Brother Bear (2003)

good movie for t6he whole family

i loved both of the brother bear movie if you want to laugh cry and be sad try this movie,its joy, happy,and sad something for everyone in the family September 24, 2008

Brother Bear

In a new take on the classic theme of boy becomes man, Brother Bear tells the story from a surprising, and unique perspective. In classic Disney animation, a young Native American boy, Kenai embarks on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
The film opens with Kenai and his brothers preparing for a ceremony in which Kenai is to be given a token from the Great Spirits that is thought to determine one's destiny. His turns out to be a token of love, in the shape of a bear. Through a tragic accident, Kenai's oldest brother sacrifices himself while trying to save Kenai and Denahi from a bear attack. With revenge on his mind, Kenai hunts down the bear he thinks is responsible for his brother's death and kills it.
As a consequence of his action, the Spirits transform Kenai into a bear himself. Soon after, his other brother, Denahi comes upon what he believes to be Kenai's possessions and assumes that the bear has also killed Kenai. He purposes to kill this bear also, not knowing that it is now his own brother.
Kenai must now run for his life and through communication with the tribal Shaman, determines to go to a sacred Indian spot: "Where the lights touch the Earth," to find restitution with his brother. Along the way he befriends an orphan bear cub Koda, who unbeknownst to Keani is actually the cub of the bear that he killed earlier.
Through this journey Kenai discovers that bears aren't the enemy at all, that they are just trying to survive like everything else. In the end, Kenai ends up remaining a bear and staying with Koda after reconciling things with his two brothers.
One interesting thing about the movie is how it relates to World Religions. Many of the themes come straight from the beliefs and customs of people that practice Indigenous Religions. For instance, there is a female Shaman character that advises Kenai and his people and oversees the rituals they practice. She also is able to communicate directly with the Spirit forces in the film, conveying their messages to the other people. Also, in the opening sequence there is a scene where an elder is storytelling and passing down the oral traditions, important features of Indigenous people groups.
Brother Bear tells the age-old tale of coming of age and respect for life in a time when our culture rarely takes time to acknowledge either.
September 8, 2008

Best children's DVD!

Loved it. My family is from Alaska and I bought them all a copy, because it pulls "real" Alaskan attributes into the movie. Entertaining for adults and educational for children without them even knowing it. WOW! June 4, 2008

Especially good for open-minded folks

This is a good movie for kids, even manages to throw in a bit of exposure to prehistoric culture and ancient shaman/animal-based religion. Not bad for a Disney wannabe. :) I especially enjoyed the moose characters (played Canuck-style by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis), though even their abundant character didn't quite make up for the lack of it from some of the other characters. Overall a nice movie and good for driving home a few ideas about the golden rule and other cultures. February 13, 2008

Good Story

Three brothers of an indigenous tribe get into some trouble while out on a hunt. A bear is provoked by the youngest brother which in turn gets his oldest brother killed while trying to save his younger brothers from attack. Though the middle brother takes no action against the bear at first, the younger brother pursues the bear and kills him. The consequence is that he is transformed by the spirits into a bear himself. Assuming the bear has also killed his younger brother, the middle brother attempts to hunt down this bear which now he does not know that it is in fact his own younger brother. The brother turned bear must now find a way to contact the spirits and let his older brother know who he is. Along his path he is joined by a lost bear cub and finds a few other friends along the way.

This story is an example of teaching right from wrong and learning about how a shaman in an indigenous tribe provides the path to enlightenment. The shaman shows "brother bear" the way to love through a long sequence of events. I find that the theme is light enough in nature and fairly universal in a religious aspect that it should not offend anyone based on their beliefs. The movie represents more of a primal religion if anything. It shows us examples of love, compassion, and respect for the land and animals in which with we co-exist. Those things exist in most modern religions today. So I would say that this movie covers some universal beliefs and values. So buy it or rent it and see for yourself. January 28, 2008

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