Stunning Animation and Tender Relationships Make Brother Bear 2 a Worthy Sequel

Back when Brother Bear came out, I was wowed by the beauty of the previews and figured it would be the most visually appealing Disney movie since Pocahontas. The sweeping panoramas of unspoiled wilderness certainly didn't disappoint, but I wondered if such care would be taken with Brother Bear 2.

This sequel may have been direct-to-video, but I found it just about as enthralling as the original. If you can get past the premise of a guy turning into a bear, it's a fun, romantic romp with breathtaking scenery and well-written songs. While the story is largely about Kenai (Patrick Dempsey) and his "adopted" kid brother Koda (Jeremy Suarez), the primary focus is on Nita (Mandy Moore), Kenai's childhood sweetheart.

After Kenai saved her from drowning when they were children, he gave her an amulet to represent the depth of their friendship. Unsurprisingly, the two lost touch when he became a bear, and now he's a distant memory to her, but a reunion becomes a necessity when her attempt to enter into an arranged marriage is unsuccessful because the powers that be consider her already committed because of the necklace. Her task? Find Kenai, and go with him to the spot where the amulet was given so that they can destroy it together during the Vernal Equinox.

Nita is aided in her mission by the temporarily bestowed gift of being able to communicate with animals. With the speech barrier gone, other challenges separating her from her old friend seem much more surmountable. The real issue is that once Nita and Kenai reunite and begin to fall into their old rhythm, it's clear that affection between these two runs very deep. Is breaking that bond really the best course of action?

There are plenty of adventurous scenes to keep youngsters entertained, including a thrilling pursuit through a racing river and a treetop battle with a troop of raccoons that recalls Jane's troubles with monkeys in Tarzan. There's also plenty of comic relief from moose pals Rutt (Rick Moranis) and Tuke (Dave Thomas), who are fixated on securing the admiration of a pair of female moose who couldn't be less interested. Back in the village, Nita's squabbling aunts also provide a few laughs, and spirited Koda feels a bit like wise-cracking Donkey, with Kenai and Nita as Shrek and Fiona.

But the movie is more about heart than humor, from the sensitive songs by Melissa Etheridge to the dynamics among the main trio and Nita's relationship with her tender, widowed father (Jim Cummings). As Kenai finds himself torn between his self-appointed duty as caretaker to Koda and his desire to return to his former life with Nita, it becomes fairly easy to guess at the unconventional ending, but that doesn't prevent it from being a touching conclusion to a sequel that was obviously handled with great care.

It's a Giant Man-Eating Plant; What's Not to Love?

Plenty, I would say. But my brother would be inclined to disagree. While he admits that he doesn't like the mouth on that man-eating plant, he loves its physical appearance. Frank Oz of muppet fame has once again created a winning creature in the eyes of my brother, who has always had a certain fondness for carnivorous plants. I have no doubt that Nathan will soon be slaving away to create his own replica of Audrey II. He's hooked, and he has made it clear that I am obligated to be kind to Little Shop of Horrors should I choose to review it. So, setting aside my inclination to wrinkle my nose, I will comply with his demand. Maybe -- just maybe -- this movie is worth the four stars I will give it. But I must admit that I lack the strength of conviction.

The story revolves around Seymour, an accident-prone, gold-hearted nerd played endearingly by Rick Moranis. I love his character here as much as I love his character in every movie I've ever seen him in. He's just adorable. Here he is cast as a poor man working on Skid Row in a florist's shop. When a plant he is caring for begins to take on a very abnormal appearance, business picks up for the store which has been recently devoid of customers. Seymour is an instant celebrity, but only he knows the dark secret behind the plant's success.

Audrey, played by Ellen Greene, is the object of Seymour's affection. I find her to be easily the most annoying human character in the film. She looks like a Barbie doll, very unrealistically proportioned, and talks with a mousy New York accent. She may be a very nice person, but she's such an airhead that she gives me a headache whenever she speaks. Directly contrasting her is her sadistic boyfriend Orin, magnificently played by Steve Martin (with black hair!). A motorcycle-driving dentist with an Elvis complex, he gets his jollies by inflicting pain on people. He is utterly despicable, but at least it's fun to watch him. His one show-stopping number Be a Dentist easily beats out Audrey's crooning tunes.

The movie is a definite musical, with probably more words sung than spoken. It has a definite Mo-town flavor to it; Audrey II, Seymour's wonder-plant, is voiced by a member of the Four Tops. The lyrics are pretty clever and the action surrounding the songs is generally pretty entertaining, but most of the actors have mediocre singing voices. Since the whole film has a pretty cheesy feel to it, their so-so singing fits right in.

Audrey II is my other least favorite character. It is rude and vulgar, just plain obnoxious, and of course there's the small matter of its feeding on human blood. I guess that I found Orin hilarious so I liked the character even though I hated him. I really didn't find much humor in Audrey II at all.

There's some nice cameos here that provide extra laughs. Jim Belushi makes a very brief appearance as a man seeking to market the Audrey II. John Candy plays a loony disc jockey, and Bill Murray portrays a masochistic businessman who is kicked out of Orin's office because he is enjoying the torture the dentist is inflicting upon him.

There are quite a few laughs to be had from this film, but a lot of the humor is dark or perverted or simply corny. The movie finds a happy ending finally, but it's a Goosebumps happy ending. In that show, every episode resolves itself happily until the minute and a half after the commercial break and before the credits. Then they throw in a twist that messes everything up. Henry's Awful Mistake, one of my favorite children's books, wherein an unwanted houseguest who causes the destruction of Henry the duck's house moves into his new house with him, employs a similar tactic. The irony in the movie is a little too morbid for my tastes.

Go ahead and rent this movie. If you've got pre-teen boys in your house, they'll probably love it. Otherwise, milk it for all the chuckles it can give you and then return it promptly to the video store.