Disney/Pixar's Brave is a delightful movie for children. Filled with colorful imagery of the Scottish highlands and following an easily-accessible story of acceptance and love, Pixar seems to be missing out on their prime audience: adults who have grown to love the originality of their previous films. While Brave is a wonderfully crafted movie, its ranking alongside its counterparts is almost surely at the very bottom.
The story follows young Princess Merida, a free-spirited girl who refuses to be bethrothed to any of the men from the nearby kingdoms. Though her mother insists it is the tradition of her people, Merida would rather live a playful life without the responsibilities her parents are trying to force on her. When she finally runs away, she encounters a witch in the forest who promises to help Merida's situation and change her mother's mind. This being a children's movie, it is no surprise her mother is transformed into a bear, and the two must figure out a way to right their mistakes.
While I can admire the animation and technical skills behind the making of Brave, I found little I could fully immerse myself in. Coming from a company that has made some of the best films of the past decade (Wall-E, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, The Incredibles....), this film felt like one from a lesser company. Perhaps if the exact same film had been produced by Dreamworks Animation, for example, I would have found myself more engrossed. I understand how harsh a criticism this seems, but I do believe that in Pixar, the audiences expect something more.
First Cars 2, now Brave, I am concerned that perhaps Pixar is slipping from the top of the animation world in favor of more commercially promising films that appeal to a younger audience. While I sincerely hope Pixar has the potential to reclaim the title of best filmmaking company in the world, word that they are creating more and more sequels (Monsters University), perhaps it is a sad, cold fact that even the mighty can fall. Brave is not a bad film in any regard, but at the same time there is little to remember about it, either...
(Awards potential: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ('Touch the Sky'))
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