Solid fare in the old-school Disney tradition

Rating: 7/10 (10 July 2012)

Brave, Pixar's new animated film, doesn't quite match its predecessors for whimsy, emotion, and awesomeness, but it's a pretty fine movie nonetheless. It has its scary parts, like most Disney movies, but the five year old who saw the movie with me wasn't scared one bit, so you probably won't be, either. But I don't know, she's kind of tough.
Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) is the first-born princess in a mythical Scotland kingdom. Unlike most princesses, though, Merida is feisty, passionate, and more willing to shoot a bow and arrow than to be a demure little lady. Sort of the opposite of what her strict mother, Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson) desires.
The feud between headstrong mother and child comes to a head when the former announces there will be a huge party attended by the three other major clans, the head of each bringing along his first-born son to offer to Merida as a husband. It's tradition, of course. That tradition gets upended by Merida's unyielding will, and in her desperate defiance of her mother she encounters a witch (Julie Walters) who grants her a spell that will change Merida's destiny. Not an uncommon theme in these movies; the trouble is that the characters never seem to understand that changing a destiny doesn't mean it's changed for the better. In this case, Merida's destiny - not a spoiler here - is changed in that her mother becomes a bear. Hilarity ensues.
All curses in movies, particularly in animated movies, have some kind of loophole. Here, it's that if Merida can repair a certain bond before two sunrises, she can reverse the spell; otherwise, dear old mum will be a bear forever. For a queen who hardly ever ventures outside her enormous castle, this is quite the fish-out-of-water dilemma.
From an animation standpoint, Brave is elegant without being too flashy. It doesn't try to be overly realistic, with a tremendous attention to detail, like the earlier Pixar films had. Truth be told, the movie has much more of an old-time, traditionally animated Disney film than a new- wave Pixar movie. The movie is presented in 3D and in 2D, and I recommend the latter - if only because there are many dark scenes (in a forest, mostly) that will be rendered indiscernible in 3D, which vacuums light up. Some of the forest scenes are very pretty indeed, specifically those involving the appearance of the will o' the wisp, a spirit that helps Merida find that which she seeks.
The movie is not without its fair share of humor, even slapstick. Merida's father, the King (voice of Billy Connolly) is a rough-and- tumble, huge, no-necked man who's just as soon drink a gallon of ale with you than break your nose. He's also missing a leg, the tale of which he never tires of telling, to the chagrin of his family. Merida also has three little brothers who, being boys, get away with anything they wish, while the poor princess must conform to strict rules of order. Ain't no fun being a princess, apparently.
Brave is a modest movie by Pixar standards, but its plot is a little more enriched than those of its predecessors, with myths, legends, and oral traditions leading the way to, in some cases, more questions. Well, more questions if you're eight years old and want to know more about everyone's intentions. If you are eight years old and are reading this, congratulations - our schools has made you a learny person. In any event, the plot is simple on the surface but contains deeper layers of provocative intrigue, never a bad thing. Kids will either gloss over the details or will find them fascinating.