Kenai

Kenai is the main protagonist from the Disney films Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2. He is voiced by Joaquin Phoenix in the original Brother Bear and by Patrick Dempsey in Brother Bear 2.

Brother Bear
Kenai was a young Inuit on the verge of becoming a man. But after his brother Sitka died saving him from a bear, Kenai decided to kill the bear at all costs. He succeeded, but for acting out of hate rather than out of love as he had been commanded to do, the spirits turned Kenai himself into a bear as punishment for his actions. To become human again, Kenai had to travel to a mountain peak called, "the place where the (Northern) lights touch the earth." Along the way, however, Kenai met an orphaned bear named Koda. At first Kenai did not like the young bear's company, but eventually he became attached to him. Then Kenai learned that the bear he had hunted and killed had been Koda's mother. When he becomes human again, Kenai chose to stay in the woods and live with Koda, who needed him more than any of his own people. For this act of love, Kenai was declared to have become a man.

Brother Bear 2
In Brother Bear 2, Kenai awakens from his first hibernation to find that spring has arrived (Kenai separated from Denahi, Tanana and his villagers because they do not need him). Even with snow on the ground and the trees still bare, love is decidedly in the air. Kenai and Koda scoff at the notion of romance, but Tug (the large, dark brown bear from the first film) cautions them (Kenai in particular) that "You can't run from love. It has a way of tracking you down." Kenai laughs, but later has a dream about Nita, a girl he used to know when he was young and a human.

Meanwhile, in her own village, Nita is preparing for her wedding to a man named Atka. But when the big moment arrives, the ceremony was interrupted by the great spirits. The earthquake destroyed everything in its path, it is revealed that Nita cannot marry Atka. The reason for this is that when they were children, Kenai gave Nita an amulet as a gift. What neither Kenai nor Nita realized was that the amulet bonded them as one. The only way for Nita to marry Atka is to go with Kenai to Hokani Falls, where he first gave her the amulet, and burn it.

Nita finds Kenai and manages to convince him to help her. But during the course of their three-day journey, their old friendship sprouts anew and flourishes. Despite the fact that both are developing feelings for one another, they burn the amulet and Nita returns to Kenai's village, only to find that where the amulet kept her from marrying Atka before, now her heart will not let her marry him either.

When Kenai wakes up the next morning, his moose friends inform him that Koda has gone to Nita's village to get her back. Kenai races to the village, knowing Koda will be killed. Back at the village, the villagers spot Koda and chase him up a tree. Then Kenai races over to the rescue, grabs Koda, and flees. Nita hears the commotion outside and runs out of her tent. She is horrified when Atka goes after Kenai and Koda. She then chases after them to try to stop Atka. Atka chased Kenai into the mountains. Kenai hides Koda and runs off to distract the hunters. Atka finds Kenai and corners him on a cliff. They fight and Kenai is about to kill Atka when Nita runs over and yells at him to stop, but it's too late. Kenai lets Atka go and while he is distracted, Atka throws some embers in his face and kicks him off the cliff. Atka wins and Nita cries out in dismay (because Kenai lost), pushes Atka out of the way and climbs down the rocks to help Kenai. Kenai is alive, though he failed to defeat Atka, and tells Nita he loves her. The spirits come down and Nita is able to understand the bears again. Koda tells Kenai that he asked the spirits to change him back into a man so he could be happy. Kenai tells Nita that he cannot -- as he cannot leave Koda, but she says she can. So, Nita is turned into a bear that has the same coloring as Kenai, and they get married.

Disney Parks
Kenai appears as a walkaround character in his bear form at Disney's Animal Kingdom, though formerly appeared at Epcot and having a major place in Disney California Adventure.

At California Adventure, Kenai appeared as part of the Magic of Brother Bear theme at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, appearing in a totem ceremony show, a wood-carved sculpture at the entrance to the area and the namesake of Kenai's Spirit Cave, where guests are able to find their animal totem by placing their hand on glowing pawprints. In the summer of 2011, the Brother Bear theming would be removed and replaced with an Up theme inspired by the Wilderness Explorers. Though Kenai and Koda no longer appear in the area, the Spirit Cave was mostly untouched with the exception of signs removing Kenai's name.