http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/brave-2012/trailers/


BRAVE

 Stars: 3

    Rated: PG

                        Studios:   Disney/Pixar

                            Director: Mark Andrews,
                                                 Brenda Chapman, 
                                                and Steve Purcell

                                  Starring: Kelly MacDonald, 
                                           Billy Connolly, 
                                                      and Emma Thompson

              Length:   93 Min

I am an avid fan of animation and have been since…oh conception. As a matter of fact, my first word was Disney! Actually I’m lying my first word was most likely baba or dada like everyone else; but, I was not lying about the fact that I have always been enchanted by animation. In fact, I used to tell my parents when I was a wee lad that I was going to work for the great mouse someday. I understood then and still do today that animated films can capture the essence of a story with much more purity and depth then traditional films can. They can take us to places that traditional films can not, and their only limit is that of the imagination of the creator. Even in today’s world of computer effects and digital film there is still something magical about a good animated movie. Pixar is by far the king of the mountain in the new era of computer animation; and even before they had the endorsement of the mouse, they were following in the footsteps of the master himself good ol’ Walt Disney. This is why, I was a bit surprised and even a bit frustrated when I saw Pixar’s newest creative endeavor. Even though the film is deftly named “BRAVE”; it is anything but brave, and I was disappointed that the studio that had been known for pushing the limits of conventionalism had succumbed to the pressure of Disneyification. (Yes folks I have just created a new word.) 

To say that brave is not a good movie would not be doing it justice, since it clearly is another masterpiece of Disney magic. That is the problem however. We have come to expect more from Pixar studios then the conventional Disney fair. Brave is neither new nor exciting and in many ways it is a lesser film then the previous installments of the Pixar library. (Well except maybe Cars 2 which even the voice work of Michael Kaine could not save.)  Brave, however, has one thing that the others do not…Merida’s unruly and beautifully full red curls! Hey now, are you saying that the best part of this film is main characters hair? Why yes, yes I am. In all of my years as a film junky I have never seen such masterfully crafted animation as Merida’s flowing locks. Of course the wonderfully animated shots of the Scottish Highlands are enchanting and engaging as well and draw the movie goer into the very real and magical world of medieval Scotland. This of course, for me was absolutely wonderful since I am, for the most part, a person of Celtic descent; so, to finally have a true Scottish story from Disney was like the sweet sound of bagpipes to my ears. In the area of animation Pixar outdoes itself again as it has done in every other film they have given birth to; and, it is the stunning and at times awe-inspiring animation that is the redeeming quality of this other wise mediocre film.

The story starts out with the king his young wife and their little daughter out camping in the woods on a hunting trip. It is the little girl’s birthday and much to the chagrin of the mother the father gives the little girl a bow for her birthday present. She is thrilled and the family continues on in there merry making. Suddenly a bear breaks through the trees and burst into the encampment menacing the otherwise peaceful scene. The king, voiced by the always enjoyable Billy Connolly, charges head long into the fray as his wife whisks there daughter away on horse back. The story moves along fast and we are soon presented with the now grown girl whose name is Merida and her charming very Scottish family.  From here the story is pretty basic. The queen, voiced by Emma Thompson, wants her daughter to follow the tradition of her people and get married to one of the sons of the Scottish nobles; but Merida, however, does not feel ready to settle down and would rather climb mountains and hunt with her bow then be a lady like her mom. The king and queen set up a tourney for their daughters hand behind her back, and this sets up the rest of the film. Merida sees no way out until a loophole in the tradition allows for her to compete in the tourney for her own hand. This of course infuriates the lord and causes a great rift between Merida and her mom. After a fight with her mum; Merida runs away seeking some way to change her mother’s heart in the matter. While in the woods she comes across a willow wisp who leads her to a lost cottage. Here she meets an old woman who used to be a witch but is now a wood carver and convinces her to give her a spell to change her mom and thereby change her fate. The rest is pretty self explanatory and follows the usual Disney fairytale format; even though, there are a few interesting twists along the way. The world falls apart thanks to Merida and then while learning a valuable lesson about love and family it is all put right again in the end.

Brave is a good film, but not a great film and not the type of movie we have come to expect from Pixar Studios; but, it has enough laughs and action to entertain everyone in the family from the youngest to the oldest, and the visual magnificence of the animation makes this move a must see in the big screen. There is one final thing I have to mention before I end my little review; but, I warn you this is a bit of a spoiler so those with faint hearts should stop reading now. This film has one more thing that no other Disney film has had before it…nudity. (Gasp!) Now now, it’s not like that get your mind out of the gutter! It is actually rather innocent and hysterical when you see it in the context of the story. Merida must sneak her mother out of the castle and her three little brothers are leading all of the lords, their father included, through out the castle on a wild goose chase that ends with them all being locked up on the roof with no way down. All of the men tie their kilts together to make a rope; and of course in true Scottish fashion, they are wearing nothing but their birthday suits under their kilts. The shots of the men’s backsides are brief, but they are there making this film a pioneer in some ways as far as the Disney universe goes. (Walt just rolled over in his grave I think!) I guess, the guys at Pixar managed to find a subtle way to push the boundaries of conventionality after all even if they didn’t with the story. I can’t help but wonder if this was a planed act of subtle defiance to the obvious Disneyification that I can’t help but think must have been thrust upon them by the Disney higher ups. Oh well, we may never know for sure; so I guess it will just have to be one of those unsolved mysteries of the universe like Bigfoot and life on other planets.  

This film is rate “PG” for crude humor, scenes of mild violence and a few bare Scottish bums.