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DVD Review: Brave

Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald)


Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell
Stars (Voices of): Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters

Genre(s): Animation; Family; Adventure; Fantasy
DVD Release Date: November 13, 2012
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%






Brave, nominated this year for the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar, is the latest Disney/Pixar movie, and every Pixar flick [released in the last several years] has had to live up to exceedingly high expectations, which were built by such films as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and WALL-E.  Unfortunately, Cars 2, the last Pixar movie released prior to Brave, was a huge disappointment with audiences and with critics.  Brave is as close to a return to form for Pixar as they could possibly get this time around, which is to say that it is not perfect but it is a vast improvement over Cars 2.  What is so important about Brave, however, is that Pixar has finally put a female in the leading role.   
 
In Brave, a young Scottish princess (voiced by Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald) just does not enjoy being a princess (really?).  She grumbles her way through her schooling, and cannot wait for the days -- which occur about once a week -- when she is free to, well, not be a princess.  During this time, she takes her bow-and-arrow and goes exploring in the woods and other areas surrounding the castle.  But, her happiness is short-lived: soon she must marry one of the not-so-charming lads from another kingdom.  She decides to defy her parents (and especially her mother) by saying she will absolutely not marry any of those men/boys.  She ends up using magic to produce unforeseen, disastrous results.  

 Yet, are these results really "unforeseen?"  In some ways, yes, but in other ways, no.  The plot has some surprises, but at its core it is rather formulaic.  One expects a Pixar flick to be more innovative than this, but I cannot help but applaud the writers and directors for finally making a female-centered movie.  At times, the thick Scottish accents make it difficult to comprehend what is being said, but that does not severely affect the film in a negative way.  The voice-acting is top notch: Macdonald provides the young princess with the right amount of fierceness to make her a believably strong protagonist, and, surprisingly, Thompson's faux accent fits right in.   

Undoubtedly, there are flaws in the logistics of the plot, but are children really going to be paying attention to the logistics in this film?  Will even the parents who watch this movie with their children care about the logistics?  More likely than not, no.  In that case, Brave is as enjoyable and likable a movie as it needs to be.  There is comedy -- including brilliant bits of hilarity, which are common in Pixar films -- and there is enough drama to make us care about the character, but not so much that it send kids (and kids-at-heart) over the edge.  The ending is not as heartwarming or tear-inducing as one might expect, but it serves its purpose.  Movie critics like myself may nitpick at Brave's flaws, but children will not, and sometimes the only thing that matters is if a movie appeals to (and is enjoyed by) its intended audience.      
  


Grade: B+
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