In the Alaskan wilderness, a teenager named Kenai is given an animal totem at a coming-of-age ceremony. The totem he receives is the "bear of love," to his disappointment because he hates bears. After the ceremony, Kenai and his older brothers, Sitka and Denahi, see that their fish supply is raided by a giant bear. Kenai carelessly provokes the bear to attack. Sitka sacrifices himself by having the bear and himself pushed off a glacier. The bear survives, but not Sitka. After Sitka's wake, Kenai selfishly blames the bear and goes after the beast himself. He successfully kills the bear, but not before he receives injuries. Afterwards, the Northern Lights shine on him, where the Great Spirits arrive (the spirits of animals and humans who help make changes in nature). The Spirits, including that of Sitka, have another idea for "change." After the bear becomes one with the Spirits, Kenai is TRANSFORMED INTO A BEAR! And woozily falls into a river. Denahi saw the light show, but not the transformation. After seeing Kenai's shredded clothes, Denahi believes the bear killed him and that the transformed Kenai IS the bear! He vows vengeance. After waking up, Kenai is informed by the village shaman that in order to change back, he must climb the highest mountain in Alaska, where the Lights are most abundant, and learn a lesson on the way. As a bear, Kenai notices he can talk to other animals, including a chatterbox bear cub named Koda who is searching for his mother.
