Review of Disney / Pixar’s Brave

This past Friday evening, Ginger and I went to see Disney / Pixar’s new film Brave. It follows Merida, a young Scottish princess who is radically against the idea that her parents (especially her Mum) can control her life. In particular, she can’t fathom being forced into a marriage that she doesn’t want. Instead of spending her days learning the proper activities and manners of being a lady and princess, she would much rather go horseback riding, take in all the wonders of the land, and most of all, practice her outstanding archery skills. After a bit of a quarrel with her Mum (Queen Elinor) about the arranged marriage, she flies off into the woods and comes upon a witch “Wood carver.” There, she gets a spell that will change the course of her life forever unless she can figure out the witch’s riddle for reversing it.

© Copyright 2011 / 2012 Disney / Pixar – All rights reserved

This film was significantly more serious than many of the other Disney / Pixar ones that I’ve seen as of late. It focused on a mother-daughter relationship, (which can easily be extrapolated into any familial [and especially parental] relationship), and the importance of unconditional love as THE necessary element to bring people together. The moral undertones of love, understanding, compromise, and empathy are ones that people should be reminded of frequently. In Brave, they were presented on many different levels, so that the messages should be clear to children and adults alike.

Though it had some very serious and sometimes dark scenes and themes, it was certainly not devoid of humour and outlandishly funny stunts. For me, the funniest characters were the suitor Princes as they tried to win the hand of Princess Merida, and the hysterically mischievous triplets, Harris, Hubert, and Hammish.

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© Copyright 2011 / 2012 Disney / Pixar – All rights reserved

The brothers continuously added comic relief to some otherwise intense scenes. I don’t want to give away any of the key plot elements, especially as the film is so new, but suffice to say, they frequently chanced trouble with their antics. Whether it was attempting to steal some dessert cakes, or playing tricks on the castle staff.

Even with the stronger thematic elements in Brave, I think that it is perfectly suitable for most children (although there are some parts that might be a little scary for younger kids). With important messages, stunning animation, and an outstanding storyline, Brave is another wonderful film from Disney and Pixar. I give it an 8 / 10:

Cheers,
Zach