Today marks the 20th Anniversary of Disney’s Brother Bear, the 44th Disney Animated Classic feature film which was released in US Theaters on November 1, 2003. The film introduces several new loveable characters to the Walt Disney Company animation family including Koda, Kenai, Rutt and Tuke, just to name a few.
The film stars the voice talents of Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai, Jeremy Suarez as Koda, Rick Moranis as Rutt, Dave Thomas as Tuke, Jason Raize as Denahi, Joan Copeland as Tanana, Michael Clarke Duncan as Tug and D.B. Sweeney as Sitka. Phil Collins composed most of the songs for the film but did not sing any of the songs. Tina Turner sang the opening song for the movie titled “Great Spirits”. Blind Boys Of Alabama and the Bulgarian Women’s Choir performed the song “Transformation”. Phil Collins co-wrote the score with Mark Mancina.
About the Film
Brother Bear takes place in North America and follows an impulsive boy named Kenai as he is magically transformed into a bear to learn some valuable life lessons by walking in another being’s shoes. The film begins with Kenai, the youngest of three brothers, attending a ceremony to receive his tribal totem necklace in the shape of his Great Spirit animal. The totem necklace is a long running tradition of the tribe to determine what a young man must achieve in order to become a man.
Kenai is outraged to learn that his Great Spirit animal totem is the bear of love. He believes that bears are thieves and his point is proven when a brown bear steals his and his brothers’ basket of salmon during the ceremony. Kenai and his brothers then hunt down the brown bear and begin to fight. Unfortunately, the battle ends on top of a glacier where Sitka, Kenai’s oldest brother, gives his life to save his two younger brothers by dislodging the glacier. When the glacier falls, Sitka also falls to his death but the brown bear survives.
After Sitka’s funeral, an enraged Kenai hunts down the brown bear who he blames for Sitka’s death. He chases the bear to a rocky cliff where he ends up killing the bear. It is then that the Great Spirits in the form of a bald eagle arrive and transform Kenai into a bear. After Kenai has been transformed, Denahi, the middle brother, arrives and believes that Kenai was killed by the bear, not know that the bear is actually Kenai. Denahi then vows to avenge Kenai and begins to hunt down the bear that is actually his brother.
In order to be human again, Kenai must travel to a mountain where the lights touch the Earth. Along the way, Kenai meets a lovable bear cub named Koda who knows the mountain where the lights touch the Earth. Koda wants to go to the annual salmon run which is near the mountain so the two begin their journey together and begin to form a brother-like relationship.
Vowing to avenge Kenai, the two bears are hunted down during their journey by Denahi but manage to escape him.
Eventually, Kenai and Koda reach the annual salmon run where they meet other bears including the leader of the group named Tug. As the bears share stories, Koda tells a story about his mother recently fighting human hunters on a glacier which reminds Kenai of his and his brothers’ fight with the bear that led to Sitka’s death. It is then that Kenai realizes that the bear he killed was actually Koda’s mother.
Horrified of what he had done, Kenai runs away in a fit of guilt, but Koda follows after him. When confronted by Koda, Kenai confesses the truth to him. Koda then runs away, grief-stricken that Kenai was responsible for his mother’s death.
Kenai leaves to go to the nearby mountain where the lights touch the Earth so he can become human again. Once he reaches the mountain, he is confronted by Denahi and the two begin to fight. Their battle is interrupted by Koda, but Kenai sacrifices himself to save Koda out of the love that he has formed with the young bear cub. Kenai’s sacrifice prompts Sitka to appear and turn him back into a human. Denahi is surprised to see that the bear he had been hunting was actually his brother Kenai.
Koda is heartbroken that he has lost his newly found brother and it is then that Kenai realizes just how much the young bear cub needs him. So he asks Sitka to transform him back into a bear. Sitka complies and Kenai is transformed back into a bear. Koda is briefly reunited with the spirit of his mother before she and Sitka return to the spirit world. In the end, Kenai lives as a bear and gains his title as a man, through being a bear.
Production
The film was the third and final Disney animated feature film produced by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. The other two feature films produced by the Florida studio were Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. The Florida Feature Animation studio also contributed to Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame and a few other animated films as well as producing several Disney shorts. Unfortunately, the Florida Feature Animation studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of Brother Bear film in favor of computer-animated feature films.
Brother Bear received mixed reviews from critics. The film received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 76th Academy Awards but lost to Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo. The film grossed approximately $250 million with a budget of only $46 million. A sequel to the film, Brother Bear 2, was released on August 29, 2006 as a direct-to-video film.
About the Characters
Kenai is the younger brother of Sitka and Denahi. John E. Hurst and Byron Howard served as the supervising animators for Kenai in human and bear form respectively. Kenai is voiced by Joaquin Phoenix.
Koda is an outgoing and talkative bear cub who meets Kenai on his journey to where the lights touch the Earth. Alex Kupershmidt served as the supervising animator for Koda. He is voiced by Jeremy Suarez.
Rutt and Tuke are two comedic Canadian moose based on the comedy duo characters Bob and Doug, which are portrayed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas who also provided the voices for the two characters.
Denahi is the middle brother of Sitka and Kenai. His Great Spirit totem is the wolf of wisdom. Ruben A. Aquino served as the supervising animator for Denahi. He is voiced by Jason Raize.
Sitka is the oldest of the three brothers. His Great Spirit totem is the eagle of guidance. Sitka is voiced by D.B. Sweeney.
Tanana is the shaman-woman of Kenai’s tribe. Tanana is voiced by Joan Copeland.
Tug is a wise old grizzly bear and the leader of the salmon run bears. Tug is voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan.
Brother Bear in the Theme Parks
Unfortunately the Brother Bear characters are hard to find in the Disney Theme Parks. When the movie was released, guests could meet Kenai and Koda at Disney California Adventure Park’s Redwood Creek Challenge Trail but that is no longer the case. There are still remnants of Brother Bear throughout the Challenge Trail, but the area is no longer themed to the movie. You can still find a large wood sculpture of the two bears at the entrance to the trail but that is the only location at the Disneyland Resort where you will see anything related to Brother Bear. It has been quite a while since I have seen these two characters out for a meet and greet at Disneyland or in a cavalcade.
At Walt Disney World, you can sometimes find Kenai and Koda at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Discovery Island or on a character flotilla. You may also find one of the brothers in a character cavalcade at the Magic Kingdom from time to time.
Watch the Movie
Have you seen Disney’s Brother Bear? The feature film is available to watch on Disney+ and available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD on Amazon.
I’ve seen the movie a few times and really love the film and it’s characters. Koda is a funny and loveable character in the movie that you can’t help but fall in love with. And the opening song written by Phil Collins and sung by Tina Turner, is a true Disney Classic hit.
Let me know if you have seen Brother Bear and what your thoughts about the movie are. I would love to hear from you so please send me a message.
