Brave (2012)

For any of you who have ever been confused about the relationship between Disney and Pixar - Is Pixar separate? Is it a part of Disney? - "Brave" is where the two entities fully merge into one. It's a classic Disney animated princess film in the nimble hands of the wildly imaginative Pixar animators. It's one of the first times that, save for a few elements, I'm not sure that the Pixar style of animation made the film any better than a traditionally-animated film would have been. And, so that I get it out of the way quickly, it's an excellent film and now is not the time to decide where it fits in the Pixar canon and say that it's not one of their best (because it's not one of their worst, either).

One of the reasons why Pixar's computer animation style is worth it here is evident, oddly enough, in the wild, flame-shaded hair of "Brave"'s main character, Merida. I guess hair tends to be important to Disney princesses, but short of the hair in "Tangled," a non-negotiable plot element in that film, I've never seen such important hair as Merida's. It's literally a character in the film, and in that adult sort of way that one oggles in amazement over the continual improvements made to computer animation, it's the best hair I've ever seen on an animated female character.

But "Brave" is more than the sum of its heroine's hair. It's actually the story of how Merida (voiced with a light and lovely touch by Kelly MacDonald), is expected to placate the archery-loving, tom-boy nature fostered in her by her boulder-sized, bear-hunting father, King Fergus (voiced by Billy Connolly, who I'm convinced gets first refusal on any Scottish roles), to appease the call of family history and duty taught to her by her stern mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson, who joyously sells a thick Scottish accent). Merida, her queen mum explains, has reached the age where the first-born sons of the neighboring clans line up to compete for her hand in marriage. And in that traditional stubborn Disney princess way, Merida is having no part of it. Though in her defense, none of the three candidates are even remotely handsome or intelligent, and the film would have added some needed adult-like psychological content by saddling Merida with a decision to make here that is actually difficult.

Following a wildly entertaining scene is which Merida chooses archery as the format of the competition for her hand and then, in an act of wild embarrassment for her mother, shows each of the guys how it's really done, Merida selfishly storms away from her castle bedroom to brood and dream of a mother who is not so enamored with tradition and the expected roles of women. So when she meets a witch in a cottage in the forest posing as a wood-carver (her crow, one of the film's best characters, a dead giveaway), Merida makes a deal with her (Julie Walters) for the spell that any self-respecting young lady dreams of: Please make my mother change. But emotional young women are not always perfectly clear with their requests and witches are shifty, so though Merida quickly gets her wish, it's not quite what she's looking for. I don't want to spoil this with the details, because not knowing made me enjoy the film more, though I can't tell you that you won't see it coming.

Like any Disney princess movie involving a spell, "Brave"'s plot provides Merida with an opportunity to reverse the unexpected spell on her mother in two days' time, if she can only decipher the witch's metaphoric instructions, her mother in no condition to verbally assist her in the decoding. To add to the complications, her father is stuck back at the castle entertaining the three families who are growing increasingly impatient while waiting for Merida's marriage decision and begin to war with one another right there in the castle great room. And when King Fergus finally gazes again upon his transformed wife, she is unrecognizable to him - now something he hates.

Circling around the main characters of "Brave" are a chaotic mix of entertaining support players, including a long-faced clansman with Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" war paint on his face, a trio of mischievous, red-headed brothers of Merida, and, contributing frequently to this film's surprisingly frequent moments of naughtiness, a bazooka-chested nursemaid. 

What I found special about "Brave," especially sitting between my wife and my daughter while watching it, is that I'm not sure a Disney film has ever gone so deeply into mother-daughter relationships. Quite frankly, I've found the psychology underneath the whole Disney princess phenomenon to be quite damaging to young girls and have been relieved that my own daughter never lived and died on it, ditching her princess dolls years before her girlfriends did. The happy ending Princess Merida achieves by the end of "Brave" is much harder won than those achieved by her mouse house princess sisters. (Especially that Snow White, who has captivated little girls everywhere for over 70 years by laying in a coma...if that doesn't say something about feminism...)

My daughter wishes her mother was different: had different rules, wanted different things for her. She's stormed away and disobeyed. But "Brave" shows the consequences in quite scary detail without resorting to the kooky, crazy Disney villains of past films. And what restores the kingdom to wholeness at the end requires nothing less than that the queen and princess deeply, profoundly understand each other and respect each other. I think every mother and daughter should see this film together. And to make my viewing experience even more memorable, I not only went to "Brave" with my daughter and her mother, but also my wife's mother and her mother - four generations of clashing wills and estrogen-fueled disobedience.

Roger Ebert says that "Brave" "seems at a loss for what to do with [Merida] as a girl and makes her sort of an honorary boy." But with all due respect to a man who's opinion I treasure above most others, Roger Ebert does not have children.  And while "Brave" definitely comes closer to the traditional values of Disney's classic animated films, I don't agree that this shows signs of its Pixar partner losing its creative edge. Perhaps instead, it's a message that the two companies do belong together, do work well together as a true team. And maybe that took some bravery all by itself.

3.5 out of 4