Still not back to masterpiece form, but Pixar slightly redeems with Brave

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2012)

Cars 2 was the ultimate proof that Pixar is indeed mortal and capable of producing filth.
Brave is proof that Pixar still has a ways to go before reaching its previous masterpiece status---the movie didn't even feel like it matched the title.
But despite not having the emotional complexity of Up, the humor of Toy Story 2, or even the distinctive creativity of Monster's Inc., Brave still works in many levels and will entertain us all just like your usual Pixar fare. Like Pixar's best, there was a clear multitude of effort in terms of the storytelling, the voice acting, and especially its animation.
Brave is about a feisty carefree princess that is absolutely not ready for a suitor, and not ready for the lifestyle of a queen. After a nasty spat with her mom, she sets off and makes a drastic decision leading to a difficult series of events. Without spoiling too much, Brave offers plenty of twists to the usual rebel-against-the-parents story that we see in kids movies.
The outstanding part of this movie is the animation, which is leagues above anything else the competitors can weave. From the backgrounds to the action sequences to the subtle clever visual jokes to the staggering details concerning Princess Merida's hair, Brave looks spellbindingly gorgeous. The voice acting was also superb, as plenty of emotion was delivered by Kelly McDonald, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson.
What will make this princess-driven movie stand out is Merida herself. She has quite a personality that in sharp contrast to princesses in animated and live-action ranging from Snow White to Princess Fiona in later Shrek films. She is funny, caring, adventurous, and far stronger emotionally and physically then what we are used to seeing on screen. The shameful part is that on the latter half we don't see her adventurous qualities---she barely uses her bow and arrow that had been sprinkled all over the marketing (which is definitely the worst part of Brave and most likely will hinder its box office receipts).
As a matter of fact its the latter half that prevents this from being something truly magical and special. We don't see the Braveness in Brave, we don't see Merida as much action but more in a preparedness pose, and ultimately the climax wraps around a bit too quickly. The changing of directors definitely had a profound effect on the pacing and direction of the movie.
Have no fear however, the little kids will definitely enjoy Brave. There is still enough humor, heart, and suspense to propel this past your usual computer animated drivel. And the Pixar fanatics will just be thrilled that its a turn back to originality after experiencing sequel after sequel----
-----And Cars 2.