Ava Drysch - Blog 4

Ava Drysch                        

Blog 4 : Brother Bear

For Blog 4, I watched the movie Brother Bear. This movie portrays both the lives of bears and Native Americans. It starts of with a Native American with the name of Kenai, who strongly dislikes bears. Soon into the movie, Kenai's brother, named Sitka, is killed by a mother bear. This event leads into Kenai magically turning into a bear due to the spirits of his heritage and culture. In his life as a bear, his Kenai's oldest brother Denahi continues to hunt his brother, not knowing it is his sibling. Throughout this movie, we follow Kenai and his new acclaimed friend Koda to the mountain where the magical lights touch the earth, also known as the Northern Lights, so that Kenai can be transformed back into a human. This movie is very kid friendly and is a family oriented movie, however there are both positive and negative aspects.  

This movie is a classic for families everywhere. However the messages portrayed in this film may be viewed as something different. The messages portrayed throughout this movie are those of love and compassion. This movie is very diversified right from the beginning. It helps to show that any friendship can be made whether you are Native American or a wild mammal. It presents friendships and the love and empathy that grows as the friends grow closer. It is a Disney movie that shows love between friends rather than a prince and a princess. This movie has a good story line with both heart and moral. 

However much love and friendship is in this movie, there are many negatives that lay underneath the story. The movie begins with both a man dying and a mother bear dying. To make matter worse, her baby-bear has to come to terms with her death in the movie. Many children may find the death-driven plot to be frightening. This movie uses lighthearted humor to cover the sad plot, including crude language that many parents may not approve of. For example, there is a scene of rams on a mountain hitting heads and using the words "shut up" over and over. The scene goes on for a minute too long, and although kids may find it entertaining, it gives off a hint that these animals are very stupid. Lastly, the attitude that Kenai carried with him throughout the length of this movie was nasty and rude. All of these negative aspects may bring up complaints by parents and give this movie an unpleasant rating. 

All movies have both positive and negative parts. This movie was very original. It is different than all other Disney movies we have seen over the years. This movie definitely teaches a lesson and gives out a message to all who watch it, even young children. It shows the beauty of true love, between friends and the depths you would go to help them. This movie has a lot of rough-housing between the brothers and violence with the hunters, but it is all true conceptions. This movie portrays that violence and revenge is never and answer to any problem. It is a true show case of brotherly love and the beauty behind it. It teaches to show respect to all people and all living things no matter what. This family oriented movie may contain both positive and negative aspects, but it is original and teaches a great message to children.