A Disney director spent 3 years animating this beautiful short on his own

Disney’s Brother Bear has always felt a little overlooked among the company’s roster of animated features. It lacks the name recognition of a centuries-old fable like “Sleeping Beauty” or “Snow White,” and parts of its story seem divided between impulses, veering back and forth between a melancholy drama inspired by Native American shapeshifter tales, and a more modern comedy. But it features spectacular animation sequences, and it’s built around heartfelt messaging about the connection between humanity and the natural world.