Brave is very timid by Pixar standards. They did a better family story in the Incredibles; they had a better plot in Monsters, Inc; and they wrote a better parental story in Finding Nemo. If this seems harsh, it is because Pixar has set its standard high. By embarking on their first female lead, expectations were equally high. What Pixar produced was an intriguing mother-daughter story with a magical element shoehorned in haphazardly, resulting in an enjoyable story that left something on the table.
Worried that their clans are potentially going to war with each other, Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Elinor (Emma Thompson) have been grooming their daughter, Merida (Kelly Macdonald) to become a potential bride/queen. However, they go about it in different ways: Fergus chooses to encourage Merida’s free spirit and let her be herself, while Elinor attempts to teach her the ways of the court and why little details like decorum and enunciation are useful for someone in a position of power. As expected, Merida and Elinor often disagree with one another, escalating to the point that Merida seeks out a way to change her fate as given by her birthright.
The mother daughter relationship is the story with the most potential in Brave. Elinor and Merida are both strong willed women; it is a shame that neither one can listen to the other, particularly in the case of Elinor. She is clearly a wise woman, and it would have been nice to see her more understanding instead of as brazen as her daughter, who is the right age to act more rash. The growth in their relationship was easily the strongest part of the script, especially with one of the characters handicapped through speech. Most of the interaction is through miming and body language, which is executed very well.
The magical elements are mostly recycled from plots from previous movies Disney has made. There’s lots of Beauty and the Beast mixed with Snow White. One nice thing is some of the scenes involving magic are done tongue in cheek. There’s even a clever take on how a voicemail might be used in the middle ages. However, there is nothing especially memorable about the magical arc, other than leading to a very scary bear battle.
The CGI elements are equal to anything Pixar has done previously. While not raising the bar, the CGI does not take a step down. The highlands of Scotland are very well portrayed, the wild red hair is appropriately fiery, and the bear scenes are appropriately palleted, depending on the gravity of the situation presented.
I am not sure what kids might get out of this movie, especially young ones. The colors are not exceptionally vivid (Madagascar is a better example of use of color). There are few kid elements to enjoy: Fergus is pretty good, and the 3 younger siblings of Merida are in the movie an appropriate amount of time and provided a few chuckles. Other than that, the story turns more dark and mature. While I wouldn’t discourage younger kids from seeing Brave, it is possibly not the best entertainment out there for them.
Brave has all the elements necessary to be a great film, but gets bogged down in its magical elements. Had the movie been more focused on the betrothal tournament and Merida’s growth into a woman/queen, the script might have been tighter and the story more personal. Instead, the magical elements stole the magic from the movie itself. Magic robbed Brave of its title, and Pixar of some of its magic.