Have You Seen the Movie BROTHER BEAR?

[camdensmom]

We rented it last night and I am hoping to get the inside scoop from parents before we watch it with our DS3.

What did you think of it? Were there any parts that would upset a child?

We've had great luck with Mary Poppins, Cars and Cinderella. They are all fairly harmless.

He didn't make it past the cave scene in Aladdin and was not a fan of the fighting dogs in Lady and the Tramp. He loves doing a weekly family movie night and I like the idea of the Disney movies to expose him to more characters before our trip, but many of them are just too violent.

Are there any other movies you would recommend?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ToTLaugher]

I haven't seen Brother Bear, so thanks for the reminder to get it sometime for my DS4!

Have you shown your son the Winnie the Pooh movie? That is a great one for little ones. Ratatouille is one my son loves as well.

Different kids respond differently, but what we sometimes do is let him see the movie but skip the scarier parts. He is watching Balto right now for the first time. We previewed it last night and we will skip the bear scene for him.

HTH and have a great time!

 

[Bibbidi]

Personally I would watch it first before letting a 3 yo see it. There is a scene where two bears are having quite a fight and it could be upsetting to a child, especially if you already didn't care for the fighting in Lady & the Tramp--we waited until our kids were a little older to watch it.

 

[jngwright]

I always use the kids-in-mind movie rating website before movies. Here is their info for Brother Bear:
http://www.kids-in-mind.com/b/brotherbear.htm

 

[bumbershoot]

Like many Disney films, it deals with heavy issues...death, how we treat animals, relationships, and so on.

I could never fully tell how DS would react to movies (for instance, some very simple cartoons upset him, but he watches all but two scenes in the three Pirates of the Caribbean movies (and to be honest he watches the two scenes but pretends he doesn't, sneaky kid) without ever having a nightmare), so I'm just sure to sit there with him on the first couple viewings, answering any questions that might come up to the best of my abilities.

Then again, by three DS had already lost his grandfather, so we'd talked quite a bit about death...so the death-related scenes weren't a new topic of conversation.



OH, but if you're hunters, especially "big game", you might want to skip it unless you want your kid questioning you heavily.

 

[Laurabearz]

The begining of it is all about hunting and death and fighting. (The hunter dies and comes back as a bear)

It's on the startling side.

IMO

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I think he would probably like Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo.

We actually haven't seen Brother Bear, but I will say we saw the two bears in Animal Kingdom and my kids still enjoyed them. They were quite interactive compared to many!

 

[dancingdisneygirl]

If this is the movie I think it was I cried lol. Do they kill the mom bear in this one??

 

[Tigger1966]

I found it Ironic how they didn't deal with the fact that the bears were killing and eating the fish. Mabe fish don't have a soul.

 

[Laurabearz]

I found it Ironic how they didn't deal with the fact that the bears were killing and eating the fish. Maybe fish don't have a soul.

The Hunter killed the bear out of anger (and fear I guess too), not as part of the circle of life....

And yes, It's Koda's mother that gets killed.

 

[camdensmom]

Thanks so much for your replies. I think we'll skip this one.

How is it that Disney has made such an empire out of their movies when so many really are inappropriate for children?

 

[tzolkin]

I found it Ironic how they didn't deal with the fact that the bears were killing and eating the fish. Mabe fish don't have a soul.

If I remember correctly, the fish do not have real eyes in this movie. They don't look life-like, so you are not supposed to identify with them (as opposed to the other animal characters that have human-like expressions and talk). Also, as another poster said, bears are supposed to eat fish. It's a very common theme among various American Indian cultures that bears are relatives and it is wrong to kill them. (Which is why bears were not usually considered a source of meat.)

*The eyes thing was also my biggest issue with Peter Pan. All the Indians, except Tiger Lily, do not have eyes (technically, they do, but they're all covered). I see this as a way to dehumanize/keep the audience from identifying with them, just like the fish.


OP: I can't remember all the specifics of Brother Bear, but I found it more emotional than violent. I usually allow my kids to watch most of the Disney movies, but watch along with them to keep track of their emotions (scared, upset, etc) and to explain or answer any questions. My kids were very bothered by the types of things I mentioned above, that's why I noticed them.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

Thanks so much for your replies. I think we'll skip this one.

How is it that Disney has made such an empire out of their movies when so many really are inappropriate for children?

I think because parents enjoy them too. I believe Pixar readily says their movies are not made for kids, but for everyone to enjoy. My kids are 4,7, and 9 so we can enjoy all of them. I like that my 9 year old still enjoys them because I will not let him see most PG 13 movies.

In a few years your little one will be able to see them. Honestly my middle started going to Disney when she was one, and the only movie she had seen (and not all at once) was the Pooh movie. She still loved Disney.

 

[mrtr62]

My 3 year old loves brother bear. She did have a bit of concern about the bear fight but seemed to understand it and realized that it turned out okay. She really enjoyed watching it and it is so funny for the adults as well. There are lots of hidden things in it.

I would definitely watch it first to make sure it would be okay.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks so much for your replies. I think we'll skip this one.

I hope that you will at least watch it. I haven't gone into detail b/c I didn't want to spoil it, but it's quite a nice movie with a lovely soundtrack and a really good story. You really ought to watch it even if it's after kiddo's bedtime.