March 6, 2025 / 4 Minute Read

help the bear

Don’t ask why, but I recently decided to look up the Rotten Tomato ratings for the film Brother Bear.

And I must say, I’m disappointed.

By this point, I think we’ve all realized the futility in listening to “professional” movie critics.

The audience, however, ought to be ashamed of themselves!

66%??? Really??? That’s a D in school!!!

I assume these ratings are primarily composed of adults who saw the movie with their kids when it originally came out, because I just can’t fathom such mediocre ratings from a movie I remember so fondly.

A childhood memory eternally locked in a 90-minute time frame, it will forever hold a special place in my heart as an early 2000s baby.

I vividly remember playing with a transformable Kenai action figure I received from a McDonald’s Happy Meal. 

While I understand that Brother Bear was never one of Disney’s biggest hits, seemingly everyone I knew had at least a small level of adulation for the film.

Most of my friends had seen it at the very least, and I can’t remember any searing criticism.

You wouldn’t be able to tell from the movie’s ratings. 

I struggle to understand misgivings about Brother Bear’s plot, considering it hit just about every note that a good film can hit:

Novelty: I’m sure we can all name a number of films in which the main character is forced to learn a lesson by being transformed into some sort of animal, yet Brother Bear still stands out for me as one of the go-to films for this genre. This, combined with the Native American undertones, make it a truly unique piece of cinema.

Comedy: The comedy might not be the best, but it’s more than serviceable. None of the laughs felt forced, and they were well-paced throughout the various other emotional highs the film tackles.

Tragedy: This movie isn’t afraid to play the world’s smallest violin as the film begins with two families being torn asunder. Unfortunately, the reality of death is something not even children are shielded from, and this film handles such a heavy theme with notable deftness. 

Drama: Is it a stretch to call Brother Bear a thriller? Maybe, but the emotional scores the film explores are far more mature and refined than many of its ilk. Themes of revenge, grief, forgiveness, and redemption are explored fully and effectively despite the relatively short run time.

Heroism: A classic coming-of-age tale, Kenai’s journey from boy to bear is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Learning to love is arguably the hardest and most fulfilling journey a person can go through, and learning compassion and empathy are key milestones on any hero’s journey.

I also think that Brother Bear tackles its overarching concept of manhood surprisingly well. I appreciate that Brother Bear reiterates and celebrates the biblical themes of life and love. Themes that, as the film implies, are often shunned by men as feminine or weak.

The older I get, the more I understand that it is far harder to be a man of love and peace than a man of wrath and war. 

Brother Bear tackles these subjects and more in a way that is both compelling and fulfilling.

So if the plot is good, what could people be mad about?

The animation? 

Not likely, considering it appears to look the same as similar movies from that time. I’d even say it still holds up relatively well today, at least to my untrained eyes. 

Could it be the characters?

I doubt it.

Kenai can be moody but that’s kind of the whole point of the movie. Koda can be annoying, but isn’t every kid? The moose never overstayed their welcome, the shaman was your classic sassy grandma, and Sitka and Denahi had about five minutes of combined screen time.

In short, every character served their purpose without overstaying their welcome. 

Check and check.  

So what’s the issue?

The music?

The dialogue? 

Both above average in my view.

Nothing groundbreaking or truly memorable, but not bad enough to deserve a 66%.

Next!

Well, I don’t really know what comes next. I can’t think of anything else that people would find fault in.

Some may view Brother Bear as the concubine juxtaposed to Disney’s bigger hits of the era like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo.

And honestly, that may be true.

However, that doesn’t diminish the fact that Brother Bear is an outstanding movie in its own right, and a far greater film than its sour ratings would imply. 

Stop being unfair to the bear.

Bye Chance.