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Brother Bear is definitely not a great film - it's probably not even a good one - but it has that Disney charm: They certainly know how to do cute. From Mickey to Poomba, from Lady to the Tramp - great Disney characters have always been lovable and huggable, and such is the case with the sweet lil' folks we see in Brother Bear. From our cub protagonist Kenai to the goofy SCTV-tinged moose (voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, natch), every good-natured animal character in Brother Bear is so darn sweet you might get a cavity just from looking at them.

Disney also knows how to do beautiful. Brother Bear's narrative unevenness aside, the look of this film is absolutely staggering. From the lush, grandiose forest-scapes to swirling masses of spirit and sky that accompany the more ethereal sequences, Brother Bear's simplistic story benefits from what is without a doubt some of the best 2-D animation you are likely to see.

Disney is also short and sweet. More outrageous fare like Dinosaur or Fantasia push the two-hour mark, but most Disney movie magic comes in under-90- minute waves. (Peter Pan barely squeaks past 70 minutes, in fact.) But there is always enough storytelling meat and musical thunder to fuel a locomotive. Brother Bear clocks in at a fit and trim 85 minutes, and it seems even more slight because the first 25 minutes of it is a kind of extended introduction - in many ways, it feels more like an hour- long movie with a preface than a full-length film. It may be a cop-out to say it, but the fact that it moves quickly and gets the job done fast is definitely an attribute.

With all this said, however, there are still potholes in the Brother Bear experience that severely limits its appeal. Phil Collins' and Mark Mancina's music is gross and super-saccharine (and not in a good way), and while the Native American myths utilized are exceptionally rich, the way it's presented is bland and uninteresting.

So Brother Bear is only a shade above being completely mediocre, but because there are enough coals on the Disney fire to keep those flames burning, it's not completely without its moments. Kids will dig it, adults will nap through it - it is exactly what you expect.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

It states on the packaging that Brother Bear starts in 1.85:1 then expands to 2.35:1 (this change corresponds to the lead character's switch from man to bear). Okay. So on disc two of this special edition DVD, we have a transfer of the movie that switches from one aspect ratio to another. But on disc one, we have what Disney refers to as a "family-friendly" presentation of the film in 1.66:1 (more 1.77:1, actually). The good news, though, is that whichever way you slice it, this Brother Bear transfer is near- reference quality.

The movie isn't all that much of anything, but this might be one of the most gloriously-colored 2-D animated films I have ever seen. Golds and reds and greens literally pop off the screen with delicious clarity and marvelous stability. Detail is extraordinary and black levels er-robust. There is no edge enhancement to speak of, either. I'd say that purists should stick with the gimmicky but more effective double-aspect-ratio version of the film on disc two for aesthetic reasons, but even if your kids demand a "family-friendly" ratio, your eyes are in for a treat. Exceptional.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks are impressive, if not quite as punchy as the video transfer. Brother Bear's sound design is clean and crisp, with lovely dialogue placement and an excellent smorgasbord of sound effects and atmospherics peppered across all channels. The only complaint I have is that it's almost too adventurous in its novelty: While the technical prowess of the transfer is impeccable, it seems like there's almost too much going on here - even during quieter parts of the movie, the soundtrack is overly busy, crowding the drama and comedy in the film with too many effects. Otherwise, all aspects of these soundtracks - transparency and imaging across all channels and the tight bass response - are excellent.

Comparing the DTS and Dolby Digital tracks, the DTS has a greater and more thunderous heft to the low end, and frequency response is a bit more natural in the highs. I also noticed a slightly improved level of separation across the rears and tighter front-to-back imaging.

Also included are French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Surround dubs along with French and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Another two-disc winner from Disney. Brother Bear might be an uneven film, but the screen-specific audio commentary here is worth a peek for all Disney and SCTV fans. Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis stick with their animated caricatures of Rutt and Tuke and provide a hilarious commentary for the film, with equal parts insight and laughs. They get away with enough subliminal humor to keep parents occupied, and their clever moose banter will have the young 'uns rolling. And there is also an optional commentary introduction in which we see our antlered friends introduce the movie as if they're watching it themselves, "MST3K"-style. A grand slam - one of the funniest and more interesting commentaries I've heard in a while.

Koda's Outtakes are surprisingly fart-heavy credit-roll gags made in the fashion that Pixar so successfully used to resell their Toy Story movies. But these aren't nearly as classy (or as funny) as Pixar's, so they don't go down as smoothly. Totally incidental - and why so many fart jokes? Then we have (gasp!) a Phil Collin's music video for "Look Through My Eyes," as well as two interactive games, "Bone Puzzle" and "Find Your Totem," both of which are mildly amusing (if not all that challenging). Also included is the "On My Way" sing-along, which is typical of these types of features, meaning just the video from the film and lyric subtitles.

Next up is the most interesting feature of this DVD edition, Bear Legends, a surface-level yet involving three- minute look at some Native American tales involving bears and other forest animals. Making Noise: The Art of Foley is a sweet 3-minute look at one of the final steps in the sound design process, and while this isn't exactly a Criterion-level extra, I actually found it both informational and accessible to younger viewers. Cool...usually DVDs like this don't go this far to educate. Then comes a ten-minute Art Review in which Robh Ruppel (production designer) and Byron Howard (supervising animator) take us on a tour through some of the film's visual development.
Rounding out the first disc are some Sneak Peeks for: Aladdin's Special Edition DVD, The Three Musketeers (the Mickey, Donald and Goofy version, natch), Chicken Little, Pixar's The Incredibles, Mary Poppins' Special Edition DVD, Mulan II, the Brother Bear soundtrack and a look at Walt Disney World.

Disc two houses the more adult-oriented materials (and no, I'm not talking about the Brother Bear stag movies). First up is Paths of Discovery, a 45-minute documentary that is quite an impressive extra. It's a relatively definitive look at the construction of the film, and it's broken up into twelve sequences that you can either watch as a whole (there is a "Play All" feature), or separately via the menu. It's a top-notch doc as well as an excellently laid-out extra feature. Kudos to Disney for this one.

Next up are four deleted scenes with an introduction from directors Aaron Blaise and Bob Walker (producer Chuck Williams also introduces "Where's Koda?," but he's not identified here). "Where's Koda?," "Confession" and "Murl the Squirrel" are all partly-finished animated sequences (oftentimes they're nothing more than storyboards cut together), and while none of them are stellar, between their innate charm and their cool behind-the-scenes mystique, they're worth a look.

The never-before-heard "Fishing Song," included here as a music video with an introduction by Collins (and visually represented by some early-stage drawings), isn't much to speak of, but the "Transformation Song," which the ex- Genesis Oscar-winner wrote then translated to Inuit (the song was to be sung from the perspective of the native spirits), is included here as another video of sorts - we watch both the finished sequence with Collins' original English-language lyrics subtitled over it, as well as recording footage from the songs' studio inception. Again, it's not a super song, but as a peek into the songwriting and recording process for the film, is a nice addition.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

As with most Disney DVD releases, aside from the bland interface the only extra here is the opportunity to register your DVD.

Parting Thoughts