The Lion King VS Brother Bear

[Jordan]

Hey guys !

I watched Brother Bear on DVD three day ago, and I gotta say : to me it was one of the best film Disney produced since a long time ! It had become one of my favorites Disney's features !
I loved the animation (drawings, colors...), the music which is great, and the sotry itself. It's funny, entertaining and emotional too. I'm really sensitive in front of films, whatever the kind is, and I cried twice

After watching it, I kinda compared it to The Lion King, because it was what the film was supposed to aim at. And, well I gotta say, it was really hard to me to choose which one of the two was my favorite ! Even with some distance, I can't choose one ! I just think that they are partly similar and parlty not, but nothing more.
I love both movies as much, even if they are a little different, they are some similarites.

I wanted to know, what you guys think about both movies ? Which one do you prefer ? I'm already hearing some of you telling something like "Of course The Lion King ! What a stupid question ! No movie is as good as TLK !", but as I had the feeling that there could be better that The Lion King, maybe you had it too...

[goofystitch]

I love both films and while there are some similarities, I don't think it is right to compare movies unless one is an obvious rip off. If I had to choose though, I would take "Lion King" over "Brother Bear" because I get a happier feeling watching the circle of life continue at the end of LK than I get from the ending of BB, which I am not going to spoil for anybody.

[Luke]

I think <i>Brother Bear</i> aspires to be a <i>Lion King</i>-esque masterpiece which tells a story about humans through animals that can resonate with a deep meaning that somehow puts order to wildlife.

<i>Brother Bear</i> is a good movie, but it does not fully succeed in its efforts.

To quote <a href="http://www.ultimatedisney.com/brotherbear.html">the review</a> I wrote:

The film's philosophy, on the other hand, comes across both a bit heavy-handed and shallow. The film's creators have sought to create a distinct and illuminating order to the world of wildlife, a mood that worked in <i>The Lion King</i> as supporting the story, but never felt forced or preachy. The efforts to add gravitas and depth to <i>Brother Bear</i>'s story do detract from it a bit, and make the film's ending disappointingly witless.

To me, it seems like they tried to add some 'deepness' to connect with audiences in a way like The Lion King did. It's probably the weakest element of the movie, too, as it overextends and its messages are either mixed or blatantly telegraphed.

Brother Bear didn't remind me of The Lion King as much as it seemed to want to remind me of The Lion King. Between the "Great Spirits" opening, Koda seemingly being completely modeled after Young Simba, and the DVD documentary's anecdote that the film was put into production at the wishes of Eisner wanting to make "another film about animals," it seems clear that Disney was hoping to create a type of phenonemon as The Lion King.

Nonetheless, I think Brother Bear is a very good movie, and a step or two above things like <i>Atlantis</i> and <i>Treasure Planet</i>. It almost seems like a film that Disney could have made ten years ago when they were on their roll.

But to sum up, of course The Lion King! No movie is as good as TLK!

[PatrickvD]

For me, Brother Bear was much better. The animation in Lion King was terribly rushed at the end, as was the story (a slow motion catfight? - no storypeople - that is not gonna save you!) But then Brother Bear was a little rushed in terms of story as well (it all ended WAY too fast). But the animation was better. (just my opinion, eh!) They both had awesome voice work. So, maybe a tie, but Im leaning more towards Brother Bear.... I simply like it more... Doesnt mean that it actuall is better, that is pure personal taste

[Prince Adam]

I've not seen "Brother Bear" yet, but I'm leaning towards it already. I love the music more than "Lion King's".

[Jack]

I pretty much agree with what Luke already said - Brother Bear was a little too serious in its message for its own good. Yet, I still really like the movie a lot, and its my favorite of the animated classics from this decade.

The Lion King beats it hands down, though. That film had the perfect combination of drama and comedic fun, and it blended both together so well, to create an awesome experience. It's a very hard movie to beat.

[MickeyMousePal]

I'll say I have to pick The Lion King over Brother Bear both movies have great morral points but, I enjoyed The Lion King more it's more funny and has better music compared to Brother Bear.
Brother Bear is ok, it's a great film since Atlantis and Treasure Planet.

[Jordan]

Brother Bear is ok, it's a great film since Atlantis and Treasure Planet.

Come on, you can't say that Borther Bear is equal to this 2 films; there not as Disney-ish and, have, to me, all wrong : animation, stories, etc. These 2 are some of the worse Disney's animated films.

To me, Brother Bear is the best Disney feature since 2000 at least.

[DVDFreak]

While I do like The Lion King a lot, I would have to say that I enjoyed watching Brother Bear even more. Yes, it certainly did remind me of the Lion King but I think what put Brother Bear over the top for me, where the 2 moose...they're hilarious! At least I think so

I also watched the Brother Bear movie with commentary from Rutt and Tuke, and I'd have to say, it was even better the second time around!

I guess it also helps that I like bears more than lions

[Jens]

I agree with Atlantis being one of the worst ones, but Treasure Planet wasn't. Treasure Planet is one of my favorite movies. Brother Bear is another kind, I felt the magic with it again, it was exciting, funny and emotional at the end. Brother Bear isn't as good as The Lion King, but it really comes close to it IMO.

[Squirrel]

Critically, I think The Lion King is the better film. And I love it. It's great, and holds up so well after ten years. But, personally, I love Brother Bear more. (Brother Bear is my #4 Disney film; Lion King's my #5). Just because I love the setting (the Pacific Northwest), the animation, the characters, the themes of brotherhood/family, and Kenai's journey, the music, et cetera. And though they share some similarities, I guess, I never think of them as that similar.

[goofystitch]

"Atlantis" isn't your typical Disney film, but I thought it was very good. I know people have different tastes, and I am definatley one of them. I have always been intrigued by the myth of Atlantis, so I was uber excited to see it on opening day. I am a fan of comics, and a lot of the story and design of the film was done by Mike Mignola of "Hellboy" fame. While you won't easily find him credited for his work because he left the project in the middle of production, he is mentioned in the special thanks portion of the ending credits.

I like "Treasure Planet," but my appreciation for it goes down with each viewing. It is probably the weirdest idea for an animated film, and it appears to work the first time you see it. I don't hate it, but I have lately found it to be just mediocre. But the design and animation in the film are spectacular and if I was 9 again, I would probably be going gaga over it.

I've already said that I don't like comparing "Brother Bear" with "The Lion King" because they are two different movies with some similarities. I find it unlikely that "Brother Bear" wouldn't have been made without "The Lion King" as a predicessor, because I find BB more like "Bambie" than TLK. Koda is young and looses his mother and gets through it with the help of friends. I see the similarities between all three films, but they shouldn't be compared unless they are rip offs of eachother.

I thought that "Brother Bear" was very nicley done and is very touching, however I still prefer "The Lion King" over it. I think both films are powerful enough to hold their own in the long legacy that is Disney.

[Mushu2083]

Well I didn't really care much for the Lion King. I didn't like it that much. It was kinda boring for me. Well I DID like Lion King 1 1/2 though. I haven't seen Brother Bear yet. I bought the DVD on Tuesday but I haven't watched it yet.

[AwallaceUNC]

I just got done watching Brother Bear for the first time. BB definitely borrows a few elements from TLK, but fortunately, the story isn't one of them (it's minor stuff). The only rip-off here is the old woman, she looks almost exactly like the grandmother in Mulan!

I really liked BB, but thought that overall it lacked a certain depth that some of the better films have. Things often seemed to just happen without as much rationale. However, it is definitely the best I've seen come out of Disney in a long time. As for my favorite, I don't think there is even a question- The Lion King is still superior in every element. I think BB is more suited for going up against Mulan, Pocahontas, Hercules, etc.

My biggest problem was the fact that it wasn't a musical. And while I won't complain about the villainry (there wasn't a real villain, but there also didn't need to be... I think the brother sufficed, although it should have been shown in more depth), I do wish Disney would bring back a very strong villain type. HOTR looks promising in that department. But Disney should stop shunning musicals- BB could have benefited from it, as yet another Phil Collins soundtrack led to moments of unneeded boredom.

-Aaron

[toonaspie]

Am I the only one who didn't see the LK-BB comparisoms when I first saw this in the theatres? Well, I guess I am.

Actually I would make come comparisoms with this film to others.

Emperor's New Groove - a greedy hero is transformed into a animal and becomes buddies with someone he dislikes in order to journey back to his true form

Ice Age - There were some rumors that this was an Ice Age ripoff, mainly by the means of setting. however, this woul'dve taken place any other time since the wooly mammoths only provided as cultural background characters. Although both films have comic relief characters that have 0% to do with the story (Scrat, Rutt and Tuke). Both movies also had very few main characters as a whole and like .01% of the cast was female! You also have the man vs animal survival conflict only going the opposite direction

Well that's all I got for now

DAMNIT! I CANT SPELL! IT IS COMPARISOM? OR COMPARISM?

[AwallaceUNC]

It's comparison. n, not m.

-Aaron

[spiritednala]

I did like Brother Bear. The color is amazing, truly spectacular. But I am a Lion King fan and definatly have to say that in my opinion it is much better than Brother bear!

Sincerely,
Spirited Nala[/b]