Good, fun, and some really great features, but not quite Pixar classic

Rating: 8/10 (13 November 2012)

You have to feel sorry for Pixar. Considering they've created some of the most amazing animated films in history every eye is on them with everything they release. The review on the main page for Brave says everything I thought right in the title. This reviewer said "Pixar's latest effort enchants us with stunning visuals, and charismatic characters, but misses the X factor that makes Pixar film's great." (Joe Chadowski) He just nails exactly how I felt about this entire film. The Animation is stunning as always, the characters are fun and well performed and parts of the film are just simply enchanting which is what we have come to expect from Pixar. But there is something missing. I think that the story for Brave is definitely a little different. It isn't quite the adventure that we are used to from Pixar, most of it taking place in and around the castle in the film. It's a heavily moralistic tale about a mother and daughter. I felt like the beginning dragged just a little bit but then the middle got better and the ending was stupendous and pulls at your heart strings. There is just a certain something missing from the formula that makes this as big as previous Pixar films.
The cast is superb. Kelly Macdonald brings a fierce determination and is simply fun as the free spirited Merida. Billy Connolly is brilliant and the role was just tailor made for him as Fergus, her father. Emma Thompson is terrific as Merida's mother before her transformation and the supporting main cast of Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson is just perfectly casted.
I would have liked to have gotten a child's opinion on this film. Ultimately Pixar animation is gearing itself towards families and children and I feel like some kids might find this almost boring at times. I never found it boring because it felt more like a film made for adults. It had the ever popular adult humour that parents will laugh and the kids won't understand but I still felt like there was more here for adults than kids. Brave was very entertaining and I wanted to stay with it every minute because the characters were incredibly vibrant and the animation was top notch as it has ever been. The 3D was likely very impressive although I hate 3D. I absolutely recommend Brave because it still first rate animation but don't expect the stone cold classic we have come to expect from Pixar. It's a tow the line entry from them. 8/10