GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Film

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

 

Limited Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Brother Bear
Buena Vista Pictures / Walt Disney Pictures

Brother Bear reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 48 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.0 out of 10
based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Jason Raize, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, D.B. Sweeney, Joan Copeland, and Michael Clarke Duncan

The powerful and playful bond between brothers, and man's bond with nature, are explored with great drama and comedy in this exciting new animated tale of brotherhood, bears and breathtaking outdoor adventure. (Walt Disney Pictures)


GENRE(S): Adventure  |  Animation  |  Family/Kids  |  Fantasy  
WRITTEN BY: Steve Bencich
Ron J. Friedman
Broose Johnson (story)
 
DIRECTED BY: Aaron Blaise
Robert Walker
 
RELEASE DATE: DVD: March 30, 2004 
Video: March 30, 2004 
Theatrical: October 24, 2003 
RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
USA Today Staff [Not Credited]
A sweet celebration of brotherhood in its many forms. It gently encourages human communion with animals, nature and our fellow man.
Read Full Review
75
Premiere Susannah Gora
While not a masterpiece along the lines of "The Lion King," and not a super-smart witticism-fest like "Lilo and Stitch," Brother Bear is deeply heartfelt, touching, and beautiful.
Read Full Review
75
ReelViews James Berardinelli
The end result is a pleasant experience that is more appropriate for families than for adults unaccompanied by young offspring.
Read Full Review
75
Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Although the story has more than a little Lion King deja vu-doo going for it, Kenai (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) is likable as both a man, and then a bear.
Read Full Review
75
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Sweet rather than exciting.
Read Full Review
75
San Francisco Chronicle C.W. Nevius
It is bearable, in every sense of the word, and that's worth something for parents looking for G-rated entertainment.
Read Full Review
70
Film Threat Kevin Carr
Predictable? Yes. Corny? Sure. But Brother Bear is still good, family fun.
Read Full Review
70
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
A playful movie that celebrates nature and the spirit world with striking imagery and a smooth blend of drama and comedy.
Read Full Review
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Has an unforced, pleasingly New Age feel to it; an unexpected but satisfying ending (a la "Shrek"); and a script that -- despite its overdone, body-switching premise -- comes together to nicely convey a cogent, environmentally conscious moral lesson.
Read Full Review
60
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Does have a satisfying ending and it's nice to see a G-rated film without bathroom humor, but there is too much formula and not enough reason to pay attention here.
Read Full Review
60
Empire Natasha Aitken
At times is heartbreakingly sad -- maybe not quite Bambi territory, but certainly moving in its own cute and furry way.
Read Full Review
60
Variety Todd McCarthy
A very mild animated entry from Disney with a distinctly recycled feel.
Read Full Review
50
Entertainment Weekly Scott Brown
Mark it: Phil Collins officially has nothing more to teach us. The tunes he's composed for Brother Bear are so generic, they're modular.
Read Full Review
50
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
Though Brother Bear is as beautiful as any of Disney's hand-drawn features, the gang-written script is deadly flat.
Read Full Review
50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
All the old Disney trademarks are here, except the wit and surprise that were once the studio's stock in trade. There's little appeal to grownups, but kids should enjoy it.
Read Full Review
50
The New York Times Stephen Holden
This opulent movie, with gorgeous rainbow animation, is heavy on message but light on humor.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Tribune Mark Caro
There's something vanilla about the whole enterprise, from the one-size-fits-all spiritualism to Phil Collins' generic world-music songs.
Read Full Review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole
The oddest movie to come out of Disney since Herbie ran out of gas in Monte Carlo, Brother Bear is a cartoon about a boy who becomes a man by learning how to be a bear.
Read Full Review
50
Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Fortunately the film's humor kicks in with McKenzie Brothers Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas stealing the show as a dopey pair of moose. Could've done without Phil Collins's generic, annoying tunes.
Read Full Review
50
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
After the box-office failures of "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Treasure Planet," I wonder whether Brother Bear might not be the last traditional bit of Disney animation for a while.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Blaise and Walker cleverly widen the aspect ratio as the hero's consciousness changes and make some lovely pictures of the northern lights, but the atrocious Phil Collins score (with a vocal by Tina Turner) filled me with evil spirits.
Read Full Review
40
The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Unfortunately, Brother Bear doesn't offer much to marvel at beyond its animation.
Read Full Review
40
TV Guide Angel Cohn
While the hand-drawn animation is visually appealing, the story is completely predictable and Phil Collins's music lacks the impact of his Oscar-winning "Tarzan" tunes.
Read Full Review
40
Village Voice Ben Kenigsberg
Tykes may giggle at the Rick Moranis/Dave Thomas–voiced moose, but there's little for adults.
Read Full Review
38
New York Post Lou Lumenick
An uninspired recycling of themes that were far more gripping in "The Lion King" and countless other earlier Mouse House classics.
Read Full Review
38
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
Lackluster in narrative and in no way original or innovative, the movie is pretty much generic Disney, a film about universal brotherhood stitched together from parts that worked better in other films.
Read Full Review
30
LA Weekly Ella Taylor
Today's street-smart moviegoing kids don't need to be so shamelessly pandered to.
Read Full Review
30
Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman
The characters are mechanisms who move along the plot arc from Point A to Point B. They’re not particularly memorable individuals.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jared C gave it a0:
This animated movie is special, its unexpected, mysterious, and interesting. A very appealing movie with hysterical humor. But disappointing as it is, a too short of a film, and a little bit of a weirdo (because it doesn't ever try in anything to make a good movie), it just happens, the movie is the movie. But for my eye, it isn't good enough, I found it a huge letdown for I, myself, and its reputation.

Tony M. gave it a 10:
This Waz One OF The Best Movies Ive Seen This Year I Think It Shows Alot About Brother Hood And That it is so cute how kenai then best bear in the intire world is so cute his fur and eveything is just so cute about him And Koda to waz also one of the cutest things in the whole world Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Suarez r two of the best chracters in the whole intire world they just did a good job over the bears voices.

Zu Xian T. gave it a 9:
A great show for family to watch... a pure and dramatic show which shows you brotherhood would be like... we muz learn to forgive and forget to make peace in the world... i really loves this show as it was damn touching and funny too.

K. C. gave it a 10:
Wonderful movie for the entire family. Don't believe the critics ratings. How many of them took their family to the movie?

Jackie gave it a 10:
This movie was adorable. I was watching it on a field trip. And it shows you are what you are. Koda was adorable.

Rita B. gave it a 10:
I love this movie! It's the cutest movie in the world! 10 thumbs up :)

John C. gave it a 2:
Cute, ahh cute. nonthing at all original. disney trying to teach us once again the ways of some unknown people and i know they mean well, wait it is disney no i don't, but i feel like they are shoveling bs into us and probably over simplifing something a lot more complex. at the end of the day though the movie is cute.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use