In Disney's 2003 animated feature film, Brother Bear, a young boy named Kenai— the youngest of three brothers— kills a bear to avenge the death of his oldest brother, Sitka. Spirits, enraged by his actions, punish him by transforming him into a bear (a plot device similar to the one later seen in Pixar's Brave). He then ventures to the Northern Lights in the hopes of restoring his human form. Along the way, he is joined by a young bear cub, Koda, encounters two Canadian moose, and discovers what brotherhood really means.
The third and final film produced by Disney-MGM Studios' Feature Animation studio in Orlando, Florida, it also received a sequel film, Brother Bear 2, a few years later in 2006. But that's not the only bit of trivia about this overlooked Disney film that people might not realize.
10 Koda Was Going To Be A Lot Older
Koda was originally going to be an older Grizzly Bear named Griz who would have functioned as an older brother figure to Kenai. Michael Clarke Duncan had been cast in the part and even recorded lines for the character before he was cut.
Eventually, it was decided that Kenai should be paired with a younger bear as he was already the youngest brother in his family and should already have experience dealing with an older sibling. Duncan appears in the final film as Tug, an old friend of Koda's, who was written to keep Duncan in some form in the film.
9 Disney Cast A Language Expert For The Film
To get help with indigenous languages, Disney turned to Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, who was a Yup'ik anthropologist and teacher, having served as an associate professor of education at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Impressed with his way with the language, he ended up being cast in the film as a narrator.
Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley also had a few acting credits before appearing in the film, including the independent 1991 film Salmonberries and the television series Northern Exposure.
8 There's Some Debate Over Who The Narrator Is Meant To Be
The film's DVD subtitles identify the narrator as being Kenai's brother and parental figure Sitka, who dies early into the film.
However, many viewers have noted that the narrator, as he appears in the film telling the story in Inuktitut, is an elderly Denahi, Kenai's surviving brother, as he is even seen wearing his totem. Harold Gould is also credited as "Old Denahi" at the end of the film.
7 There's A Visual Joke With Kenai's Transformation
During Kenai's transformation into a bear, the aspect ratio widens from 1.75:1 to 2.35:1, a change that doubles as a visual joke and of course harkens back to the iconic moment in The Wizard of Oz when the movie changes from black and white to color to hammer home the drastic difference between Kansas and Oz.
The idea behind the moment in Brother Bear is that both Kenai and the audience's perception of what is happening in the story will be widened now that the animals could be understood.
6 A Mistake Made During Recording Ended Up In The Final Film
During one scene in the film, Kenai repeats a story Koda told him, only for Koda to tell him he got some parts of the story wrong, like calling his friend Bucky "Binky."
In reality, Joaquin Phoenix had messed up the line and Jeremy Suarez improvised and corrected him during the recording. Koda's line was kept as it was felt it emphasized their brotherly relationship.
5 Cave Paintings Shouldn't Exist Where The Film Takes Place
The film is notable for being one of the few animated Disney films explicitly set in North America, especially with the company being largely known for adapting European fairy tales.
However, cave paintings like the ones seen in Brother Bear have never been found in northern parts of North America, although cave paintings have been found in Tennessee and California, as well as South America. The popular image many people have of cave paintings is actually based around ones found in Europe.
4 The Film Broke A Popular Animation Rule About Fish
In animation, a common rule of thumb is to portray fish, unless they are the main focus, as hyper-realistic as possible as they are commonly used as food by other animals and caricatured fish might be seen as too sympathetic.
Initially, the movie plays this trope straight, as one salmon is even seen losing its head. However, in a post-credits scene, parodying a disclaimer assuring that no fish were actually hurt during the making of the film, one of the salmon can be heard speaking while fleeing a bear. The actor for the fish is unknown.
3 Rutt & Tuke Got A Special Promotion In Germany
In the weeks leading up to the film's theatrical release in Germany, Tuke and Rutt appeared in clips asking the audience to turn off their phones during the upcoming movie.
One difference between the two moose between the English and German versions of the film was that they were renamed Benny and Björn in the latter, after the two male members of ABBA, the famous Swedish pop group.
2 Rutt & Tuke Are A Shout-Out To SCTV
Rutt and Tuke's voice actors, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, previously worked as a comedy duo when they played Bob and Doug McKenzie on SCTV, hosting the "Great White North" sketch segment and, later, in a film adaptation of the sketch called Strange Brew. The two also use similar language as the McKenzie brothers in their portrayals of the moose.
Even more love for the cult classic sketch comedy series is shown in Brother Bear 2, as Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara, two more SCTV cast members, appear as Rutt and Tuke's mates.
1 There Was Going To Be A Cartoon Series
At one point, a cartoon series based around the Brother Bear movie was in development. It would have been set directly after the first movie, as Brother Bear 2 hadn't been released at the time.
The plot would have revolved around Koda inviting other animals to join the family he made with Kenai, which would have included a strange elephant/platypus hybrid named "Doohickey." A few voice actors were expected to return, including Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, and Dave Thomas, although Will Friedle was expected to take on Kenai's role. However, the series failed to get picked up. An alternate spin-off revolving around Rutt and Tuke had also been rumored around the time but was never produced, either.