Brother Bear DVD


B

Bill

I don't know if it's just me, but when I saw Brother Bear in the theatre, I don't remember the aspect ratio changing partway into the movie. I saw it at the Zeigfeld in NYC. Does anyone else remember an aspect ratio change to Cinemascope when Koda awakes as a bear?

On the DVD they accomplish this by showing the first part of the movie in "windowbox", expanding to "letterbox" when Koda awakes.
 

1313

Member
Does anyone else remember an aspect ratio change to Cinemascope when Koda awakes as a bear?
B:

Yes, the first 25 or so boring minutes were framed at 1.85:1 (academy flat). The remaining boring footage was projected at 2.35:1.

Zzzzzzz....


1313
 

Gurgitoy2

Active Member
Bill, you're nuts. I was with you at the theater and noticed it change. We even talked about it after the movie!
 

Tink

Member
Yes, the first 25 or so boring minutes were framed at 1.85:1 (academy flat). The remaining boring footage was projected at 2.35:1.

Zzzzzzz....


1313

Awww...C'mon! It wasn't that bad. I didn't think it got boring until at least 30 minutes into it... ;)

Actually, for what the film was, I enjoyed it. I only wish I had seen it when I wasn't doped up on medication. Perhaps that's why I remember it being more comical than everyone else....
 

1313

Member
I only wish I had seen it when I wasn't doped up on medication...
On the contrary, being medicated would only serve to *enhance* the experience of viewing that particular yawn-fest.


1313
 

Dirk

Member
I though the idea of the aspect ratio change was rather nice ... it was just in the wrong place.

I mean, I'm willing to accept, that you change the aspect ratio to reflect the different vision a bear might have compared to a human, even when the movie does rarely show anything actually through the bear's eyes but through a camera. BUT if you do why wait till you are actually in the scene, in which he learns that he is a bear from taling to that old woman and looking at his own reflection in the river?? I thought it would have way more sense to change the aspect ratio right after the transformation sequence, maybe actually change it gradually during the moment when he sees everything blurry.


Yours
Dirk
 

Joevn

Member
When I saw it, at first I thought there was something wrong with the theater's projector. :) But then I remembered it being mentioned in the Disney Magazine: Here's the relevant passage for those interested:

"At the beginning of the second act, when Kenai wakes up as a bear, they underscore the sudden shift in Kenai's perspective by switching to CinemaScope. In an efflorescence that recalls the transition from black and white to brilliant color in The Wizard of Oz, the screen opens up, and the colors become more vivid. After the muted tones of the first 20 minutes, the effect is stunning. It's as if the audience, like Kenai, is suddenly experiencing the forest with a bear's heightened senses. For the rest of the movie, viewers walk with the characters every padding, bearish step of the way."
- Kevin Markey, Disney Magazine 2003-04, pg 35



Joe
 

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