Rebelle

Everything about Brave is different from the Pixar norm, save the unequaled attention to detail and quality.

The Disney-Pixar animated feature focuses on Princess Merida as she searches for a way to change her fate. In a journey of magic, adventure and family, the fiery Scot is launched into the ranks of the elite Disney princesses.

As odd and understandably foreign as the accents felt watching the early previews for the movie, the voice acting was executed following, creating very real characters that fit their animated molds perfectly. By the end of the movie, what once sounded foreign blended into the scenery and visuals to create a completely immersing environment.

In fact, amid the magic spells and tall tales of times gone by, it's the historical, Scottish feeling that made Marida's journey and transformation (and that of her mother) that much more tangible and familiar.

Underneath the folk-tale storyline lies the same life lessons that ring true for young and old. Though the movie heavily focuses on a mother- daughter relationship, it's not just for girls anymore than Mulan was. Merida is a true Disney princess, with gumption, heart and an uncanny connection with nature, but the story could have been told from a male perspective and rung just as true, making it easy to empathize with Pixar's first female lead.

As has been the case with almost every other one of their movies, the company has reinvented the standard for animated visuals. The environments are based on real Scottish landmarks, adding real depth to the story, and the colors are as bright as they are grounded, creating a wonderfully real world. Such visuals lend credence to the upcoming 3D re-release of Finding Nemo, though not much, but also show just how far the studio has come.

All of the elements put together, Brave is a different sort of movie than many were expecting. More focused on a single pair and their quest together, not to mention darker by far, the story of Merida was a leap of faith for the once small studio.

Many will have their doubts, left wanting another heart wrenching love story from Up or creative take on a beat to death genre like The Incredibles. That was never the purpose. Just as with every one of their award-winning films (Cars 2 notwithstanding), a new movie means a new chapter, new story and new style of film.

Taken for what it is, Brave is a remarkable step into a whole new style of movie, proving the creative teams at Pixar will continue to write their own fate.

Nice movie, not the best Pixar movie, but I really enjoyed watching it. Merida was a good character. Her relationship with her mother was excellent. The message of the film was excellent.

I watched this movie in 3D with my (very mature for his age) five year old grandson. He loved it and wanted to talk about the plot for most of the afternoon to anyone who would listen. However, other young children in the theatre were rather nervous and scared in certain parts of the film and a few very small (2 - 4 year old) children had to be escorted out of the cinema by their parents.

Personally, after the first five minutes, which were a bit slow, I became absorbed in the story and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. There was lots of action and the plot was attention grabbing and unique, with no soppy love story and little slang included.

While I must admit that "Brave" is not among my favorite Pixar films, I was totally blown away by the computer graphics. To some extent this is to be expected--as years pass, the CGI is bound to get better and better. But it's more than that--the textures, colors and depth were all incredible and I was in love with the animation throughout.

As far as the story goes, it was a mixed bag. While I was thrilled to see a Pixar film with female leads AND featuring a mother-daughter relationship, the story itself seemed a bit shallow and flat. It wasn't bad, but never hit that emotional spot within that you'd find in "Up" or "Toy Story 3". Now this isn't to say it's bad---it just isn't among the very best of the studio and is STILL well worth seeing. It's especially nice to see a FEMALE protagonist--and one who does NOT need to be rescued by a prince! Incidentally, my daughter and her friend loved the film--and my bet is that girls would generally prefer this film but it's a lot of fun for everyone.

By the way, there is a cute inside joke in the film in which they mention someone being out of town at the "Wicker Man" ceremony! This could be a reference to the wonderful 1970s film (see this one--not the remake) or to the actual ancient ceremony. I actually had no idea that this was a real event until dlwagner sent me an email informing me of this--but I certainly did NOT expect to hear them talking about it in "Brave".

After last years Cars 2, many began to underestimate Pixar and believed that it would begin to fall out of the radar. Well this movie will definitely prove them wrong. This movie was a visually stunning masterpiece with a great story. Even before the movie started it was exciting because of the unique and creative short La Luna along with the Monsters University teaser trailer. If you are reading this and haven't seen the movie yet make sure you STAY TILL THE END OF THE CREDITS for just a little scene about something that happened earlier in the movie. Thanks to everyone at Pixar studios for creating a true masterpiece!