News Taffy

PIXAR movies have set the bar for many movie-goers for being some of the best animated films of our time. Innovative storytelling and amazing animation techniques have been the status quo of PIXAR movies, with expectations set high for box-office smashes. So for this PIXAR movie including some firsts for the studio (first female protagonist and period piece), the hype was definitely built up for this summer release. While it’s not the ‘best’ PIXAR movie to date, Brave is a great movie on its own with a great voice acting cast, breathtaking visuals and a good plot all-around.

Set in a kingdom in Scotland, fiery tomboy Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) isn’t too keen on following her mother’s plans for her to grow up a proper lady. The four clans have assembled to present their first-born son to win Merida’s hand in order to keep peace among the country. This isn’t what she has in mind for herself, so she unleashes her frustrations at her protective mother. When Merida wanders the forest, she happens upon a witch who can change her fate. But the spell doesn’t work out the way she intended, so she has to summon true bravery in order to rid the curse she caused.

The voice cast for this movie is star-studded with great Scottish talent. With four of the actors hailing from the Harry Potter franchise, it’s nice to hear familiar folks. Their Scottish accents are a good touch to keeping true to the Scottish environment. Macdonald and Emma Thompson (the queen, Elinor) play quite a pair, doing a good job of sharing the frustrations between a typical mother/daughter relationship. Merida is a heroine little girls could look up to, as most girls can relate to coping with similar problems as she did. Mothers and daughters would appreciate this movie the most because the emotional struggle Merida and Elinor share are very relatable.

The music and animation in Brave is stunning and memorable for sure. From reading about how long it took to develop Merida’s wild curls, I could definitely see PIXAR’s fruitful efforts. The songs were lovely and uplifting, but not so Finding Nemo-memorable. Though, I did feel the urge to crank up some Celtic Woman music soon afterward.

Be sure to get there early and to stay after the credits, as PIXAR doesn’t disappoint with their amazing shorts before their movies. “La luna” has got to be one of my favorites so far, so get the kids situated beforehand so everyone can enjoy this great short. The clip at the end of the credits is a humorous reference to an earlier happenstance within the movie, so that was a good touch overall. But if you’re ready to rush to the bathroom after the credits roll, you may want to pass.

From watching the trailer initially, I was bothered that Brave didn’t seem to have the PIXAR feel that I’ve known and loved. But I was proved wrong, as it was a good movie through and through. Though some plot aspects I didn’t expect to occur (like how the witch changed her fate specifically seemed to borrow from previous Disney movies plots) supposed made sense after thinking of the initial build up, it was a great addition to the PIXAR line up. Most people had assumed PIXAR had dropped the ball after a not-so-hot Cars 2 release last summer, but second-guess no more with this great PIXAR film. With good storytelling (which may seem predictable, but that shouldn’t stop you from watching the movie) and great visuals and music, Brave is a memorable movie that will change PIXAR’S fate for the better.

Until next time,
Rachel