The one thing I’m thinking is that Disney can do better. They really can, on all levels. Brother Bear is never really “bad” in any way, it’s just not good in any way either. It’s painfully mediocre.

This mediocrity extends to all parts of the film, starting with the story concept itself. In what appears to be the Canadian wildlife, a boy named Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) is becoming an adult in his Indian rite of passage but is disappointed when the token representing his life is that of “love”.

Kenai would much rather have something cool such as “bravery” than “love” and attempts to show it through ruthless attempts to track down and kill a bear. After succeeding in killing a bear unnecessarily, the gods – or whoever it is – turn Kenai into a bear until he can make it to the top of a certain mountain.

The rest of the film shows us Kenai making his way back to the said mountain while learning to get along with his new, unwanted sidekick Koda (Jeremy Suarez), a young cub who tags along with Kenai because he cannot find his mother. Of course, Kenai learns to care for Koda by the end of the journey, but it’s never particularly affecting. Kenai learns love only by name.

Aside from the general “be nice” message of the film, the other idea is a sort of “respect nature” and “don’t kill animals” sort of message that groups like the Sierra Club would appreciate. The whole glorification of animals thing is sometimes cute, but never really got to me.

The animation, though very warm and competently done, doesn’t mark anything special. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. It seems as if Disney generally pushes each new animated film to the next level, but they seem content with the standard fare for this one. This might have been impressive over a decade ago, but it’s nothing new now.

The biggest problem is that Kenai’s journey – in fact the film as a whole – just isn’t as entertaining as we’re used to from Disney. Finding Nemo was hilarious, and even when it didn’t make you laugh out loud, it always made you smile. Brother Bear rarely brings even the smile.

The only comic relief in the story comes from two moose straight out of Strange Brew – literally. The moose are voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas themselves, and their personalities are direct transports from the original comic duo. Unfortunately, the two don’t get much screen time, even though they’re by far the funniest part of the film. In fact, I would have preferred a whole movie that just focused on the moose, but then they may as well just called it Strange Brew 2.