Day 48: Brother Bear

 #NotAllBears: Our 48th film!

1. What movie did you watch?
Brother Bear. The film was released in 2003, and was the third and final Disney animated feature produced primarily by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, FL (the studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of this film in favor of computer animated features). Fun Fact: This movie was technically inspired by the Lion King! After its success Disney CEO at the time Michael Eisner urged for more animal-based animated features, and suggested a North American backdrop, taking inspiration from an original landscape painting by Albert Bierstadt that he bought.

2. Have you seen it before/ how long has it been since you last saw it?
Maddie: Yes, but not in a very long time. I maybe saw it once or twice total.
Alexis: I watched it a lot as a kid because we owned it, but I haven't seen it in many years. Although we do have a family friend who tries to convince us to watch it every time we have a movie night...

3. What memories did it recall?
Maddie: I remembered some of the songs when my roommate pointed out that they were from Disneymania but otherwise it really made me think about Disney California Adventure and the play area that is Brother Bear themed (and now has been changed to Up themed). 

Alexis: For some reason I remembered all the songs really well? Also, watching it made me remember how much my sister and I loved the moose. We would play "I spy" like them and just call out trees for hours on road trips.

4. What did you think of it?
Maddie: It was only okay to me- I appreciated the ideas behind the film, and like Alexis, I liked Koda but otherwise the pacing was rough. The middle section was very meh.

Alexis: I liked it, but didn't love it. I think the animation is beautiful, and I like the overall story, but it's actually not super exciting. The mythology is cool at the beginning and end, but the rest is just a whole lot of middle. Also, I don't really like Kenai but Koda is definitely my favorite character, look how cute he is! 

5. Favorite moment:
Maddie: I know this is nerdy, but the backgrounds were really what stood out to me! They were so painterly and beautiful. After some research, I found out they were inspired by one of Michael Eisner's favorite painters: Albert Bierstadt. You should go check him out- the similarities are remarkable.

Alexis: As previously mentioned, the two moose playing I Spy gets me every time!

6. Any other comments:
Maddie: I just want a little Koda to play with.

Alexis: Even as a kid I thought the oldest brother was hot.