Brave

[cheshirecatgirl]

Sooo, anyone else really looking forward to this movie? Most of my ancestors are from Scotland, and I have always had a strong affinity for all things Scottish (with the possible exception of haggis), so I am glad to see a cool looking movie set there! Also, I like the strong female princess role. I hope my niece will like this princess as much as she likes the others, because I think this one is going to be a better role model! At least I hope so. Anyway, I love the way this movie looks so far, in terms of setting and characters. And I've seen some articles on Brave merchandise, it looks like some really nice Merida dolls are going to come out, as well as a toy bow and arrow set.

Now that I think about it, the two movies I most want to see this year involve a strong female heroine who is good at archery (Hunger Games!).

[carolinakid]

I'm looking forward to it but to be honest, I'm a little disturbed at the design of the female lead. She has the face of a cabbage patch doll to me......not very attractive......and I'm not a big fan of the Taylor Swift hair....but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by the final result!

[cheshirecatgirl]

Really? She did not look at all like a Cabbage Patch doll to me! And her hair looked pretty wild, which I liked.


ETA: Here's an article which has pictures of some of the dolls. Also, the video shows other dolls and toys.

http://pixartimes.com/2012/02/12/toy...e-merchandise/

[houseofmouse]

I love the wild hair look. I like that she is not the prettiest or very prissy but still a princess. A way better example to young girls in my opinion.

[carolinakid]

Does anyone know how to pronounce Merida? Is it MER-i-da or Me-RI-da or another way? At this point I've just never heard anyone say it...

[cheshirecatgirl]

On the video in the link I posted above, one lady who was presenting the dolls pronounced it MERida.

[cstephens]

On the official site, there's a clip from the film (the archer challenge sequence) that has her saying her own name as well as her mother saying her name. They both pronounce it MER-i-da.

[carolinakid]

Gracias! Like MERida. Mexico!

[shna]

I'm excited because it's a Pixar film! The scenery I've seen so far (pretty much what's in the trailers) looks gorgeous. I, too, like the idea of a feisty non-prissy princess.

[KarenW2]

My hubby and I went to all of the presentations for this movie and we were VERY impressed!! The quality of the animation looks sooo real! They did a lot of study, to see what kinds of things would've been around in Scotland, at the time the story is set and their attention to detail is amazing!!

We got to see real photos, as well as concept art, of what they were working on at the time and it was really impressive!

They've got some great voice talent for the movie, that will make it great as well - Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Craig Ferguson, Kelly MacDonald, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Robbie Coltrane, just to name a few.

We can't wait to see it and we hope that the D23 Club will once again offer us the chance to see it before it's released to the regular public!

[dban3]

Once upon a time there was a string of beautiful films - Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Toy Story 3. The press and public ate them up. Oscars rained from the sky. Pixar was the golden child. Then came Cars 2. It too was visually stunning but that was the best thing you could say about a very weak (and lazy) effort from Pixar. I've seen the trailers for Brave and while I'm one of those who question the mass appeal of "princess movies" no matter how brilliant they are, I have a strong belief and hope that Brave is the movie that restores my faith in Pixar. They can't possibly deliver two clunkers in a row.

[foolishmortal]

I think she looks perfect! She's Scottish, she looks like my cabbage patch doll cousins, and my DD 13 can not wait for this movie!

She has wild out of control hair, yup that's right, then feisty as all get out to boot. Seems like a perfect princess to me. LOL

The pre views looked amazing so we can't wait to see this one. Even the DS9 wants to see it, but he has a "thing" for red heads. LOL

[RockDoc07]

I am just trying to figure out how they are going to get the ball and the pizza planet truck in this movie!

Cool Runnings,
doc

[cheshirecatgirl]

So excited I finally get to see this tomorrow!

[Alex S.]

I am just trying to figure out how they are going to get the ball and the pizza planet truck in this movie!

Mark Andrews, one of the directors has said all of the traditional Pixar Easter Eggs are present. I didn't see any of them but then I rarely do unless they're really in your face.

As fro the pizza truck, I have a guess on where it must have been but couldn't say for sure.

[rickosuave1987]

Mark Andrews, one of the directors has said all of the traditional Pixar Easter Eggs are present. I didn't see any of them but then I rarely do unless they're really in your face.

As fro the pizza truck, I have a guess on where it must have been but couldn't say for sure.

I have a guess where it could be too, and looked for it hard during the scene, but couldn't spot it...

I think the movie was good. I think some parts were a little too predictable "princess" movie moments, but it was still very enjoyable. My girlfriend and I both agree: 7.5/10 stars.

[cdcooper]

I agree with a 7/10 rating...score was beautiful, voice acting and animation was great, but the story was just...not there for me. It wasn't as heartfelt and deep as I expect from a pixar movie. I also didn't feel like the story was innovative or new...it was a solid movie, just not amazing to me.

[codewoman]

Planning to see it today/night. Can't wait!

I understand Pixar had to design special software for that crazy hair. Makes me want to see it all the more. Also, since it's the last Steve Jobs influenced movie, they tried to make it something he'd be proud of. There's something of a tribute to him in the credits, I think.

[KarenW2]

If you go to the website for IMDB, it's one of the "Trivia" things on their page and it tells you where it is, unless you want me to do that for you???

[Alex S.]

If that's wright, that's where I thought it must be. But I didn't see it myself.

I'm also hearing that Sully makes an appearance and that A113 is in there but I haven't heard where.

John Ratzenberger does voice a small role but in a completely unnoticeable way.

[josephfive]

I couldn't find any of the of the Pixar Easter Eggs

As far as the movie goes, it was good. Not great. DS13 said that he did not care for the story line. And he said he was confused at what the message was; is it to follow your heart or you can change your fate or parents/children need to listen to each other.

The graphics were amazing, but I expected them to be, and Merida's hair looked real.

Best part of the whole movie was the short film right before. I really don't want to say too much about it, but it was truly amazing and the entire theatre was entranced.

[sunfun94]

So then my question for those of you that have seen it... My dd 5 is sooo super excited to see this movie... (and dd 10 too) Ive heard so far that its really a movie for older kids?? Whatcha think?

[IllusionOfLife]

While Pixar has had many many many fantastic successes, and nearly every movie they've made has been a bonafide masterpiece, it seems like most people, critics especially, tend to view the three movies Pixar released from 2007-2009 as being the best in their 26 year, 13 feature history. Those movies were Ratatouille, WALL•E, and Up; and they each featured high concept stories, deep and sophisticated themes, and, in many ways, spoke more to the grown-ups in the audience than they did to the kids while still being great movies for the entire family to enjoy together. These three films, which are arguably as close to perfect as any movie has ever come, combined with Pixar's nearly spotless history, unfortunately may have set the bar so high that no one, not even Pixar could ever hope to top it.

That brings us to Brave. Let me just be upfront in saying that Brave is a *really* good movie. It has fantastic and fully realized characters, it has a strong emotional core, it has great performances, it looks stunning, and it has an absolutely beautiful soundtrack. The story is set in a mythical version of Scotland, where Princess Merida is about to be betrothed to the first born son of one of the three other Lords of the kingdom, however, Merida is not ready for marriage and, in fact, would much rather be free to make her own way in the world than be bound by the traditions of her kingdom. After a heated argument with her mother she flees the kingdom and happens upon a witch who gives her a spell that will allow her to change her fate.

If a lot of this sounds familiar (and not just from the trailers of the film) you shouldn't be surprised as this essential formula is the basis to more fairy tales than you could count. However, where Brave succeeds is not in the creation of groundbreaking new ideas, but rather in the execution of telling a very classic story and bringing a new and fresh voice to it, much in the same way Disney did back in 1989 and 1991 with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Unlike many fairy tales of recent years, it does not rely on the conventions of the "Disney Fairy Tale Musical" as a crutch, but instead finds a way to make it uniquely their own.

Pixar has always had a knack for creating incredibly endearing and heartfelt characters who, despite being animated, feel just as alive as any other person in the theater, and Brave is certainly no exception. The leap from Belle to Merida is just as significant as the leap from Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) to Ariel. She's a character that I think will resonate not just with young girls, but with many women, especially the ones that are at the threshold of adulthood, and the relationship between her and her mother is very poignant.

The story itself doesn't break any new ground, and if you've ever seen a fairy tale movie before you can call just about every plot beat a few minutes before they arrive, but that doesn't make the film any less effective because the execution is so spot-on. For the same reason you cry when the Beast dies despite the knowledge that, of course, he's going to come back to life you also are completely involved with the emotions and characters of Brave even though you probably already know how it's all going to turn out.

Despite all this, the fact that this isn't an absolute revolution in cinematic history means that it won't live up to the "Pixar legacy" in many people's minds. I, however, have always considered Pixar's legacy to be more about the emphasis on characters and honest emotions than about breaking new ground and doing the unexpected. Sure, that's an important part of what's made many of their past successes great, but in my book that is still secondary to simply telling a solid story with great characters and sincere emotions, and with perhaps the exception of Cars 2, Pixar has never once forsaken that legacy. It may not be the best movie Pixar has ever made, but Brave is still a great film, and in my opinion the best fairy tale that Disney has put their name on since 1991.

A-

[currence]

While Pixar has had many many many fantastic successes, and nearly every movie they've made has been a bonafide masterpiece, it seems like most people, critics especially, tend to view the three movies Pixar released from 2007-2009 as being the best in their 26 year, 13 feature history. Those movies were Ratatouille, WALL•E, and Up; and they each featured high concept stories, deep and sophisticated themes, and, in many ways, spoke more to the grown-ups in the audience than they did to the kids while still being great movies for the entire family to enjoy together. These three films, which are arguably as close to perfect as any movie has ever come, combined with Pixar's nearly spotless history, unfortunately may have set the bar so high that no one, not even Pixar could ever hope to top it.

I don't want to derail this thread too much, because I haven't yet seen Brave (though I have the audio/book and am pretty sure I am going to like it) but I remember seeing Wall-E in theaters and thinking "I'm sure this will grow on me in a few viewings, but I'm not convinced yet that I like this movie."

One big problem that a lot of the recent Pixar films have when they are first watched in theaters is that they are being watched for the first time. And like many movies that get better over time, the first viewing simply isn't enough to realize just how full Pixar movies are. But movie critics on a deadline are less inclined to think "how much will I like this movie in 5-10 years" and more apt to simply compare it to movies that are already well watched and well loved.

I am looking forward to watching Brave - both in the theater and then over (and over and over) on my own TV.

[cstephens]

Absolutely loved the film, and I wasn't particularly entranced by the trailers I saw. Thought the story was really good, and the visuals were stunning. I was staring at Merida's hair like I had stared at Sully's fur. And when her hair and dress got wet, I stared some more. Cried a lot at the pivotal point. Unfortunately, I'd had one of the plot points spoiled for me because of one of the merchandise toys I'd seen a few weeks ago.

I didn't see any of the normal Easter eggs, but I'll admit I wasn't looking. I kind of forgot it was a Pixar film - I was just too caught up in it. I think I even forgot at points that it was an animated film. One of the friends we saw the movie with said he saw the truck and told us where it was, so I'll have to look for it next time. I do think I'll end up seeing the film again. Thought about Ratzenberger but couldn't pick him out. I saw his credit at the end and didn't remember which character went by that name. Liked the little tribute to Steve Jobs. *LOVED* the scene after the credits.

When the film was over, I turned to my companions and said, "So, should we just hand the Best Animated Film award to them now?" I fully expect it to be nominated for Best Picture as well.

And now that I've seen the film, I can read Alex's review!