Review: 'Brave' is not Pixar's best, but better than 'Cars'
Merida, the Scottish princess in the Pixar 3-D animated feature 鈥�Brave,鈥� is a tomboy who knows her way around a bow and arrow. I don鈥檛 think 鈥�The Hunger Games鈥� crowd will necessarily cross over into Disney territory, but it鈥檚 nice to think that there is now at least one more feisty female role model in the movies 鈥� even if she is digital.
Merida is the best thing about 鈥淏rave,鈥� which, although technically up to Pixar鈥檚 standards, is more conventional 鈥� more Disneyish 鈥� than that studio鈥檚 best work. It lacks the intricacy of imagination that made films like 鈥�The Incredibles鈥� and 鈥�Finding Nemo鈥� so exhilirating. On the other hand, it鈥檚 a whole lot better than the 鈥�Cars鈥� movies. I鈥檓 glad to see the Pixar people have pulled themselves out of that rut.
Pixar is noted for the 鈥渉eart鈥� it injects into its stories. In 鈥淏rave,鈥� the core relationship is between Merida (voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald) and her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), who is turned into a bear by a witch. How these two survive, while attempting to cast off the witch鈥檚 spell, is alternately touching and (deliberately) silly. Their scenes together are in a different, more emotionally incisive key than the slapstick ribaldry involving the one-legged King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and the parade of woebegone suitors Merida rejects. No envelopes are pushed in 鈥淏rave,鈥� which was directed by Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews, and no genres are subverted. It鈥檚 a safe experience; but safe, in this case, is better than sorry. Grade: B (Rated PG for some scary action and rude humor.)
