A refreshing story in two main regards

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2012)

I liked Brave a lot, for many different reasons (particularly the beautifully-done animation and spot-on performances), but for two in particular that set it apart from almost every other Hollywood movie made these days.
First of all, it's a film that is primarily about a mother-daughter relationship. How often do we see those? Not often, certainly not in major motion pictures, animated or not. We see several father-son stories, occasionally a father-daughter story, but a story about a mom and her daughter? All too rare.
Second, it's a story where the beautiful young princess does NOT, for a very refreshing change, wind up with a handsome prince at the end. That's right, not only is the beautiful princess the main character, there is no romantic plot or sub-plot. Again, something we don't see very often.
I highly recommend Brave for families for this reason. Don't worry, despite what I've said the movie is not a feminist diatribe--it's a fun and touching romp, with plenty to amuse both boys and girls. But the sub-text is invaluable and all-too-rare in our culture.