Review of Brother Bear (2003) by Chad P — 04 Sep 2010

This animated film is set in the days of woolly mammoths in the extreme north of the American continent. Three brothers, Kenai, Denahi and Sitka, are preparing for the youngest, Kenai, to receive his sacred totem in a coming-of-age ceremony. Much to his surprise and displeasure, he receives the ?bear of love?. Subsequently, Sitka dies defending his brothers from a bear, and Kenai later kills the bear in anger. The Spirits, represented by Sitka's spirit in the form of a bald eagle, transform Kenai into a bear. Denahi arrives, thinks Kenai is dead, and vows to avenge Kenai by killing the bear (who now IS Kenai). Kenai escapes and meets a chatty bear cub named Koda, who has lost his mother. The two bears travel to a nearby salmon run and meet a group of bears who are very different from Kenai?s expectations. Kenai and Koda form a brotherly bond. Kenai is feeling very much at home with the other bears until Koda tells a story about his mother fighting human hunters. Kenai realizes that he is the one who killed Koda's mother. Kenai tells the truth to Koda, who runs away, stricken with grief. Later, Denahi finds Kenai alone on a mountain, and is close to killing him, but Koda suddenly arrives and steals Denahi's spear. Kenai goes to Koda's aid in an act of love. Sitka appears and turns Kenai back into a human. Denahi is very surprised, but Kenai asks Sitka to return him to bear form so he can take care of Koda. This realizes his ?bear of love? totem and his title as a man. Denahi shares the story with his people, and in this way, Kenai leaves his mark on his people, just like his ancestors. Kenai lives happly ever after with the rest of the bears.

I watched this movie as an assignment for my World Religions course. In watching for characteristics of primal or indigenous religions, I saw many, including: animism, shamanism, ancestrism, and rite-of-passage ceremonies.