Set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, Disney•Pixar’s “Brave” follows the heroic journey of Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to change her fate, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane), unleashing chaos in the kingdom. When she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters), she is granted an ill-fated wish and the ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her resources—including her mischievous triplet brothers—to undo a beastly curse and discover the meaning of true bravery. Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humour. Opens on June 22, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theatres.
I was offered the opportunity to take D to an advanced screening of Brave last week. It was such a great way for my husband and I to spend some quality time with her, minus the baby brother. She was so excited! D has seen a few 3D movies in the past and has always enjoyed the experience. This was no exception. What a great movie!!! She loved the fact that there was a princess in the movie and a castle, but what surprised me was how much she seemed to enjoy the main character Merida's spunky personality. D told me that her favourite part of the movie was when Merida met the witch for the first time.
I love the fact that Disney has completely done away with the typical girlie-girl princess and given Merida a cool, strong willed attitude, a keen interest in archery and absolutely NO interest in finding her prince. How refreshing! Come to think of it, she reminds me a little bit of Jasmine from Aladdin except in this case there's no tiresome love story. Let's face it, sometimes it's nice to come across a female main character who little girls can look up to for reasons BEYOND their being a princess and marrying a prince. Anyway, the movie was fantastic. Even my husband, who went in not knowing anything about the movie or what to expect from it, really enjoyed it. The animation was wonderful, and there was so much action that there was absolutely no opportunity to get tired or bored. As a warning, D is maybe not your typical 3 year old when it comes to scary stuff or dark imagery. I'm not sure why, but for some reason she's pretty OK with it and in some cases even LIKES the scary parts. (Case in point: Snow White is D's favorite movie right now. Personally, I was scared to death of the Evil Queen when I was her age! lol) In Brave, there are some rather scary parts where Merida's Mother is turned into a bear. I heard a few little ones getting scared in the theatre, so if your kids are quite young and/or sensitive towards things like that you may want to talk to them first or hold off until they're a bit older. I held D's hand through those parts, but she seemed to be completely OK and didn't mention it at all afterward. So, what's my take on this flick? Go see it!!! Take your whole family!!! Kids and adults alike will love the action, adventure and mischief that Merida and her funny little brothers get into. The storyline is excellent and the animation is superb. Check it out in theatres starting June 22nd, 2012!
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