A More or Less Average Film

Rating: 6/10 (11 February 2013)

Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
The people who select the Golden Globes winners... something is very, very wrong with them. Somehow this film became the winner of the Golden Globe for animation. Now, maybe the vote was split on two others and this one sneaked through... but I think somehow they thought it was the best. It is anything but.
Having now seen the five Oscar nominees for best animated feature, I sincerely hope this film does not walk away with the award. While it has a strong feminist message that may appeal to young women (which is good), the overall plot is your standard Disney story: girl gets in disagreement with parents and rebels, has to learn that she was wrong. We saw this in "Little Mermaid", to some degree in "Beauty and the Beast"... it is nothing new.
The animation is well done, that is true. But even if we judge the film only on technical merits, it would have to compete with the other nominees. Add in actual plot and a level of innovation and fun, and this one is nothing -- "ParaNorman" and "Wreck-It Ralph" are clearly better films, and even "Pirates" is probably the greater contribution to cinema.
The title and concept are confusing. Being called "Brave" and taking place in Scotland made me think it was a Disney version of "Braveheart". No. Not even close. The plot says she has to use her bravery and archery... well, sort of. But it is not actually an important aspect of the story.
This is a film you can play for your kids if you want the television to babysit them. But it is not a new Disney classic by any means.