Brave

Year of release

2012

Directed by

Mark Andrews

Brenda Chapman

Steve Purcell

Written by

Mark Andrews / Brenda Chapman

Steve Purcell / Irene Mecchi

Michael Arndt

Starring

Kelly McDonald

Emma Thompson

Billy Connolly

Julie Walters

Brave

 

 

Plot – In an ancient and mythical Scotland a young and spirited princess by the name of Merida is an aspiring archer and a talented rider of horses. Desperate to fulfil these ambitions she is crushed when her mother informs her that she has to forget such pursuits, and instead marry for the good of the kingdom. When she defies her mother's wishes the fallout sends her running off into the forest. In the forest she stumbles across the domain of a witch and asks her to change her mother, thus changing Merida's destiny. The 'change' however is not at all what Merida was expecting, and now both the life of her mother and the safety of the kingdom are at risk. And now it's up to Merida to try and tidy up her own mess.

This is a pleasant if ultimately disappointing effort from the geniuses at Pixar. I just felt it failed to really capture the magic and wonder that a Pixar movie usually generates. At the film's conclusion I just couldn't shake the feeling of, “is that it?” I was just left feeling rather underwhelmed by it. I had been expecting to find a lot more action and adventure present, and was a little miffed to find a much smaller and more personal tale. Indeed it's all rather quaint. It's as if the bigwigs at Pixar came across an unfilmed script for a lost Disney film of the 40s, and they decided to make it with the use of modern technology. The story, characters and tone all feel very reminiscent of the old Disney movies I watched over and over as a kid. The only thing missing were a few big song and dance numbers. The technology really does feel about the only element which sets this aside from classic Disney fare. Following on from Cars 2 which seemed purely like a cash-in, I just hope this isn't a sign of Pixar becoming truly Disney-ised.

Were I not Scottish I think my level of enjoyment would have been even less. As a proud Scot however I viewed Brave through tartan tinted glasses and really took the Scottish elements to heart. I loved how they were able to capture and replicate the beauty of the Scottish scenery, and found myself really quite stirred by the film's score which had a very strong Scottish/celtic twang to it. I also got a massive kick out of hearing some exceedingly Scottish phrases being uttered in a big Hollywood film. Hearing insults like 'galoots', 'tumshie' and 'numpty', as well as hearing utterings of 'jings crivens help ma boab', 'jiggery pokery' and 'crivens' was probably my favourite part of the film actually. And then of course there was this little extract from a song sung by King Fergus - “we'll bile yur heed wae dumplin' breed, tae make an ursine stew!”

I'm very glad that the makers of Brave decided to go with an almost exclusively Scottish voice cast. As well as just the enjoyment I got from hearing so many genuine Scottish voices, it also means the film was able to avoid any botched attempts at the accent which would go on to become infamous examples alongside the likes of Keanu Reeves in Dracula and Brad Pitt in Devil's Own. So while I am a fan of hers I do dread to think what Reese Witherspoon, the original Merida, would have been able to come up with had she remained in the role. The cast who did feature all do a very nice job with Kelly McDonald and Billy Connolly being particular favourites of mine.

Film trivia - Some of the technology employed on Brave is astonishing. Indeed Pixar actually had to develop two additional software programs just for this film. One of the programs was required for Merida's hair to handle the 1500 separate strands it entailed, and to allow them all to move naturally in conjuncture with her movements. /// The film took six years to reach completion. Initially the film was to be directed by Brenda Chapman, with Mark Andrews acting as a consultant, providing information for the film's Scottish elements. In October 2010 however Chapman left after four years work and Andrews took over directing duties. He still kept much of Chapman's intended story and Chapman herself said she is still very proud of the finished movie as her “vision still came through.

I mentioned earlier how the film lacked the usual magic and story of Pixar. and there are a few other areas where I felt it came up short. As far as Pixar films go I found this to be amongst the least funny they've so far produced. The laughs came at a much slower rate than one would expect and I'm struggling to really remember any big laughs. I also felt it very much lacking when it came to memorable characters. Take a film like Finding Nemo for example which is just absolutely littered with them; from the main characters to the inhabitants of the aquarium and the sea turtles, all the way down to the seagulls who make such a memorable impact despite only having a single word to say - “Mine!” Yes you've got Merida with her flame haired locks and well rounded character but outside of that I didn't find much else. And after hearing much about them I found the trio of brothers disappointing, and even slightly annoying on occasion.

When I was discussing the film's Scottish elements I noted the beauty of the scenery, and the film as a whole does look astonishing. Indeed from a purely animation point of view this is right up there amongst the best ever produced. The highland landscapes are just gorgeous, the detail in Merida's flowing red locks is stunning and the action is terrific. The particular moment I'm thinking of is when Merida is out riding on her horse and shooting arrows. The movement of the horse is amazing and they were just able to create such energy and life in these shots. Another highlight of the film would be the character of Merida herself. For an animated film, even those of Pixar's quality, she really is an impressively rounded and fleshed out character. A character who has both good and bad qualities to her personality.

What I was probably most disappointed in is that the film just didn't live up to its own billing. It may be titled Brave but I certainly wouldn't describe it as such. It feels like a very safe venture for Pixar, especially when you consider the kind of ground-breaking and visionary work they have produced in the past. Through a combination of me being a huge fan of Pixar and my Scottish roots, I had been following the progress of this film ever since I initially heard about it (back when it was called The Bear and the Bow) and was very sad to find it didn't meet my high expectations of it.

Oh and the accompanying short was quite delightful. Titled La Luna it doesn't feature any recognisable words with the characters communicating only through grunts and gestures. It follows the more surreal and creative bent that some of the shorts have taken of late and is just a really sweet, touching little effort.

Conclusion – While it doesn't sound out the creative demise of Pixar it certainly isn't a shining beacon of hope that Cars 2 was a rare slip. Their next film, Monsters University, now has more scrutiny and pressure on it than perhaps any Pixar film ever has before. They need to deliver and prove they are still amongst the best creative forces that Hollywood has to offer. This is a nice film but one that I don't really see lingering long in the memory. The Scottish elements, even if they did go a little Brigadoon at times, certainly helped for me personally. Without them I'm not how much there would have been here for me.