Movie Review: 'Brave'

WARNING: SPOILERS

Brave, a collaborative project between Pixar and Disney...in my opinion, in that order.
I'll start off by saying I've been looking forward to seeing this movie, especially after hearing good reviews from my friends. Everyone enjoys a cute, whimsical, animated film from time to time, if anything just to sit back and enjoy a pony ride through the reminiscent and colorful land of childhood. It can be a fun place to be, even if it is just for a short while.
Pixar has a good name, and has made quite a few worth while animated films, and Disney is of course known for it's dominance in the world of fairy tales and magical princess. So, what one would expect from 'Brave' is not that hard to guess, 'a well animated film  for children, with a cute story line, a memorable princess, and even a handsome prince'. And this is where expectations and reality do not meet.
Before even watching the movie, what attracted me most to 'Brave' was the thought of the Celtic Theme. Disney has an Asian Princess, a Hindu Princess, a Afro-American Princess, British Princess(s) etc...but being always attracted to the green hills, and much Celtic culture, I thought Brave would be a much appreciated, 'fresh atmosphere' from the other 'Princess films'.
I do believe my expectations were dashed.
At the start of the movie, the detailed soundtrack by none other than 'Patrick Doyle' drew you into the film and aroused your hopes and anticipation. But what it failed to warn you of, was the darkness to follow...

'Merida, the 'female hero' of the film, with wild fiery hair, is a young woman with pride as large as her locks. Her relationship with her Mother is strained, because her Mother is all about manners, pose, and responsibility, although if not a bit overly focused on Meredith's outward performance. And Merida is more interested in taking rides, firing her arrows, and being her own master.  Even so, as we all know, it is not the adherence of mere laws that makes a person all that they appear to be, but the inner man.
You raise a child too strictly on outward law and measured performance, and they will surely rebel. Because without balance, and with just 'law', a child will never understand the 'heart of the commands' you are giving he or she. It is truly love that is at the heart of obedience.
But, overall Merida is the one with the temper, and is more of a 'rebel' than a 'hero' throughout most the film. Her Mother is at far lesser fault.

I found this animated film/Princess film drastically different than any other Disney Princess film I have ever seen, or that has ever been made...perhaps this has to do with the involvement of Pixar, but it's hard to say.
In short the synopsis of this film is rather disappointing to anyone looking for a good story.

SYNOPSIS:
The film starts with an opening scene of Merida as a young child playing with her Mother, and then presented with a bow from her Father. A gigantic, gruesome bear almost the size of "King Kong"  enters the scene and Merida's Father protects his wife and daughter and fights the bear, reverentially losing his left leg to it (which is more told than seen). 
 After the film title, a beautiful song sung by a female vocalist to set the mood, and a short introduction to the the current family life, including the way things are between Merida and her Mother...the main story progresses.
 Over dinner the rebel "princess'" is told by her Parents that three of the other Clans are coming to present their oldest sons, and compete in Scottish Games event for her hand. Merida is furious. The Clans come, and the visual story telling is lacking, by only showing them compete briefly in flicker shots, and one archery round, of which Merida interrupts and shoots in herself, to prove her right in choosing for herself. And there is a visual reference to 'Robin Hood', as she slowly shoots, and splits and arrow to penetrate the bulls eye of the archery target in her performance.
After a final spat with her Mother, and slicing her Mom out of the tapestry in her room, Merida does what ever rebel princess does, and "runs" (or in this case "rides" away) on a her black 'draft horse', (with no formed personality) (which is quite odd for a Disney production, where all characters, animal or not, have a personality.) 
While in the forest she falls from her horse, in the midst of the pagan 'stone circle'. From there Merida is met by a trail of "will-o-the-wisps" which look like hovering, luminescent squids that speak in wispy voices, a bit weird and creepy. None the less, Merida is not daunted, and follows where the trail leads...to a mossy cottage. Merida enters the cottage and is met by woodcarvings of bears, hanging from both the ceiling and pilling up everywhere. The old lady working in what now Merida realizes to be a "wood carving shop" asks her if she sees anything of interest. The old lady is a witch in disguise, and uses a few of her magic "skills" to try and keep her shop in order, and her identity under cover, which obviously results in exposing her instead. After a request from Merida for a spell, the witch attempts to throw her out of her cottage if she in't interested in her woodcarvings, but the witch changes her mind when the "princess" offers her her royal necklace as payment for all her woodcarvings, "AND" one spell. A spell...to change her Mother, so that she can change her fate. What Merida doesn't know, is that the witch only ever turns people into bears, in result of her 'spells'. Merida goes back to the castle, pretends to make up with her worry sick Mother, and gives her a pastry with the spell in it. Her Mother eats of it, and becomes a bear.
Much of the rest of the story is Merida trying to get her Mother out of the castle, and back to the Witch's house. When there Merida  finds the cottage empty, and with only a message from the witch left behind, giving her a rhyme of how to remedy the results of the spell, ("Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride") before the next sunrise, which would turn her Mother into a bear for good. 

Merida and her Mother thrive in the woods for a time, before being led by the Will-o-the wisp again, this time to a destroyed castle where the find sculls, and a stone with 4 brothers carved into it, and one cut out. Merida recognizes it as the story that her Mother used to tell to her about a brother who out of pride cut himself from his brothers and (by the spell of the same witch Merida visited) gained the strength of 10 men.Which actually turned him into the same bear that fought Merida's Father. And boy, is he ugly. After a scary scene of being pursued by the giant evil bear in the ruins, Meredith and her Mother bear return to the castle to sew up the 'tapestry' which Merida sliced in their argument earlier, to "mend the bond torn by pride". 
And it's scene after scene of Merida trying to get her Mother back into the castle, and along the way Merida and her Mother come to terms.
There's pursuit of Mother bear by the King (her husband) because he doesn't realize that it is her. And the climax takes place in the stone circle, where the King and men capture Merida's Mother, and the King is about to kill her when, up from behind comes the dark, and horrid bear who was once a man, and the one who took his leg. The evil bear tries to harm the Princess, which sends her Mother into attack mode, and the two bears fight. In the end one of the standing stones cracks and come tumbling down on the evil bear, and Mama bear is injured in the fight. Merida throws the mended tapestry around her, and clutches her in hopes that she will turn back into a human. Sunrise begins to dawn and her Mother remains a bear. Merida cries, and here is the best part of the film...she repents, and cries to have her Mother back.
Of course, that does the trick, and Mama returns to human form. 
Merida and her Mother's relationship is mended, and the final words of the film are putting family first (surprising enough), and making/finding your fate/destiny.

The things that I found especially strange about this film, were the absence of a prince, the odd relationship of the witch and Merida, and the extreme darkness of a movie rated PG.
There were literally 10 minutes segments of the movie that seemed to go without comic reprieve, and were dark and "scary" in the sense. Tensity, is alright to extend if the film is a PG13 Horror movie, but wasn't this supposed to be a children's movie? It definitely was not a "feel good" Disney movie, that's for sure. Even with it's very few, comic moments. Now, I understand that they were trying to make this a Medieval/Celtic story...but this was like Snow White's dark moments times 3. Where were the sparkling moments that we all look for in Disney films? And truth be told, why is Merida even grouped with the Disney Princesses? She has no sparkling dresses, not even a crown on her head? Come on, she doesn't even sing...I know it's a Pixar/Disney mix, but how could Disney allow such a thing? I admit, I personally was thinking of a movie that would compare, if not exceed Disney's 'Tangled'. Which had beautiful animation, great comedy, exceptional story line, pretty music, and cute characters...But 'Brave' was like it's complete opposite in most all respects.

Scotland is a beautiful place, which I thought would give the animators of 'Brave' a lot to work with, but instead the landscape all looked the same, with scarce patches of grass, grey dirt, and stick trees. The Mother character is the movie, could have been better fleshed out, as she seemed a bit 'un-connected'.

Although, what bothered me most about this film, was the fact that it was intended for a young audience.  I sat and watched this movie in a room of varying ages, and beside me sat a girl of about 9 years of age, who I've never seen tremble, with panic written on her face. I don't blame her, the lack of light and beauty in the film, made the villain scenes all the more "fearful". The evil bear looked like something any child would have nightmares about, and honestly the film had more hints of being a children's horror film ,than a fantasy comedy.
What was most odd was the way the witch was projected. She wasn't "evil" and she wasn't "an angel" but she wasn't actually "bad" either. And why is it that the trust worthy will-o'-the- wisp lead the people to witches houses? Hmmm.
This movie also referenced lightly to sexuality, and had 2 animated nudity scenes, as well as one visual, and one verbal reference to private body parts. One might expect this from an adult animated short, but not in a children's movie.

Merida, a princess who isn't actually a princess. Scotland which really isn't Scotland. A Witch who isn't really a Witch. And Disney/ Pixar film that really isn't either.

 If you haven't already watched this film, and you plan to do so, I would recommend the considered rating of PG12 in you will have young folk in the audience, and don't be expecting a whimsical comedy, musical, or classic Disney film.