Brave definitely isn't your average Disney Princess film! For starters both of the main characters parents are alive and there is no evil step-mum, talking animals or even a bad guy! In fact this heart warming film includes a big giant brown bear as the'bad guy' and instead of an evil-step mum this film focuses mainly on the true meaning behind mother-daughter relationships. Honestly I cried pretty much the whole way through!So why are we all so excited?
Well firstly if we take a glimpse at the main character Merida, she is definitely not your stereotypical princess. For instance she has a head full of ginger curly hair, a cheeky grin and carries around a bow and arrow! I was without a doubt a tad bit unsure of what to make of the princess's image at first. However as I started to watch the film I became engrossed in this Princess's personality! Merida is cheeky, funny and extremely stubborn which I personally believes relates a lot more to everyday girls than the like of Cinderlla and Sleepy Beauty did! I couldn't help comparing Merida to Disney's latest princess Rapunzel. Although they both have a completely different image, they both want to escape the hectic routine of everyday life and explore the world, simply trying to discover who they are. Disney have brought to the table a new character in which young girls will definitely aspire to be like as she brings excitement and freedom into the film.
Moreover Brave has many other awesome characters such as Fergus, Merida's father, Elinor, Merida's mother voiced by Emma Thompson and the witch voiced by Julie Walters. All theses characters play huge roles in the storyline which is as follows. Merida has grown up her whole life with routine, being prepared by her overly organised and controlling mother Elinor...Sounds almost like my mum! Once her mother organises a competition for all the kingdom's Lords and their sons to compete in which the prize is Merida, Merida of course Rebels and runs off to the forest. In other words Princess Merida throws a strop. There she is led to the home of a witch whom at first seems harmless and friendly. However the witch gives Merida a spell in which to change her mother, of course Merida accepts as she is in a moment of fury and anger. I wont spoil to much of the story however Elinor's change is not what Merida had in mind and therefore the rest of the story is about how Merida must fight to get her mother back and their relationship is restored.
I love this film so much because Director Mark Andrews also known for The Incredibles and Ratatouille, knows exactly how to pull on your heart strings. For example there are scenes which involve a young princess running away from home, riding on a horse in distress after a fight with her mother. Now as a young lady myself I have obviously experienced the emotional pubescent age where I would fight with my mother so I could relate to this scene quite well. Also there are some scenes where you are sat on the edge of your seat as Merida has to fight against bear in the middle of a dark and eery forest amongst the ruins of an old castle! You simply have no idea what is around the corner when watching this film which is what I loved about it!
However when watching Brave I couldn't help but have a few concerns. For instance I'm not to sure how this film is directed at children. I know that sounds silly a kids film not for kids, but in all honesty when watching it there are quite a few dark scenes, full of shadows and eery music. Also the message that Disney and Pixar try to get across about Mother-Daughter relationships is sweet and heart-warming however they way they do it, ie through the form of forced marriage is slightly too grown up and formal for my liking. I know my sister Scarlett (6) absolutely loved this film she was especially enthusiastic towards Merida's younger triplets brothers who are the comedy throughout the film, causing mischiefs and turning into bears. On the other hand I know she was scared and found herself hiding in the cinema chairs at some of the more darker scenes such as when Merida finds herself lost in the Forest.
All in all I couldn't help but feel like the film was a bit bland almost like Crackers without Cheese, there was definitely something missing throughout this film, but it was Disney and Pixar's first film together so we can give them a little bit of leeway I definitely recommend this as a family film, watch it with your children the first time and definitely bring popcorn. 5/10
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