Review of Brother Bear (2003) by Blaine B — 18 Nov 2012

Brother Bear is a Walt Disney movie about three brothers and their story of becoming a man. The main character, Kenai is a young boy that is awaiting his coming-of-age ceremony in hope for a "manly" totem. Kenai's brothers' received the totem of leadership, which was an eagle, and the totem of wisdom, which is represented by a wolf. When Kenai receives a bear, the totem of love he is disappointed and feels like love has nothing to do with being a man. After Kenai's oldest brother, Sitka is killed while protecting them from a bear, he runs off to kill the bear in hope to prove himself as a man. Since Kenai's brother, Denahi has the totem of wisdom he decides to run after his brother in hope of saving him from the mistake he is about to make. Kenai ends up killing the bear and in return his brother Sitka, who is now a spirit, decides to turn him into a bear so that he may learn his lesson and truly become a man. Throughout this movie Kenai is on a journey with a little cub named Kona, in hope to make it to the salmon run where all the bears will be along with where the lights touch the mountains; Kenai hopes his brother in spirit will be at the mountain to turn him back into a man. The whole time Kenai is making his journey his brother Denahi is following him trying to kill him in search of revenge of taking both of his brothers. Throughout this journey Kenai learns about losing people close to him and how love is an important part of being a man. In the end Kenai decides to stay in the form of a bear so that he can be there for Kona, the little cub whose mom was killed by Kenai as a boy.

This movie relates to World Religions in several ways. Throughout this class I have learned that nature and animals are a very important part of religions throughout the world. For example, Native Americans believed that animals were sacred and when you kill an animal you do not waste any of its resources. "In Yup'ik belief, if humans treat animal populations carefully as guests, they will come back in plentiful numbers the following year to intentionally offer themselves to the Yup'ik hunters," (Living Religions 47). The movie Brother Bear is a great example of love and sacrifice, which we have learned to be very important throughout Worldly Religions.

Fisher, Mary P. Living Religions. Pearson Education, 2011. Print.