Official Synopsis:
We're back in an all-new movie, eh? Beauty. And not just us moose, but the large bear (that's Kenai) and his little brother bear (that's Koda) and also this new girl named Nita. She's a handful, eh? Nita knew Large Bear way back when he wasn't a bear. That was in the first movie, remember? Anyway, they thought they were gonna be together forever even though they get along like two angry beavers in a mud hut. Okay, so now the Great Spirits say they have to go on a great big, exciting journey to break the pact. So don't trample off. Join me and my brother - oh, and there's a couple fetching moosettes in this story too - for all sorts of laughs and wild adventure. (See what I did. I used the word "wild" 'cause we're out in the woods.) Beauty. It's gonna be tons of fun for the whole family, eh?
Our Take:
I've been trumpeting the quality of Disney's more recent direct-to-video sequels for some time now. Some of their latest efforts in that area (such as Bambi II and Kronk's New Groove) have actually been really good films, not just cheap straight-to-video drek.
Now, for some reason, I never got around to watching the first Brother Bear, even though I thought it looked like a particularly good Disney adventure. I figured I could pretty easily watch the second one anyway, though, since these are geared for kids and are designed to be easily picked up on. What I found is that Brother Bear 2 is another good, solid sequel that captures the look of the first film (at least from what I've seen of it) and has high production values. I will say that I think the film would have been more enjoyable had I seen the first one. If you skipped the original, I'd definitely check it out before sitting down with the kids for this one. It will make it easier to follow.
There's not too much in the way of extra features on the DVD, which is fairly par for the course with these DTV sequels.
* Behind the Music of Brother Bear 2 (8 minutes) - An interview with Melissa Etheridge about the original songs she created for BB2.
* Trample Off, Eh? - A set-top game for the kiddies.
Brother Bear 2 is a fine animated sequel that probably won't blow anyone away, but I bet the kids will like it. Just make sure you watch the first movie first.
Overall Picture:
Movie: B
DVD: C+
- Mike Spring
Editor
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