Something just isn’t quite right. It has been a couple of years since the mammoth companies have joined forces and have gone from “Disney Presents a PIXAR Film” to “A Disney/PIXAR Production”. Since the merger there has been some quality bleed through: Disney movies have gotten better (See: “Tangled”) as PIXAR movies have taken a step back (Don’t See: “Cars 2”). Now with “Brave” we get another PIXAR film that is far from perfect, sprinkled with half-baked ideas and missing some magic.
Not that Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) isn’t a fine addition to the Princess Collection. Headstrong and independent, the fiery redhead makes for a great heroine and the world around her is lush and beautiful. There is no doubt that “Brave” is an improvement over the 90 toy commercial that was the second install of the “Cars” series. The poor lass just isn’t given enough to do and the entire story ends up feeling slight and quaint. The finished result is fine enough but who wants/expects average from PIXAR? The sad thing here is the potential that was lost.
A Parent’s Warning: “Brave” has some very scary images late in the film. Little ones might have some trouble.
The premise is familiar enough: Three clans have joined at the castle to trot their first-born son before the princess who is to be married to the best of the bunch. Problem is Princess Merida is a modern woman who doesn’t want to do something just because it is expected of her. This infuriates her mother, the Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), who has spent every waking moment making sure that Merida behaves has a young, proper princess should. With no answer to the dilemma in site, Merida runs off to the forest looking for a way to change her destiny.
I will stop the synopsis there, as one of the delights of “Brave” is the unsuspecting twists that come in the second act. I’m sure the reveal will be given away soon enough but I refuse to be the one to ruin it for you. Spoiler Free here at Cinemastance. That’s how I roll.
The major flaw of “Brave” is the lack of any real villain. Sure, conflicts must be overcome but this is a tale of lore and there needs to be a baddie to make things right. Imagine “Sleeping Beauty” without Maleficent and merely a dragon to slay at the end. Something is lacking.
The computer generated plains and castles of Scotland are unbelievable (I remember the only good thing I could say about “Cars 2” was that the backgrounds were gorgeous. Not a good sign when that is a film’s best quality) but the brogue spouting characters that inhabit it are too reminiscent of Dreamworks “How to Train a Dragon” from a few years back. The film also struggles to find its theme, starting things out focusing on independence and being an individual, then casting that aside and becoming a rather cartoony finished product.
I enjoyed “Brave” but 15 years of wonderful from PIXAR has gotten me spoiled. The film is a fine kid’s movie but it could have been fine art. With a “Monsters Inc.” prequel next on the horizon it seems safe to declare the First Golden Age of PIXAR as being over.