Disney/Pixar has done it yet again. Recovering from last years disappointing Cars 2, Brave is a beautiful journey of love and relationships. The film begins with the introduction of Pixar's first main female character, Princess Merida. We see her first as a young girl on a trip with her parents. Merida wanders of into the forest, and discovers the willo-the-wisps, which according to her mother, Elinor, can lead a person to their destiny. Her father, King Fergus, is then attacked by a bear. We cut to Merida as a teenager. She is being instructed by Queen Elinor on every aspect of being a princess, while Merida simply wants to let loose and use her bow and arrow. A tournament is held to determine who will marry Marida, the competitors being the first sons of different clan leaders. None of them possessing any noticeable skill, Merida decides she will shoot "for her own hand." After this, Elinor and Merida quarrel, and Merida rips her mother's prized quilt of their family. Merida, tired of her mothers treatment, decides to visit a witch (voiced by the terrific Julie Waters, of Molly Weasley fame), and get a spell that will change her fate. I do not wish to reveal to much more, as this is more a movie that is better experienced when you do not know what will happen before hand.
The performances in this movie were terrific. Kelly MacDonald, who previously played the Grey Lady in the final Harry Potter film, does very good voice acting (with a terrific Scottish accent!), and really conveys all the teenage angst that Merida is going through. Billy Connolly (Boondock Saints) and Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter films) do well as Merida's parents, and convey dealing with Merida's teenage angst. One of the best things about Brave was the scenery. Pixar has really outdone itself. The visuals of the surrounding Scottish Highlands was truly beautiful. All of the characters were very defined, as were the animals used. The film just overall looked terrific. The plot of the movie was also well developed. I have read reviews talking of the "unoriginality" of the plot, but this analyzation of mother/daughter relationships has never quite been done in this fashion. The ending was quite emotional, and, just like Toy Story 3, had me on the verge of well-deserved tears. Overall, a moving and beautiful film. Pixar is back at it.
Rating: A
On a side note, the Pixar short film that played before Brave, La Luna, was very nice. It looked beautiful, and had a great and creative idea. Well done.
No comments:
Post a Comment