Visually Gorgeous, Nice Score, Thin Plot

Rating: 7/10 (21 July 2012)

Let's see. Royal family, check. Uptight but good-hearted queen and mother, check. Arranged marriage, check. Icky choice of suitors, check. Rebellious daughter, check. Magic spell with unintended consequences (like there's any other kind), check. Desperate race to undo spell, check. Even more desperate battle to prevent a fatal misunderstanding, check. Liberating finale, check. Kid from Brooklyn who's too young to die, check - sorry, wrong movie. Not only is the story line pretty predictable, but by today's standards, very linear. No back story, no subplots to speak of. Many of the scenery shots are absolutely exquisite - the visual artistry in animation just keeps getting better. The score is evocative. There are some great slapstick and tender scenes. Spoiler - the spell turns people into bears. I seriously flashed back to Brother Bear in a couple of places. And when the queen, who had been covered only in fur, changes back, it is undoubtedly the first time a female in a Pixar film has ever said "I'm naked." There's plenty here to justify the ticket, but it is a bit thin in the plot.