Am I sick, or is Brother Bear better than the critics claimed?

[jobycom]

Just saw Brother Bear. I dreaded it because of the bad press, bad previews, and Phil Collins (whom I like, but who gets carried away on soundtracks).

I left feeling like I watched a different movie than the critics. I heard it was heavy handed, I didn't think so. I heard there was no emotional impact, I thought there was. I heard the film was disjointed, I thought it held together well. It was formulaic, as all Disney films are, but even there, the formula varied from time to time. Disney's basic formula is to take an insecure character, have him or her strive to discover their place in the world, and then have them become accepted for who they are, rather than having to compromise. Brother Bear twists this, taking a confident character and shaking him up so that he comes to like what he hated before.

Has anyone seen it? What are your opinions of it? Am I goofy? I wonder too if my liberalism and vegetarianism made me appreciate the pacifist and animal rights bent more than a few well-fed critics seem to have.

[WillParkinson]

1. Haven't seen it, but...

I liked the previews.

I've often found that if the critics hated it I might actually list it among my favorites.

And, conversely, if they loved it I find it to be the stupidest piece of drivel ever conceived (next to Bush).