Get a clue, Hollywood.

Rating: 5/10 (23 June 2012)

Saw Pixar's "Brave" last night. As usual, the animation was gorgeous. The rendering of Merida's horse was the best animation of a horse to date, and you just can't look away from the gorgeous curls of Merida's flaming hair. As for the movie itself, the first portion of the film had a heart to it, but as soon as Merida meets a witch in order to obtain a spell to change her fate, the movie devolves into the frenetic pratfall hysteria that directors think is needed to hold a child's attention. I watched the children lose interest during chase scene after chase scene. What I found ironic was that the short, La Luna, before the film, while silent and slowly unfolding the story, held the attention of the entire audience, young and old, much more than the fast-paced, in your face drama of the feature film. In face, at one point in La Luna, the entire audience breathed together an awe-struck, extended breath "Whoaaaaa" which will forever be one of my favorite theater moments. Like the first part of "Up", the audience didn't care that there were no words, they didn't care that there wasn't non-stop action. They lived in the joy as the movie showed us that quiet moments are sometimes the best treasures. Hollywood would be Brave to give us more of those moments.