How well you like this movie really comes down to whether you’re a fan of old-Disney princesses (everything from Cinderella to Pocahontas) or Pixar (everything from Ratatouille to Wall-E). Because this is definitely the most traditionally Disney movie that Pixar has ever made.
It takes a reliably Disney formula (slightly tradition-breaking princess + slightly different setting=box office gold) to tell the tale of Merida, a Scottish Princess who would rather shoot arrows than chase boys, and is bucking at the traditions imposed on her by her strict mother. In other words, it really ain’t all that different from several other Disney movies, and therefore not all that special either.
What Works: This is a good time at the movies. If the worst you can say about a movie is that it doesn’t live up the Pixar standards of excellence, then that’s still pretty good. The animation was impeccable—-as always—-and I think girls/women that love Disney Princess movies are going to have a great new character in Princess Merida, yet another great role model for young girls (definitely more Hunger Games’s Katniss than Twilight’s Bella). The only problem is that except for her desire not to get married, we really don’t get to know much about her. Some have said that Merida is actually Disney’s first lesbian princess but the movie feels too afraid to say that or suggest it strongly, and the result is a character that isn’t entirely fleshed-out with a supporting cast that isn’t likely to inspire fond memories down the road either.
What Doesn’t Work: The problem is that this is Pixar’s least original movie to date by a mile. There aren’t many elements of Brave that feel like they’re truly the movie’s own…or haven’t been done better in other movies. For example, a much more epic and satisfying movie about a role-breaking Disney princess has already been made from “Mulan,” a movie that manages to create a tradition-defying princess and a compelling story. And the same type of setting was home to the excellent fable “How to Train Your Dragon.” This movie felt a bit…half-hearted to me, and it’s hard to say they’ve really created a new classic for the ages, and I doubt anyone else will feel that way too. What Pixar does best is create an entirely new universe to play around in (Toy Story or Wall-E are the best examples), and that’s really what they need to get back to.
What I Would Have Done Differently: I feel like Pixar is headed down the wrong path. Their last two movies have been sequels (the excellent Toy Story 3 and the not-excellent-at-all Cars 2), plus this basic Disney rehash, and then their next film, a sequel to Monsters Incorporated—-another feature that, like Cars, doesn’t need a sequel. I’m hoping they’ll get back to blowing our minds with new worlds sooner rather than later.