REVIEW - Brave * * *

Review by Damon Rickard

Stars Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson

Written by Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews

Certification UK PG US PG

Runtime 100 minutes

Directed by Brenda Chapman & Mark Andrews



Set in the highlands of Scotland and many years ago, Pixar tells us the tail of Princess Merida, a girl who is determined to break free from the shackles of tradition and find her own way in the world.  Beset on all sides by family and other clans, she is forced into a life she doesn't believe in.  One which entails speaking in a certain way, eating in a certain way, walking in a certain way.  Merida is more interested in galloping through the woods on her trusty steed with her beloved bow and arrows, dreaming of adventure and heroism, not spending her time pandering to the whims of a man she hasn't chosen for herself.

When it comes to the day her suitors must compete for her hand, Merida sneaks out of the castle and finds herself led deep into the woods by Will-o'-the-wisps where she comes across a cabin, inhabited by an old lady woodcarver who holds the power to change Merida's fate.  But at what cost?

Once again the Pixar arm of Disney brings us a charming tale of breaking free against the odds and being the person (fish, car, toy) that you're destined to be, not what the world expects of you.  This is a theme that has permeated the Pixar brand through all their films.  Be it Buzz Lightyear realising he is more than just a toy, Lightening McQueen finding more to him than just a race car, Wall-E breaking away from his life as a trash compactor and discovering his dream of companionship, they constantly remind us that we can be all we want to be.  From all the delights Pixar has given us, the closest film in personality to this would be Finding Nemo.  Both are set against a struggle within the family with the child wanting more than the parent would allow. 

Brave starts with all the charm of its predecessors and some genuine laugh out loud moments, combined with a voice cast that is enthralling to listen to.  The build up of the characters and the set up for the story is a joy to watch with absolutely sumptuous animation.  The scenery is stunning, bright and beautiful and doing for Scotland what Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand.  The detail put into this film is beyond anything Pixar have done before and that really is saying something.  The hair on our protagonist is incredibly lifelike as is the fur on animals they have.  This exceptional animation aids to the initial enjoyment of the film.

However it is when the story really kicks in that the film begins to lose the brilliance of it's early promise.  One of the things Pixar have always done well is keep the tone of their films the same throughout and the pacing consistent.  However with John Lassiter moving away from overseeing all the Pixar output, the overall quality seems to have been affected.  The film moves into a typical Disney narrative and loses some of the fun that held its head high through the first half of the film.  Whilst it still retains some of the humour, there is a distinct tonal shift as the story telling brings in the good vs evil moral compass.  A darker voice seems to take over which, even though not overbearing, doesn't quite fit into what was, at some points, practically a slapstick comedy.  It is here that the film just sort of lulls along to the climax rather than building to a crescendo.

Overall it is an entertaining watch and never boring but I just felt it could have been much better and stood up as one of Pixar's best entries. As it is, whilst still better than most current animated films, it sits neatly nestled in with Cars 2 and A Bugs Life on the average Pixar scale.

3/5