Seeing red...hair

   I think it’s fair to say Brave has been by far my favourite film of the Summer. Of course it’s always a treat when a Pixar film is sitting comfortably in the cinemas. I was just a little disappointed that the last time it happened it was a Cars sequel.

   As usual Pixar didn’t give too much away with Brave before its release. The teaser for it was just a single scene that rather than telling you the plot, showed you all you needed to know about the main heroine. She was strong, confident and good with a bow.

   The nice thing about Pixar’s advertising tactics is that I went in not knowing what the main “trial” for the character would be. In fact I wish this were the case for more films. When Hunger Games came out I went against my usual “read the book first” rule and I think I enjoyed it all the more.

   I definitely had fun with this film and from the looks of it so did the filmmakers. Every character gets their moments and having them all together always leads to chaos. Even a simple family dinner has to end with all the food on the floor and the triplets stealing the desserts.

   Pixar have certainly done their job to make the whole thing feel very “Scottish”. Opting for a (partially) Scottish cast rather than going for the crummy America style Shrek accent was definitely a good move. They want a king of Scotland? Well who better than Billy Connolly? And hopefully Scottish folks won’t bemoan the presence of a few English thesps.

   The look of the film is as lovely as you would expect from Pixar. And I would recommend going for the 2D option. I ended up seeing it in a screen where it wasn’t calibrated properly and it really ruined what were obviously nice visuals. Of course this won’t be the case for every screening but there wasn’t much good use of the 3D anyway.

   So the voices are in place, the humour hits the spot so what about heart? Yep it’s got that too. Brave puts its heroine in a spot that borders on the cliché (being faced with a marriage she doesn’t want) but ends up actually being about something else. Sort of.

   Okay so in order to talk about the story in more detail I’ll have to put up a flaming great “spoiler” sign. But I should probably offer up my final opinion first.

   Brave is funny, a little bit emotional and most of all a good, decent story. Forget Ice Age 4, show your kids what a good film is and take them to this instead.

Spoilers

   Here we go, spoiler territory. Where was I? Merida was faced with a marriage to promote peace between the different families of the kingdom. She makes a stand and enters a competition to win back her own hand. The mother, angry that she would show up their honoured guests and spit in the face of tradition, tells Merida to grow up and face her responsibilities.

   So far, so typical. But as supernatural elements start to enter the story we slowly learn what the film is actually about. This isn’t about a girl proving she’s too strong to be tied down by a man or a girl who’s fallen for the pauper. Men have nothing to do with this particular tale.

   Instead the tension comes from the relationship between mother and daughter. Merida is so angered with the way her mother treats her that she wishes for a way to change her. And with the help of a spell Queen Elinor is literally changed… in to a bear.

   I had seen hints at the whole bear thing but had never guessed that it would be the mother that would turn in to one. It’s quite unusual really when it’s typically the main character that this happens to.

   The whole idea really struck a chord with me and I think it will to kids and teens especially. Just think of how many fourteen year olds would want their mum turned in to a bear rather than be told yet again they're not allowed out Saturday night.

   I find it really interesting too that Merida instinctively asks for her mother to change rather than looking to herself to see if maybe she should be the one to make some changes. It's a very typical teenage reaction to a problem and obviously not the ideal way to look at something.

   There is so much about Brave that feels familiar, a spell with a time limit, a character turning in to an animal, a princess. And yet, there were things that genuinely felt fresh and new. It isn’t just Merida’s story it is Queen Elinor’s too as both learn their lesson.

   If Pixar make a sideline in Disney-esque fairy tales then I’m all for it. And by the look of Wreck-it Ralph it seems Disney have borrowed a few sensibilities from Pixar too. It’s a cultural exchange!