Brave

Swanner: Any time I see that there is a new Pixar film coming out I get excited. Some of my favorite movies have been Pixar and 6 out of the last 10 best animated Oscar winning films have been Pixar. So they aren’t some flash in the pan. Brave hosts the first female lead the studio which is funny since Disney is almost the opposite with most of their films centered around a female (Usually a princess) lead. Brave is the story of a Scottish princess who is defies her family when they try to force her into an arranged marriage.

Judd: It’s no coincidence that you mention this along with Disney. Brave, I feel, is Pixar’s most “Disney” film to date. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on how you feel about the Princess genre. Personally, I like my Princesses pretty and helpless. Ah, the good old days before women’s lib. Today’s princesses are all about breaking tradition and striking out on their own. I say they need to get back to falling asleep, waiting for some Prince to rape them awake and then marrying the bastard out of gratitude.

Swanner: Not sure how I’m to approach that so, let me tell you who’s on the creative team, Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell directing, with the same three as writers, plus Irene Mecchi, who wrote The Lion King. It looks like Pixar is introducing us to some new creative folks while their bigger directors are out making live action features. I was really surprised that the preview showed us maybe the first 20 minutes of the film and the rest was a surprise…so I’ll leave it that way. It was nice to unwrap this present without having been barraged with all the best scenes before the film ever starts.

Judd: Don’t get me wrong, I liked Brave and the story is excellent. The fact that the movie is so different from the trailers is definitely a good thing. I was afraid of a Scottish Mulan. The plot, while protecting the twist, is about Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) wants to change her fate. She follows these little blue fairy-things, called wisps, to a witch in the woods, who gives her a cake to influence the Queen in Merida’s favor. Billy Connolly is the King, Emma Thompson is the Queen, Julie Walters is The Witch.

Swanner: You know when the witch shows up there’s going to be trouble. Brian did not like the wisps and for good reason…they were very creepy. I think Brave is a wonderful introduction into the “princess” genre. Unfortunately for Brian, Ariel is the last princess that’s just waiting for her princess to show up. Merida is a good role model for those in liberal states and a perfect addition to the Disney family and I loved her hair. It was a bit of a male slam with all of the men being barely about to speak but on the other hand I can’t wait to see all those kilts next time I’m in Disneyland. Brave was an exciting surprise and another big win for Pixar.

Judd: As a Disney film, Brave fits the mold and is a good movie. However, as a Pixar film, I think it’s a bit lacking. Pixar has set the new standard and Brave doesn’t meet it. The plots involving the bad guy, the old fable at the beginning, and Merida’s quest for independence all seem a bit thrown together willy-nilly. There wasn’t the drum-tight coherence one would expect from a Pixar script. There also wasn’t the soul-stirring emotion that movies like Wall-E, Up and Toy Story 3 have in spades. Brave is a good movie, but it is only an OK Pixar movie.

Swanner: 1/2
Judd: