Review of Brave (2012) by Dmitry F — 10 Dec 2014

"Brave" probably doesn't reach the standards set by all preceding Pixar films that don't feature any Cars, but that certainly doesn't qualify it from being a good film. It just means it isn't the type of masterpiece we tend to expect from the Pixar brand.

This film follows Pixar's first female protectionist, Merida, a Scottish princess who is frustrated by her parent's incessant attempts to marry her off for political gain. In her anger, Merida makes a deal with a shifty witch who promises her that she could make a spell to make "everything change". Of course, things do not go anywhere near as well as planned, and Merida must race against the clock to save her family from itself.

Merida is voiced by Kelly Macdonald, who is joined by a supporting cast including such names as Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger. It's a strong cast, featuring a mainly Scottish vibe (to suit the setting), and the cast know how to deliver their lines to bring maximum impact or comedy to the situation at hand.

The storyline and the writing is solid, but it lacks the emotional punch of recent Pixar successes such as "Wall-E", "Up" and "Toy Story 3". It doesn't mean it's a bad movie, and it would be considered a success more readily if it came from DreamWorks or Illumination, but it just lacks that Pixar spark that made the earlier films so great.

Still, a very entertaining animated film.