Disney & Pixar get 'Brave' and push the bar a little further.

You’ve come to know your Disney Princess movies. Young headstrong girl gets herself into trouble, meets a prince, falls in love, engages the villain, prince rescues her, curse is broken, true-love wins out, and They All Live Happily Ever After, right? Well forget that stuff!
In Brave, Princess Merida is still the headstrong daughter of a Scottish King. She’s just found out that she has to choose a husband from one of the three clans and she’s not happy about it. Her mother, the Queen is always on her about how to be a proper princess and what her responsibilities are and Merida hates it.  Sound familiar to any of you moms and daughters out there? So she finds a loophole in the tradition of her people and brings her people to the brink of war just to defy her mother.

She wants to change her fate, and with the help of a strange woman in the woods, she does just that, just not in the way she was expecting. Disney has done a pretty good job keeping the plot under wraps, but I’m sure if anyone’s been paying attention to the trailers and merchandise on the store shelves you have a hint on what “Changing her mother and her fate,” Merida accidentally on purpose causes.

This movie is a keeper, but be warned. There are a few scenes in which a bear fight might get a little tense for your kids. My 4 year olds were a “little scared” of the bear. Disney breaks tradition of their own by not establishing a prince in this one. There’s also no real nefarious villain. The main story revolves around Merida and her mother restoring their bond. Watch for another comical first as Disney shows some cartoon nudity. Before you get all offended, it’s mild and works for the scenes in a hilarious way.

So, Prince-less Princess, no villain acting on evil purposes, cartoon nudity, and a little dark scenery and you have the new Disney Princess. Disney has already put a lot of effort into Merida being a success with establishing a Meet and Greet encounter in the Magic Kingdom weeks before the movie even released. I think it will get a positive reception. I watched a lot of mother-daughter knowing smiles and bonding on the way out of the theater.

So go take a look, and let the kids know a head of time that there may be some scary parts.

Official Site: http://disney.com/brave

Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman

Cast: Kelly MacDonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane

by

Dave Murawski  

for Movementmagazine.com