Brave

Movie: Brave

Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell

Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Craig Ferguson

Genre: Animation, Adventure

Rated: PG

Synopsis: Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is an independent 15 year old Scottish princess who wants nothing more than to ride across the glen on her horse while firing arrows into the sunset. However, her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) has other plans. She wants her daughter to follow the tradition of their land and marry a prince from one of the neighboring villages. This causes even more friction between the already constantly feuding mother and daughter, and in her frustration, Merida makes a wish she'll soon regret.

I saw Brave for a few reasons. 

1. It's a Pixar movie about a fierce young girl who's main purpose in a movie doesn't revolve around some guy. Not that there's anything wrong with romance every once in a while, it's just nice to see a female character as more than just a love interest.
2. Craig Ferguson. (Also, Emma Thompson, but I didn't know she was in it at the time.)
3. The animation is gorgeous! Look at that detail! You can see the fibers in her dress for crying out loud!

Source

In fact, whether you hate the movie or you love it, I think we can all agree that the animation is simply breathtaking.

I had mixed feelings about this movie. On the one hand, I cried at the end. It probably didn't help that I was seeing this with my mom and we were both just a mess afterwards. The story's main focus is on a mother-daughter relationship and because I'm really close with my mother, it really hit home for me.

On the other hand, I think it could've been better. Pixar is known for making amazing, beautiful movies like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and more, and while this movie definitely had its moments, I just expected a little more magic from Brave. Like the witch that granted Merida's wish seemed a little too cartoony. It seemed like she was thrown in there as just comic relief instead of what she really was--a pivotal point in the story.

Should you go see it? I'm on the fence about this one. It's by no means a bad movie, but considering it's Disney and Pixar I wanted it to be better. If you like animation movies you should check it out. Aesthetically, Brave is stunning. I just wish they could've done a little better job with the story telling. My guess is that they were so worried about it being perceived as just a girls' movie that they tried to please everyone and second guessed themselves and the story suffered a bit in the process.

Fun Facts:

• Steve Jobs was passionate about Brave and it was the last Pixar movie he was a part of before he passed away. There's also a dedication to him in the ending credits (video).
• Pixar invented a whole new software specifically to create and move Merida's hair.
• Pixar hides easter eggs in all of its films and Brave is no exception. During the scene where Merida meets the Witch/woodcarver, there's Sully from Monsters, Inc. and a little Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story (which has been hidden in all Pixar movies so far except for The Incredibles).

Up until now I'd been reviewing movies that are in theaters or were in theaters not too long ago, but because it's February and there are not that many good movies playing right now I've decided to go back into movies I'd seen in 2012 to continue this blog. If you have any recommendations of movies from any year you want me to see or review, feel free to post a comment below.