Brave

I'm so happy that I got to see Brave this weekend! I usually am nannying and babysitting so I get to have an excuse to see all the new Disney movies (the four-year-old was so confused about why I was balling in Toy Story 3) but since I'm in Virginia with grown ups for the summer I was worried I would have no one to go with. Fortunately, I went to visit a friend of mine who goes to the Naval Academy this weekend and roped him into seeing it with me. He was a pretty good sport about it.

Be Warned, there are SPOILERS!!

Brave tells the story of Merida, a Scottish princess who isn't ready for the marriage and strict rules that being a princess entails. She would rather roam free on adventures and settle down when she finds true love. This creates a rift between Merida and her mother, the queen. Fueled by anger, Merida searches for a way to change her mother (interestingly she doesn't even consider changing herself) so that she can live the life she wants. Merida follows the Will-O'-the-Wisps (blue floating light fairy things) to an old witch who gives her a cake that will change Merida's mother and thus her fate. Merida gives her mother the cake only to find that rather than making her change her mind about marriage, it turns the queen into a bear! Merida and her mother have two days to reverse the spell by "mending the bond" before the queen will be a bear forever!

First of all, let me just say that I didn't get any of that from the trailer. From the trailers I thought Merida was going to have to fight off a huge bear to prove her bravery or something. There wasn't even a hint of the whole mom-turns-into-an-animal plot. That isn't to say I didn't like it, but it did take me by surprise.

What I enjoyed most about Brave is how different it is from what Disney and Pixar normally do. There is no romance to speak of. Merida has no prince or true love's kiss. While the idea of a princess wanting to break free isn't new *cough*Jasmine*cough* the fact that there is no marriage or kiss or hero to speak of is definitely unique. The part of me that loves Happily-Ever-Afters was sad that Merida didn't get her prince, but having a heroine who is strong and brave enough not to need a prince is a happily ever after in its own way. 

Another difference was the distinct lack of animal-sidekick in Brave. Sure, the horse (Angus--brilliant name) was present, but he wasn't nearly as influential a character as, say, Maximus in Tangled. Brave is also Pixar's first female protagonist and their first fairy-tale, which I thought was interesting.

This movie was HILARIOUS! I cracked up throughout the whole thing, but especially right when the queen is turned into a bear. Normally human-in-animal-body comedy doesn't work for me, but for some reason watching the bear mime these prissy, feminine actions really tickled my funny bone. The triplets were also great--three little red-headed devils who can get away with anything.

As for the music, the only thing I can really say is that I don't remember it. True to a Pixar film, this isn't a musical-style movie, so all the music just kind of stayed in the background for me. My friend who saw it with me assured me the music was kick-ass though. I'll have to pay better attention next time I see it--and yes, there will be a next time.

The animation was, of course, lovely. Pixar and Disney are like a Super Team--they make magic. Incredible magic. I fell in love with Merida's hair. I watched the Tangled commentary on the DVD (because, you know, I'm a dork who has no life) where they mentioned that hair was one of the hardest things to animate. You can see why this would be a challenge for Tangled. I feel like in Brave Disney and Pixar were taking everything they'd learned about hair and showing it off--in a good way. Merida's hair was lifelike and vibrant as hell and simply beautiful.

Overall, if you haven't seen Brave yet, go kidnap a four-year-old and watch it RIGHT NOW!