The Bear and the Bow

Rating: 10/10 (3 September 2012)

Two days before a friends 26th birthday,I began to franticly search for films playing at local cinema's,which he could happily watch with his friends and family.Searching round the cinema listing's a number of times,I suddenly noticed that the wonderful Pixar studio had just brought out their newest movie.Remembering how much everyone had enjoyed seeing Toy Story 3 in cinema,I began to make last minute preparations,for everyone to have a chance to witness Pixar's magical travel's in the Scottish highlands.
The plot:
Despite repeatedly being told by their daughter that she is not yet prepared to give her hand in marriage,King Fergus and Queen Elinor tell their daughter Merida that she must follow tradition and get wed to the young man who wins the currently being held Highland Games,Angered by her parents refusal to listen to anything she says,Merida tears up the family's treasured tapestry and runs off to the near by woods.Wondering around the woods,Merida finds a trail being lit by rows of will-o'-the- wisp's to a cottage deep in the heart of the woods.Carfully entering the cottage,Merida is given the flight of her life when a witch appears from out of nowhere.Initially being desperate to leave the cottage as fast as possible,Merida begins to change her mind,when the witch tells her that she has the skills to create a spell which will completely change her mother forever.
View on the film:
Spending the first 40 minutes being hit on the head with ads for cheap toys,I began to grip the sides of the chair in the hope of eventually reaching some sort of oasis.Cheerfully,from the very first scene of the film,Pixar show that they have created a truly breath taking paradise,with the vast,perfectly handled,wide tracking shots fully displaying the impeccably detailed Scottish Highlands that are covered in grass that looks just like real life and displays no sign at all of pixels.Having heard about the "troubled" history of the film's production ,(original co-writer/director Brenda Chapman got fired during production over "creative differences") I was pleased to discover that any "back stage troubles" were kept behind the curtain,with director's Chapman,Mark Andrews and Steve Purcell, (who also co-wrote the screenplay,along with Irene Mecchi) having the film move at a tremendous break-neck speed,which whilst never forgetting to have the wonderfully sassy Merida as the centre of the movie,also culminates in an epic,edge of the seat final battle,that is truly as exciting as anything which will be offered in "live action" films this year.Unvailing the spell that the witch has made to make Merida's mum change her mind forever,the writer's run a real risk of the movie falling into looking embarrassing and being a badly done parody of Beauty & The Beast.Impressivly,the screenwriter's stop the film from ever tipping over by having the relationship between Merida and her parents never being sickly sweet,to instead feel much more heartfelt and also handling "the spell" in a cheerful,delicate manner that pulls the viewer into seeing Merida and her parents try to repair their torn tapestry.As the film's closing credits appeared,the very first feeling I had was looking forward to revisiting Pixar's Brave new world and again becoming completely enchanted by their magical tale.