encouraged by the positive early reviews it got. I was surprised. It's pretty good, but I have to admit the ending was cheap and easily guessed from the very beginning. I didn't like Nita, and Rutt and Tuke got on my last nerves. If you liked the first Brother Bear you'll like this one. I give this a 5/10.

Let me just make this clear from the start: I love the original Brother Bear, but as a rule I despise direct-to-video sequels (there are exceptions though). To put it simply... I went into this not expecting much, but I wished I was wrong. And I'll warn you... if you don't like being sequels being reviewed solely compared to the original, you probably won't like my review.

Story: I've read reviews saying that the original's basic story was copied from other movies... I never saw that. This, however, is your general "we think there's a writers strike on right now" copied story. Not a blatant rip-off of anything in particular, but its been done before.

Writing: To be honest, this probably disappointed me the most. While the original was deep and meaningful (or at least as can be for whats supposed to be a kids movie), this relies on a lot of cheap humour, particularly at the start. It levels off, but it never reaches the quality what was in the original. I'm probably one of the few who don't like Rutt and Tuke, although they didn't seem as bad this time around (probably because they had less time on screen and more to do, so less time to waste).

Art/Animation: This was probably the part which disappointed me the least. While it's more than adequate (its pretty good) it just doesn't have the same flair as the original did (or some of the fancier effects). Other than that, no major complaints.

Acting: With most of the returning characters are voiced by their original actors, Kenai's recasting stands out. Don't get me wrong, its not too bad... it's just not the same. Everyone else does a decent job though.

Music: Obviously no Phil Collins music this time around. I'm not quite sure who does the music in this (nobody immediately recognisable) and while the music is appropriate and fits in well, there's nothing memorable like "No Way Out" was for me.

Closing comments: It might not sound like much, but this movie ends up to be more than the sum of its parts (not much though). I don't accept it as a sequel up to the standards of the original Brother Bear, by its own merits, it's a decent movie. I do think it's worth buying, but I'd have no problem recommending it as a rental (especially if you're a fan of the original). Just don't go in expecting too much, and you won't be disappointed.