Brother Bear will not go down in the annals of traditional animation as a classic, but it is proof that Disney remains capable of producing enjoyable, family-oriented animated movies. This film looks and feels a little bit like a throwback to the kinds of pictures Disney was making five or six years ago when it was still at the top of the animation heap. There's drama and comedy, a message about tolerance and brotherhood, and a few songs to sell the soundtrack. The end result is a pleasant experience that is more appropriate for families than for adults unaccompanied by young offspring.

　　 The movie takes us to the dawn of prehistoric human civilization and introduces us to three brothers: Sitka (voice of . Sweeney), the eldest; Denahi (Jason Raize), the middle one; and impetuous Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix). After a large bear kills Sitka, Kenai avenges his brother's death by eliminating the animal. At that moment, an ancient spell transforms Kenai into the form of a bear, and Denahi mistakenly believes that Kenai killed Sitka. Thus begins a chase, with Denahi hunting Kenai, who soon befriends a motherless cub, Koda (Jeremy Suarez). Koda talks too much and can be annoying, but Kenai becomes protective of his younger companion. The bears are soon joined by a pair of moose, Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas), but Kenai keeps moving because Denahi is only a step behind him.

　　 One of the more fascinating things that Brother Bear does is to expose children to the concept that there are different ways to view a single event, and that neither perspective necessarily represents an objective one. (Call it Rashomon for the under-10 age group.) This occurs when Kenai kills the bear. From his point-of-view, he is eliminating a monster. But, later in the film, 英语影评 are exposed to another, seemingly contradictory perception. Also, in allegorical fashion, Brother Bear advocates the themes of racial tolerance and brotherhood. Here, it's men and beasts, but even kids should be able to make the connection to real-life situations.

　　 The subject matter may be darker than usual for an animated film, but there's plenty of comic relief. The lion's share of it is provided by Rutt and Tuke, who are essentially SCTV's McKenzie brothers (right down to the exaggerated Canadian accents, eh) in animal form. The humor is reasonably broad-based: not so juvenile that adults will dismiss it, and not so sophisticated that children won't laugh. Phil Collins provides a few tunes. The target audience will probably enjoy these, but I think the film would have worked as well (if not better) without them. Brother Bear is not a musical; why bother to throw in a few random songs unless it's to sell more CDs, to get Collins an Oscar nomination, or both?

　　 The animation is middle-of-the-road: not as gorgeous as Disney's best, but far more visually appealing than the "quickie" jobs of movies like Lilo and Stich or The Jungle Book 2. The directors, first-timers Aaron Blaise and Bob Walker, cut their teeth working in Disney's animation shop, so they know their stuff. Brother Bear relies upon traditional, hand-drawn animation. There may be occasions when computers are employed, but the results are not showy or obvious. And there are some truly lovely sequences, such as the long-range shots of the bears fishing for dinner during the salmon run.

　　 It has been widely publicized that Disney intends to abandon traditional animation in favor of the three-dimensional, computer-generated type. If this happens, Brother Bear will be one of the last of its kind. So, although the movie lacks the depth and magic that have characterized the best of Disney animation, it is a strong enough effort that we may find ourselves looking back on it with a certain nostalgic wistfulness years from now, when this kind of motion picture has passed into the realm of "things filmmakers used to do."