BraveYear of Release: 2012
Directed By: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Overview:Pixar Animation Studios, the creator of
Toy Story 3, whisks you away on an astonishing adventure to an ancient land full of mystery and tradition. Bursting with heart, unforgettable characters and Pixar's signature humor,
Brave is "a rousing, gorgeously animated good time," raves Peter Travers of
Rolling Stone.
Take a heroic journey with Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land. When Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos in the kingdom, she must harness all of her skills and resources - including her clever and mischievous triplet brothers - to undo a beastly curse before it's too late, and discover the meaning of true bravery.
My Thoughts:This is another winner from Pixar. I've loved every one of their films that I've seen and
Brave is no different. Their animation gets better with every film - the technique, the detail, the movement, everything simply improves in their animation tech each time. This is also a great fairy tale. Yes, it's a pretty simple story. That's what a fairy tale is. For those critics who accused this film of not being as original as Pixar's other films, I challenge them to find a female-centered children's film that A) isn't about romance and B) has a strong mother figure. Tough call, ain't it? Merida is a wonderful, strong character with plenty of flaws to make her believable. Her mother, Elinor, is the same - a strong, good role model in many ways, but with believable flaws. Great messages, marvelous animation, lots of fun. Recommended for anyone.
Also on the disc, a wonderful, sweet little short called
La Luna that was really great, and a bonus
Brave-related short,
The Legend of Mordu. I'd recommend watching
La Luna before the film as it was shown in theatres, and
Legend after, since it is a spoiler. There's lots of extras on the blu, but I didn't feel like pulling my player out so we just watched the DVD.
Bechdel Test: Pass
Overall: 4/5
