Starring:
Mandy Moore as Nita
Patrick Dempsey as Kenai
Benjamin Bryan as Kid
Jim Cummings as Bering/Chilkoot
Michael Clarke Duncan as Tug
Jessie Flower as Young Nita/Additional Voices
Wendie Malick as Aunt Siqiniq
Andrea Martin as Anda
Rick Moranis as Rutt
Kathy Najimy as Aunt Taqqiq
Catherine O’Hara as Kata
Jeremy Suarez as Koda
Krista Swan as Additional Voices
Wanda Sykes as Innoko
Dave Thomas as Tuke
Jack Weber as Young Kenai
Special Features:
Backstage Disney: “Behind the Music of Brother Bear 2”: A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at the New Songs of Brother Bear 2 — Featuring Grammy Award® Winner Melissa Etheridge
Games & Activities: Trample Off, Eh? With Rutt & Tuke: Help Everyone’s Favorite Moose Brothers Impress the Moosettes by Answering Trivia Questions
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish and French Languages
Running Time: 73 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“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?”
“Brother Bear 2” is rated G.
Mini-Review:
“Brother Bear 2” is better than most Disney straight-to-video sequels. The animation is equal to or close to the quality of that from the first film. It doesn’t look like they went the cheap route like they do on a lot of their sequels. The movie also has some excellent music by Melissa Etheridge. She joins in a duet with Josh Kelley that’s quite good. Mandy Moore also delivers a surprisingly good performance as Nita, a new character in the movie. So in a lot of respects “Brother Bear 2” is quite good.
Where the sequel falls apart is in the storyline. It is very predictable and there are no flashes of originality in it. The few times where the film does seem like it’s going to take an impressive new leap, it veers back to the well worn path of the main storyline. For example, some new female moose characters are introduced, but they are never used to their full potential. The same goes for a new raccoon character. (Who knew raccoons could be drawn like such evil critters?)
“Brother Bear 2” will more than entertain children. A lot of adults will enjoy it, too, but will likely find it utterly forgettable. If you need to entertain kids, though, this will fit the bill.
There are a minimal number of bonus features on this DVD. First up is a brief featurette with Melissa Etheridge discussing the music of the movie. She did excellent work on the film and it’s interesting to hear about the developmental process. Josh Kelley discusses his duet with her, too. Also included in the bonus features is a game featuring Rutt and Tuke. You must answer trivia questions about the movie, nature, and other topics in order to win tokens and take the moosettes on a date. Kids should enjoy it.
