#I go nuts over Denahi’s deterioration sorry guys that’s just the way it is

[kindlythevoid]

Excuse me while I go off for a second (positive)

Okay so the crazy (sad) thing about Denahi is that he goes from being the middle child with two brothers to being an only child, the antithesis of a middle child, in the span of a few days. 

His revenge quest, of course, is a failed attempt at coping as well as the broken mirror to Kenai’s hunt for Koda’s mom. But the fun (terrible) part is that Denahi’s already shown these tendencies before. Not in a revenge-y sort of way, but in a I-will-adopt-my-brother’s-personality-as-a-way-to-honor-you type of way. Maybe you don’t believe me, maybe you do, but let me lay it out anyway because I want to and making observations is fun. 

Example: Sitka dies. Sweet, knowing Sitka dies, leaving Denahi as the oldest. As a result, Denahi immediately fills in his shoes, trying to be that pillar of guidance for Kenai. Does he do it well? No, but he tries anyway. And I’d wager that he would have kept on trying if it wasn’t for Kenai. 

Example: Kenai, for all intents and purposes, dies. Young, passionate Kenai dies, leaving Denahi… alone. As a result, Denahi immediately takes on Kenai’s obsession with vengeance. With no one to look after, Denahi follows in a singleminded rage. 

But then!!! They also use Denahi as a fucked up version of Kenai, taken to the ultimate extreme!! And they use it to show Kenai that people are just as scary to bears as bears are to people!!! Like, that one scene when Denahi catches up to them in the geyser area?? And he chases them across the log, just yeets the log into the ravine?? 

It’s just crazy, because first off that’s some crazy strength, but also, that’s Kenai’s brother! And Koda is trying to get him to leave, but Kenai has to watch his brother, this broken shell of his brother, filled with rage and hate and grief, furiously pacing the other side of the ravine before jumping across it. And of course Kenai tries to help him up!! Even tho he’s trying to kill him, they’re still brothers!! And Denahi looks at Kenai, but there is no recognition, only hate, and then Denahi falls into the river, letting Kenai continue on with Koda. It’s just. Kenai’s really forced to look at Denahi as this broken mirror of himself, and it’s Kenai’s fault. It’s such a delicious tragedy. 

And this isn’t a quick jaunt through the woods. No, they take the time to show Denahi’s stages of deterioration, leading me to believe that Denahi is tracking his brother (who, again, he believes is dead), alone, for weeks at best, and months at worst. Maybe it was just a few days and Denahi’s hair grows insanely fast, but I don’t think they would have taken the time to show Denahi like that if that was the case. 

So I rewatched Brother Bear for the first time in years and Denahi and his revenge arc is literally my favorite part of the movie <3 <3