Brave: A Review

Believe it or not, this is a Pixar film. I say it because we were discussing this with some family friends who had ended up at the same showing as us commented the movie felt more like Disney than Pixar. But it is Pixar and it’s their first female protagonist as well.


So, start up the bagpipes and “Brave” the spoilers.


(Sorry)


“Brave” tells the story of Merida (Kelly MacDonald), daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) of the fictional Scottish kingdom of BrochDun. She is as fiery and wild as her hair. Her father teaches her archery, which she is a natural at, and encourages her more tomboyish pursuits. Elinor, meanwhile, gives her lessons in how to be proper lady. Merida prefers her father’s lessons to her mother’s. And she enjoys the days when she doesn’t have to be a princess.


Until her mother announces that the lords of the clans under Fergus are coming so their sons can compete for Merida’s hand in marriage. The three lords—Macintosh (Colin Ferguson), MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), and Dingwall (Robbie Coltraine)—arrive and present their sons (respectively voiced by Steven Cree, Kevin McKidd and Callum O’Neill). Merida is less than impressed. Elinor announces that the firstborns of the clans are eligible to compete in the competition, which Merida uses to her advantage. She enters as the firstborn of BrochDun and defeats the others. This puts her at odds with her mother and Merida flees the castle in tears.


She arrives at Standing Stones, spotting will-o-the-wisps. Following them, Merida arrives at a cottage owned by an eccentric old lady (Julie Waters). Despite her protests that she is a mere woodcarver (who favors bears), Merida figures out she is a witch. (The broom was a dead giveaway). She begs the woman to give her a potion to change her fate, to change her mother. The woman does so and Merida is not thrilled with the results. Namely, it turns her mother into a bear.


From there, the movie takes on shades of “Brother Bear.” Bear!Elinor and Merida go off to try and find the witch, who has gone off to a wicker man celebration. She left behind a message, which tells Merida to “mend the bond torn by pride.” The princess figures it means to fix the tapestry she tore during a fight. She has to do that before her mother—already showing very bearlike tendencies—becomes one forever. And before her father, who has been fighting bears since one took his leg, discovers the bear in his castle.


It’s a sweet movie, but I do find the trailers a bit misleading. You think you are going in for a fantasy/action adventure/coming of age story and get a mother-daughter Aesop. Only one trailer revealed this—the one Disney released for Mother’s Day. I’m not saying it’s a bad story line, it’s just not the one people were expecting.


The animation is gorgeous, but we’ve come to expect that from Pixar, right? It took my breath away just like New Zealand scenery in The Hobbit teaser that ran before the movie. I remember reading an article a few years back about how popular “Ratatouille” was in France, mostly due to how the animators had captured France. Will it be the same in Scotland?


I do like Merida. She’s feisty and does come across as a teenager. Pixar allows her to be in the wrong, which is nice. And girls argue with their mothers. The relationship between Merida and Elinor is played well. There is a lovely scene early in the movie where little Merida learns how to shoot an arrow. Elinor watches, clutching her chest and holding her breath. It shows her as a mother concerned for her daughter’s safety as well as hoping she isn’t too disappointed. It’s a beautiful scene, followed by another that shows both mother and daughter believe in magic. This is important later on as Elinor accepts she’s been turned into a bear by magic, she’s more upset that she is a bear.


And Bear!Elinor is quite funny. I know the trailers make it seem like the Bear!Triplets steal the show, but they really don’t. Sure, they have some funny antics but most of those are as humans, not bears. Elinor is funnier as she tries to remain regal yet is still a bear. It is great.


The real comedic trio? The lords. Absolutely hysterical. It doesn’t take much to set them off and they will go at it. But when they are united, they are strong. And loyal. So are their sons, even the one no one can understand. (He is speaking in a real Scottish dialect).


Do I recommend the movie? I do. It’s still a good story even if it’s not the one you’re expecting. And the short paired with the movie is wonderful.