Merida is a headstrong princess, who prefers the free life of a warrior to the discipline and etiquette that comes from the life of a future queen. Her father, Fergus, encourages her and takes pride in his daughter's spirited nature, while her mother, Elinor, is attempting to prepare her for the expectations that come with nobility. This is frustrating for Merida, creating friction between the two women and a longing by Merida to somehow change her mother's traditional way of thinking. It is this contentious relationship with her mother, which will set in motion a series of events that will irrevocably change the two of them forever.
The marketing campaign for Brave has avoided spoiling the mid-movie twist at all costs, so I will not do so here, but like Wall*E, this film is sort of split down the middle, with the first half building towards one pivotal moment that will springboard the story into a new direction. The previews and TV spots have hinted at a larger thematic canvas, one filled with magic, myths, and legends, using quotes from the film that contain words like "fate" and "destiny," which I found to be a bit misleading. If you are expecting this to be The Great Pixar Fantasy Movie, you will be disappointed.
Brave is really about identity, how we hold our identity dear and the fear of losing that identity. Merida is afraid of getting married because she views it as something that does not fit who she is and how she sees herself. The fairy tale twist takes the character of Elinor, and places her into a situation where she also fears the loss of her own identity, while simultaneously placing the two of them in grave danger. As a result, they will both see each other in a new light as the film races towards its epic conclusion.
While it is commendable that the film does not fall into a typical fairy tale mold, relying on a romantic prince to save the day, that's actually part of the problem. Merida is a strong character, but the second half twist renders her defiant traits almost completely irrelevant to the story being told. Also, with so much time spent building her up as an archer, Merida's sensational skill with a bow is never a factor during the final stretch. With the exception of providing a resolution to the mother-daughter spat, the second half pays off none of what is set-up in the first half.
Is Merida fated to be like her mother, or is she destined to be something else? This is really a red herring because the film isn't interested in answering that, and the story takes a dramatic turn into territory where those questions no longer matter. Ultimately, Brave has, at its center, a strong character with which to tell a story, but its story falls short of being worthy of that character.
Story issues and production troubles aside (originally titled "The Bear and the Bow," Brave underwent significant rewrites, and the original director, Brenda Chapman, was ousted and replaced with Mark Andrews), the film is still able to deliver strong characters, solid laughs, and amazing visuals. This is a film that will most likely appeal to children in much the same way that the later Shrek films did, but may be just as disappointing to adults. The first half of Brave is very promising, but the second half feels like a different film altogether, one filled with uncharacteristic silliness, slapstick comedy, and a soft-serve "careful what you wish for" moral goo at its center.
Whether it's fair or not, we have very high expectations for each new Pixar film. That is what you get when you consistently produce exemplary product. Their past successes have elevated material beyond what was thought possible. Like Brave, both Toy Story 2 and Ratatouille were famously "in trouble" before their release, only to be triumphant -- commercially and critically -- upon release. This is the first film they've made that feels interchangeable with the typical Disney and Dreamworks animated efforts -- two studios that have raised their game recently (Tangled from Disney, How To Train Your Dragon from Dreamworks), in an effort to compete with Pixar.
It's not going to get any easier for them either. With two key members of the company's core creative team moving on to live-action moviemaking (Brad Bird - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Andrew Stanton - John Carter), and John Lasseter now heading Disney's animation, Pixar needs to show us that they can find new storytellers who can uphold the legacy of the company. Unfortunately, Brave is a misstep that they will need to learn from.
"Setting the Frame" Film Grade = C
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