Nature Calls|Oct. 23, 2003|USA|85 Min.|G
Genre: Adventure;Animation;Family
Description: “Brother Bear,” released in 2003, is set in post-ice age Alaska, where local tribes believe all creatures are created by the Great Spirits, who manifest as an aurora. The story follows three brothers, Kenai, Denahi, and Sitka, who return to their tribe for Kenai to receive his totem, a necklace symbolizing the qualities he must embody to become a man. While Sitka receives the eagle of guidance and Denahi the wolf of wisdom, Kenai is given the bear of love. Disappointed, Kenai views bears as thieves, a belief reinforced when a brown bear steals their salmon. During a pursuit, Sitka sacrifices his life to save his brothers, but the bear survives.
At Sitka’s funeral, Kenai, consumed by rage, blames the bear and hunts it down, ultimately killing it. The Spirits, led by Sitka in the form of a bald eagle, transform Kenai into a bear as punishment. When Denahi mistakenly believes Kenai has been killed by the bear, he vows revenge. Kenai, now a bear, is healed by the tribe’s shaman, Tanana, who advises him to seek redemption by returning to the mountain to find Sitka. Along the way, Kenai discovers he can communicate with animals and befriends a spirited bear cub named Koda, who agrees to guide him to the mountain in exchange for an escort to a salmon run.
Cast director: Aaron Blaise
Cast actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Jason Raize, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, D.B. Sweeney, Joan Copeland, Michael Clarke Duncan, Harold Gould, Paul Christie
Original name: Brother Bear