Brave (A Movie Review)

Theaterical Release Poster

Movie Profile

Directed by: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

Produced by: Katherine Sarafian

Screenplay by: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi

Story by:         Brenda Chapman

Music by:         Patrick Doyle

Production       Walt Disney Pictures

company:         Pixar Animation Studios
 

Running time:  93 minutes

Country:      United States

         Starring and Voice Cast/Main Characters

                                        (Source: wikipedia.org)

• Kelly Macdonald as Merida, a Scottish princess who dreams of following her own path and living her own life
  • Peigi Barker as Young Merida
• Emma Thompson as Queen Elinor, Dunbroch's diplomatic queen and Merida's mother, whose respect for protocol and tradition brings her into conflict with her daughter.
• Billy Connolly as King Fergus, Dunbroch's king and Merida's boisterous father
• Julie Walters as The Witch, a crafty and bumbling old woman who agrees to help Merida
• Robbie Coltrane as Lord Dingwall
• Kevin McKidd as Lord MacGuffin and Young MacGuffin
• Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh
• Steve Purcell as The Crow
• Patrick Doyle as Martin, the guard
• John Ratzenberger as Gordon, the guard
• Sally Kinghorn and Eilidh Fraser as Maudie, the castle maid
• Steven Cree as Young Macintosh
• Callum O'Neill as Wee Dingwall

Plot

In Scotland, a child princess named Merida of the clan Dunbroch is given a bow and arrows by her father, King Fergus, for her birthday. Her mother, Queen Elinor, is dismayed. While venturing into the woods to fetch a stray arrow, Merida encounters a will-o'-the-wisp. Soon afterwards, Mor'du, a huge demon-bear, attacks the family. Merida flees on horseback with Elinor, while Fergus fights off Mor'du at the cost of his left leg.

Later as a free-spirited and headstrong young woman, Merida discovers that she is to be betrothed to the son of one her father's allies, much to her dismay. Reminding Merida of a legend of a prince whose pride and refusal to follow his father's wishes destroyed his kingdom, Elinor warns her that failure to consent to the betrothal could harm Dunbroch.

The allied clan chieftains arrive with their first-born sons to compete in the Highland Games for Merida's hand in marriage. Merida twists the rules, announcing that she is eligible to compete for her own hand as the first-born of Clan Dunbroch. She defeats each of her suitors in an archery contest, shaming the other clans and leading to an argument with Elinor. When Merida storms out, she follows the wisps to the hut of an elderly witch. Merida bargains with the witch, and receives an enchanted cake that will change her fate.

The cake transforms Elinor into a black bear. Merida returns to the witch's

cottage with Elinor, who still retains most of her human personality. The witch has abandoned the cottage but left a message: unless Merida is able to "mend the bond torn by pride" before the second sunrise, the spell will become permanent. Merida and Elinor are led by the wisps to ancient ruins, where they encounter Mor'du. Merida discovers that he was once the power-mad prince in the legend, transformed by a similar spell. Merida vows to her mother that she will not let her become a wild animal like Mor'du. She believes that she can reverse the spell by repairing a tapestry she damaged during their argument.

The clans are on the verge of war. Having learned the importance of
responsibility from her experience with her mother, Merida intends to declare herself ready to choose a suitor as tradition demands. However, with silent encouragement from Elinor, she instead insists that the first-born should be allowed to marry in their own time to whomever they choose. The clans agree, breaking tradition but renewing and strengthening their alliance. Merida sneaks into the tapestry room with Elinor. Elinor, who is losing her humanity, attacks Fergus, but suddenly regains her composure and flees the castle. Mistaking the queen for Mor'du, Fergus pursues the bear with the other clans. With the help of her triplet brothers, who have been transformed by the enchanted cake into bear cubs, Merida repairs the torn tapestry while riding after her father. The clans and Fergus capture Elinor, but Merida intervenes. Mor'du appears and attacks. Mor'du scatters the clan warriors and targets Merida. Elinor intercedes, using her bear strength to hold off Mor'du until he is crushed by a falling menhir. This releases the fallen prince's spirit, who silently thanks Elinor for freeing him. As the sun rises for the second time, Merida thinks that the repaired tapestry does not work and reconciles with her mother, unknowingly fulfilling the true meaning of the witch's riddle. The queen is restored to her human form, as are the triplets, and the family is reunited.

Later, Merida and Elinor work together on a new tapestry of Merida and Elinor as a bear, when they are called to the docks to bid farewell to the other clans. Their bond renewed and strengthened by their adventure, Merida and Elinor become inseparable.

Review

Set in the Scottish Highlands, the film tells the story of a princess named Merida who defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in the kingdom by expressing the desire to not be betrothed. After consulting a witch for help, Merida accidentally transforms her mother into a bear and is forced to undo the spell herself before it is too late.

Brave offers young audiences and fairy tale fans a rousing, funny fantasy adventure with a distaff twist and surprising depth. What I love the most about Merida is the novel break from traditional Disney princesses. Her appearance...long, wild, curly, fiery red mane of hair, blue eyes, a pale skin tone, and slender body is well suited to show Merida's single-mindedness and impetuous insistence that she control her own destiny. Added to this is Merida's dressing... a dark teal coloured traditional gown with a bow slung onto her back, over her shoulder, and arrows in a brown leather quiver around her waist.  She is incredibly skilled in archery along with spears and sword-fighting. The most fantastic of all scenes is Merida racing across the countryside on Angus, her Clydesdale horse. 

Along with an excellent setting in the Scottish highlands, the most fascinating thing about the movie is Merida's love for her parents despite all hardships, King Fergus being clumsy and Queen Elinor diplomatic. And yet another thing is women empowerment... Merida rightly breaks all traditional customs that had imprisioned girls at a very young age in her kingdom for years... 'Brave' being the right title for her. Her spirit throughout the movie is actually one to be watched and accepted... a better form of a princess I think.

Excellent humour is maintained throughout the movie from the clumsy king, to silly clan members and above all the triplets. In fact, the entire movie is sprinkled with tiny bits of humour that can be well enjoyed by the viewer... And who can forget the two songs 'Touch the Sky' and 'Into the Open Air' sung by Joulie Fowlis...incredible voice and lyrics! (I am going to review them soon.) 

This movie is indeed refreshing and a good watch... with a deep moral to learn, some secrets to unfold... and most importantly to learn the art of being brave and fight for making your own destiny...rather than waiting for it...

"Some say that fate is something beyond our command... but I know that fate lies within us...You only have to be brave enough to see it" - Merida

Some Screenshots

Reception

Brave premiered on June 10, 2012, at the Seattle International Film Festival, and was released in North America on June 22, 2012, to both positive reviews and box office success. The film won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature Film. 

The film holds a 78% approval rating on the review aggregator website. 

Rotten Tomatoes (based on 217 reviews) gives an average rating of 6.9/10.

IMDB: 7.2/10

Some More Screenshots

    

The adamant Merida