Phil Collins once again provides the musical backdrop in Disney’s 44th animated feature film: Brother Bear.
The film premiered in 2003, and was one I had seen over a decade ago. Brother Bear tells the tale of three brothers long, long ago (like when there were still Wooly Mammoths long ago) and their journey to find what family truly means. The brothers belong to an Inuit tribe where each person is given a totem to guide their journey into adulthood. Sitka, the eldest, is given the eagle of guidance; Denahi, the middle brother, is given the wolf of wisdom; and in the film’s opening scenes, Kenai, the youngest, is given the bear of love. (In case you were wondering, Kenai does not like his totem.)
Unfortunately tragedy is not far behind and Sitka is killed while fighting a bear with his brothers. Kenai vows vengeance and successfully hunts the bear to its demise. Meanwhile Sitka has become one of the “spirits in the sky” and uses this opportunity to teach Kenai what love and family actually means – by turning him into a bear. Enter Koda, a cute, very-energetic, talkative bear cub who talks Kenai into journeying to the salmon run (which is also where the lights touch the mountain and thus where Kenai needs to go to talk to the spirits to turn him back into a man). It is on this journey that Kenai will learn what love truly is.
This film has many of the ingredients that make a Disney film great – good story, some humor, good music, and heart (I may have cried. Again.) The music, as mentioned above, is provided by Phil Collins (who also brought us the musical greatness of Tarzan). And the music is good, but not quite as memorable as Tarzan. Also, I find that I much prefer music sung by the actual characters in a film as opposed to music simply provided by a third party as part of the soundtrack.
The film also has some good humor. Most notably moose brothers, Rutt and Tuke. J They’re rather silly, but decidedly funny. And finally the film has a good story. You really become invested in the story of Kenai, Koda, Sitka, and Denahi.
The film is filled with Native American spirituality and folklore. (A fact to consider before sharing this film with a younger audience as the concepts of death, spirits and totems could be confusing and ultimately misguiding.) This was an enjoyable stop on this Disney film journey – and now there’s just 10 films left!
Perhaps the most famous thing to come out of this film is the song “Welcome.” It was used as the anthem in Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary “Parade of Dreams” along with these famous words from Walt himself:
“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
Coming Up Next: Home on the Range
