The Great Spirits are characters who make the magical changes in Disney's 2003 animated feature film Brother Bear. They have the spirit of Sitka transform his younger brother Kenai into a bear as a punishment for killing an innocent bear that didn't kill Sitka, and Nita into a bear in the 2006 sequel because she wanted to marry Kenai instead of Atka.
Background[]
The Great Spirits were believed to be the "gods" during early American formation and also in Canada. With high beliefs of the animal transformation after death, the spirits appear for the first time to Kenai in the form of several animals appearing in the bright colored sky above him. Sitka, Kenai's brother whom passed was transformed into an eagle for the guidance he must give in honor of his totem. Kenai is to create more love and care for others, of which he receives the bear totem from the Great Spirits.
All the animals in the Great Spirits represent the totem of a person when he/she was alive. They show that animals too are alive and can have feelings just as a man. In Kenai's case, a man can learn more from the life of animal. All humans and animals equally have spirits.
Appearances[]
Brother Bear[]
The Great Spirits appear as the aurora in the sky above the mountains as Tanana visits the mountains and said that "these lights are spirits our ancestors, and they have the power to make changes in our world", then from the lights the water spirits make snow to flowers, as Tanana picks dirt, the water spirit start to make an animal totem.
The Great Spirits appear during the musical number "Transformation" where Kenai notices dozens of spiritual animals in the sky, including a disappointed Sitka (in his spirit form), after he had killed a bear. When Sitka witnesses the bear's dead body, the spirits transform Kenai into a bear as punishment, because the bear that Kenai killed was actually harmless and that its death wasn't necessary.
Later after Sitka stops Denahi from attacking Kenai, the spirits then transform Kenai into a human to get along with Denahi, even when he is a bear so that he and Denahi also get along with Koda as Koda's mother (who was the bear that Kenai killed) and Sitka reunite with the spirits in the afterlife.
Brother Bear 2[]
As young Kenai and young Nita are at the Hokani Falls, the Great Spirits change the land from winter to spring at the equinox.
During Nita and Atka's wedding, Nita's father asks to the spirits to bond them. However, the spirits summon a storm, which creates a fissure that separates them; they will not allow them to marry because Nita already has bonded with Kenai.
Years later, Rutt and Tuke, and Anda and Kata are near the Hokani Falls to watch the lights as Koda, Kenai, and Nita are back at the Hokani Falls to see the equinox.
The Great Spirits appear as dance of its colors blue and red and as Koda climb up the rock to tells his mother in the lights that Kenai is sad, that it's because of him, he'll be alright on his own, and tell the rest of the spirits to change Kenai back to a human so he can happy, and the lights slash to yellow for Koda's wishes.
After Kenai is almost killed by Atka, the spirits later return to forfill Koda's wish, but Kenai is unwilling to become a human again. Nita then makes her decision to become a bear, so the spirits instead forfill Nita's wish and transform her into a bear so she can be happy with Kenai.
Following Kenai and Nita's wedding, the spirits change a drawing of Kenai and Nita as children that Nita drew at Hokani Falls into bear cubs, since neither of them are human anymore.
Trivia[]
- Each color that is shown in the Great Spirits represents different things:
- When the explosion and pool of blue is shown it represents the sky, water, women, lightening, sadness, etc.
- Red shows sunset, war, day, blood, etc.
- Yellow shows sunshine, day, and dawn.
- The light green shows rain, plant life, earth, and summer.
- The Spirits seems to know what others are feeling or know and change the events of their fates. In Brother Bear 2, Nita wanted to marry Kenai because of the Amulet he gave her when they were kids, when she was about to marry Atka, the Spirits intervened, showing she wasn't meant to marry Atka.
- When the Spirits appear, humans can understand what animals are saying when in their presence. Nita heard Kenai's words, and Chilkoot question that he heard him talk and understood Rutt and Tuke.
Gallery[]
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