BRAVE

Brave (2012)
Grade: A-
Featuring the Voices Of: KELLY MACDONALD, EMMA THOMPSON, BILLY CONNOLLY, JULIE WALTERS, ROBBIE COLTRANE, KEVIN MCKIDD and CRAIG FERGUSON
PREMISE: A strong-willed princess determined to live her own life makes a reckless decision that endangers her family and her kingdom.

RATED PG (contains intense action, some scary moments, intense emotional content and some rude humor)

Well, Pixar's done it again. The animation studio that began its incredibly-successful run with 1995's Toy Story and has delivered nothing but hits ever since (yes, even 2011's so-so Cars 2 was a success at the box office) hits another home run with Brave, which is, in many ways, its least Pixar-ish film to date. Only the second Pixar film to 'star' humans (after 2009's wonderful Up), it's also the fiercest, the most unapologetic, and, possibly, the most moving. Will it become a bonafide classic, in the vein of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., or Finding Nemo? Time will tell. But, for now, the animation team has scored another huge hit with a movie that will entertain kids but will really grab adults.

Plot: Born into a backwoods Irish family presided over by "The Bear King", Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly), Princess Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald) has lived her life in the shadow, and under the thumb, of her strong, mannered mother (voice of Emma Thompson). Her mother has, of course, sought to prepare her for the day when a prince will come calling and make her his bride, eventually elevating her to the status of queen. However, from a young age, Merida has shown she'd rather run wild like her devilish little triplet brothers. She loves archery, she loves exploring, she loves to ride her faithful horse, Angus, bareback, and she yearns for adventure and fulfillment. When she finds out her mother and father have arranged a tournament-in which the heirs to the thrones of three neighboring clans will compete for her hand in marriage-she recoils, seeking some of the land's rumored mystical powers for help. When she finds a spell that can transform her controlling mother, she gladly uses it, but is alarmed by the consequences. With her clan on the brink of war and her gregarious father in a poor position to truly lead the group, Merida must hurry to undo the spell and get her mother back, even if it means possibly submitting her will to her mother's wishes.

What Works?
Oh, you know, darn near everything: the animation is incredible (I mean, some images look real, it's so good), the soundtrack is wonderful and hits all the right notes, the mysteries intrigue and the laughs are frequent and hearty. But, as is usually the case with Pixar, all that is just an appetizer to the story's key component, in this case the clashing personalities of mother and daughter, a dynamic that will hit many viewers between the eyes. Where Wall-E was about love and Up about loss, Toy Story 3 about moving on and Ratatouille about being who you are, Brave is about that arguably most important of relationships, one that will make you or break you, but, ultimately, will, in some way, make you. Voiced with power and gumption by MacDonald and Thompson, Merida and her mother instantly join the canon of wonderful Pixar characters. Having the Scottish MacDonald speak in what must be close to her naturally-accented tones was both a blessing and a risk-the kiddies will likely have a hard time making out all her words. But most of Brave works in spades, from the main protagonists' bonding to the humor to the scary moments, well enough to bring a tear to many viewers' eyes.

What Doesn't Work?
Here I go, being a Grinch. I thought some of the broader humor-such as a witch having a 'voicemail' system in a cauldron-were a little lame, and Merida's triplet brothers' antics ultimately got rather annoying. Okay, so, if you loved Brave, you just tuned out on me; these are little things, but just the quibbles of a critic. All of the story's main facets are wildly successful.

Content: As hinted in the trailers, Brave is curiously rough for a Pixar movie, as moments involving a demon bear that stalks the lands might terrify younger viewers. There's also a running gag of low-key suggestive humor that's new for Pixar. That said, like Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon, similarly-adventurous movies, Brave is the kind of movie that will work, in some way, for everyone in the family.

Bottom Line (I Promise): As funny as any Pixar effort before it, and nearly as moving, Brave is a bravely grown-up and adventurous film that, like its predecessors from the animated studio geniuses, will entertain and satisfy the whole family for years to come. Oh, and bring your mom.

Brave (2012)
Directed by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, and Brenda Chapman
Written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi
Length: 100 minutes
Rated PG