Score: 8.5/10
Grade: A-
Family-Friendliness Scale: Level 3 (OK)
Kids ages 8+
If you had a chance to change your fate, would you?
Brave's first "fairy tale" centers around Merida (voiced by Kelly McDonald), a Scottish princess who is constantly being told what to do by her Mom, the Queen (voiced by Emma Thompson), when all Merida wants is to be an archer. But when the final straw has broke the camel's back, by which the Queen wants to get her daughter married to one of the sons of the other three tribes of the kingdom, Merida rebels by beating all of them at their own game. She also tears the tapestry depicting her family and runs deep into the woods, only to find the legendary Wil-O-The-Wisps, little magical lights that "lead people to their fate". In this case, it leads Merida to an eccentric witch's house, who grants her a spell to change her fate. Will it lead Merida to what she desires, or to disaster?
Positive Notes
Family values are one of the main targets Brave aims for, as there is a strong message about increasing communication between parents and their children. Merida and her mother share a dysfunctional relationship at first, but by the time the film ends, their bond is restored. Merida learns that rules are necessary in life, and her Mom learns to appreciate her daughter for the way she is and that there's more to life than being prim and proper. Altogether, Brave perfectly shows the struggles of their relationship and how they wind up restoring their bond. We also see strong examples of true bravery and the fact that pride can lead you down the wrong path.
As usual with Pixar, the story is well-written and to the point. The voice cast, including McDonald, Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson, and Kevin McKidd all do an excellent job on their voice roles. Also, Patrick Doyle provides a music score that respects the films' Scotland theme and brings about a level of emotion at times. Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis provides three original songs that add to the films' brilliant score.
Brave also boasts amazing animation. I heard that Pixar had to re-work its' entire animation system to make this film look the way it does, and it certainly worked. The backgrounds are fantastic, and look like they came from a picture book, and the characters are realistically designed. From the strands of hair on Merida's head to the grass on the ground, the computerized images are some of the most realistic I have seen to date.
Negative Notes
As usual, magic is used, but its' darker than Disney's other films, with a cauldron, wisps, and spells on display. The film also carries a few potentially scary scenes that will probably frighten little ones (mostly revolving around the vicious bear, Mordu). Fergus and others' bare backsides are seen briefly after tying their kilts together to get off a roof, and Merida's triplet brothers are seen naked from the back after a spell wears off. A servant wears a cleavage-baring outfit (and stuffs a key into her shirt, only to be retrieved by the triplets), and a lord moons his competitors. One (nearly inaudible) misuse of God's name, and "what the...?" trails off three times.
Conclusion
I had high hopes for Brave. Pixar has been releasing critically-acclaimed films for the last 17 years (with the exception of last years' Cars 2). And having a female lead is a risky move, but the reason why I found this as a must-see was that it looked like an odd cross between How To Train Your Dragon and Tangled.
The story reminds me of a twisted Disney fairy tale, only with more fantastical elements. And the animation is perhaps the most impressive I've seen in a movie to date. Not only does Brave capture the realism of the Scottish highlands, but it also manages to have its' cartoony characters blend so well with their surroundings. I heard that Pixar had to completely rework their animation system for this film, and considering this particular project is so different from everything else Pixar has done, the studios efforts have certainly paid off.
Speaking of being different from its' Pixar predecessors, Brave also, unfortunately, has a bit more content issues than just about all of the studios' films preceding it. Dark magic is a keydriver to the films' plot. Action scenes have been toned up a couple of notches in the scary department compared to The Incredibles and Tangled. And (for laughs), they needlessly put in brief animated nudity. With these few, but still inexcusable problems, Brave certainly isn't as good as Tangled.
But putting that aside, we're left with a relationship-mending centric story that has both brilliant animation and great voice acting. The family-centered lessons are inspiring and smile-worthy. There's enough witty slapstick/humor to make me burst out laughing, and some of the key plot points are as clever as what I've come to expect from Pixar.
It's not an animated classic. And the scary moments and dark magic don't make it a movie for very young children. But the family values and impressive animation alone make Brave one of Pixar's best movies to date.
