'Brave' is a simple tale well told - a bit more 'Disney' than 'Pixar'

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2012)

After the highly disappointing 'Cars 2', it is nice to see an original film from Pixar once again. The burden Pixar carries is their near perfect hit-after-hit track record, and the company is clearly beginning to feel the pressure of this amazing output.
If you come with giddy expectations you may be let down a little - Brave is a thoroughly enjoyable film but it's just far more 'ordinary' in its delivery and themes than other Pixar films. This in many ways is its strength - its simplicity actually works well. But at its core lies themes that we've seen before, told in very similar ways. It is here where the film feels much more like a well-made Disney Animation Studio film than a Pixar one - almost like a follow-up to Tangled.
The animation is beautiful, the film doesn't overstay its welcome, and, given the film's problems during production, it's great to see something this coherent.
What I really appreciated was the mother-daughter relationship which is the focus of the film. This was not really clear in the advertising - in fact, it seems they would have us believe it's a father/daughter themed movie from the trailers. Apparently talking about mothers and daughters is box-office poison.
It's refreshing. We all know about the Disney curse on mothers. Instead of following suit, this film, with the immense heart and talent of Emma Thompson, carves out a wonderful role for Queen Elinor, and the relationship between her and her daughter Merida develops some rich layers as the film progresses.
Expect a good film and you will be happy with this one. Expect the best film and you will be underwhelmed. It's all about perspective.