Review of Brother Bear (2003) by Kelly R — 17 Nov 2011

Brother Bear is a sweet animated film about three brothers named Kenai, Sitka, and Denahi. They live in an Intuit village where their rituals and beliefs follow closely with what an indigenous tribe believes and practices. One of the major themes throughout the story is the anticipation of revealing Kenai's totem, which is a rite of passage for everyone in the village. Once the shaman (Tanana) of the village reveals his totem, Kenai is visibly disappointed and reveals his disappointment with unkind words. As Kenai would prefer his totem to be something other than a "bear" and "the path of love", he rejects his totem as something that is just meaningless and stupid. Yet, soon he would embark on a journey of finding the true meaning of love and self-sacrifice.

These three brothers are there to tease, support, and look out for one another. It is a true test of a genuine brotherhood when the eldest brother sacrifices himself in order to save his brother from an angry mother bear. As a result of the anger he feels for the death of his brother, Kenai vows to find and kill the bear with a vengeance, which goes against what the tribe feels about respect for the animal kingdom and all living creatures. Once Kenai kills the bear, the spirits turn him into a bear as his punishment and send him on a journey where the "lights touches the Earth" in order to lift the curse.

Along the way, Kenai meets a young bear named Koda who has lost his mother and wants to journey with Kenai to the salmon run where he is sure that he will meet up with her again. While Kenai is resistant to making a connection or caring about this little bear, eventually through humor and love, Koda wins the affection of Kenai as his "brother" and protector. Throughout the movie, Kenai and Koda meet up periodically with two moose, Rutt and Tuke, who are also brothers, and they add some humor and brotherhood to the film as well.

This movie is really cute. The soundtrack includes some good music from Phil Collins and Tina Turner, and it was a joy to watch. The film has definite elements involving indigenous cultures such as an ever present and existing spiritual world. There is also a moral involving the finding and accepting of love, forgiveness, and the belief that we are all related.