An idea to do an animated television series spin-off for the Rutt and Tuke characters was eventually scrapped by Disney.
The moose characters, Tuke and Rutt, played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas respectively, are essentially animal versions of their most famous roles as the goofy Canadians, Bob and Doug McKenzie of SCTV fame.
Disney/Pixar prepared a special trailer for Brother Bear to show before Finding Nemo (2003) during its initial theatrical release. The moose characters, Tuke and Rutt, suggest that, "If you see only one movie this year, see this one." Tuke then reminds Rutt that "for those who see only one movie this year, it's a little late now". Both the moose then encourage everyone who are "only going to see one movie this year" to leave the theater. As the scene fades to black, Rutt says, "I see some of them leaving." Tuke then replies that maybe they're going to "go find that Nemo guy".
In the various vignettes during the end credits, Kenai is shown drawing a crude stick figure on a rock while little Koda appears to be finishing an Impressionist painting that is identical to "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte", painted by Georges Seurat from 1884-1886.
The first time that an animated film changes aspect ratio during the course of the film. Using a trick similar to that in The Horse Whisperer (1998), this film shifts from a 1.75:1 aspect ratio to the CinemaScope ratio of 2.35:1 after Kenai is transformed into a bear. The orignal theatrical release was printed on anamorphic film, which has the first twenty-four minutes of the film pillarboxed at 1.75:1 within the 2.35:1 frame).
The final film to be fully produced at Disney's Orlando, Florida animation facility at the Walt Disney World Disney-MGM Theme Park (after Mulan (1998) and Lilo & Stitch (2002)), whose closure was announced soon after the release of this film.
Originally, Kenai was supposed to have an older bear named Grizz guide him through the woods and become like a brother to him. He didn't work out, and was replaced by Koda.
The lines, "I don't care that you and Binky found the world's biggest pine cone ever" and "First of all, it's not Binky, it's Bucky, and it wasn't a pine cone it was a pine nut" said by Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) and Koda (Jeremy Suarez) was an accidental improvisation because Phoenix messed up his line and Suarez corrected it.
The painterly background styling is inspired by the landscapes of Albert Bierstadt. Then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, a collector of Bierstadt's work, lent the animators some of his own paintings to study.
In the German version Tuke and Rutt are called Benny and Björn after the two male members of the Swedish pop group ABBA. In the weeks before the theatrical release in Germany they appeared in short funny clips telling the audience to switch of cell phones during the movie.
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