Brave

The Disney Pixar movies are an interesting bunch. They came out of the gate strong, and then decided that sadness would be the best way to go. With that they won some Oscars and terrorized children with nightmares of post-apocalyptic Wall-E and a friendly group of toys almost meeting their demise in a garbage dump incinerator. Well now they’ve moved back toward less depressing fare and the critics rip them apart. I say well done Pix-ney. Children should be able to enjoy animated features. This year’s installment is Brave, the story of a Scottish princess who rebels against her mother’s attempt to have her grow up to be a proper lady. First things first, both her parents are alive. That’s an unexpected Disney move.

But even with these less gloomy elements the film has some issues. The script borrows ideas from stories like Beauty and the Beast while being a less dire rehashing of Mulan. Yes, let’s not forget that for all the attention Brave has received for its “girl power,” they had a less whiny heroine do much more while fighting the Huns… who were real and most likely really scary. The last two-thirds of Brave, unexpectedly revolves around a campy human to animal transformation, which bogs down a promising beginning.

But let’s lower our gaze a bit. Intended for children, there is a lot of physical humor that had the children in my theater laughing. Some fun voice acting from actors like Billy Connolly and Craig Ferguson give the Scottish story some authenticity. And with all the castles and kilts, the destination story gives a backdrop that isn’t so common in animation. It’s not that I necessarily mind it, but can someone explain the cartoon trend of having little interchangeable characters causing mischief? There are the little brothers in Brave, the bears in The Lorax and the minions in Despicable Me. It’s just odd. Brave is visually impressive, age appropriate and funny. Though it’s cheesiness at times reduces the overall attempt. And not enough incinerators…

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.