Movie Review: Brave

In 1995 Pixar changed the world with Toy Story. Since then they have continued to raise the bar for animated film, creating some of the most visually and critically acclaimed movies of the last 17 years. Pixar has taken their first adventure into the realm of ancient myths with Brave.

Disney’s official synopsis for the film:

“Brave” follows the heroic journey of Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carver her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson), massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Meridas actions inadvertently unleash chaos and confusion in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric witch (voice of Julie Waters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her skills and resources- including her clever and mischievous triplet brothers – to undo the beastly curse before it’s too late, discovering the true meaning of bravery.

Merida (voice by Kelly Macdonald), being the young independent princess that she is, wants to avoid being married off to one of the sons of the three lords, much to their chagrin. When the spell she buys from the witch doesn’t turn out as planned (and what witch’s spell ever does?) she must repair not only her family, but the kingdom. She will fit right in as Pixar’s first addition to the Disney Princess line.

Being in the vein of classic myths it was hard for Pixar to capture the originality they did with films like Wall-E and it may not have the emotional poignancy of films like Up, but Brave is still a quality film. It has just the right balance of drama, comedy, and action to appeal to everyone in the audience.

Plus, Brave is visually stunning. It took Pixar six years and the creation of several pieces of software to put the film together, and it was worth the wait. It is amazing to see everything from the tiny details on every piece in the witch’s wood shop to the grand aerial shots of ancient Scotland.

The voice acting is well done, providing great touches of comedy and heart. The movie moves at a nice pace, never getting bogged down by its heavier moments. Pixar never fails to entertain and Brave is no exception.