“A day where anything can happen. A day where I can change my fate”

Hello Everyone :-)

Oh Pixar. Dear, lovely Pixar. Thought by many to be incapable of making a bad film, in 2011 the released ‘Cars 2’. Garnering mainly negative reviews it’s seen by many to be the company’s first toyetic release which was disappointing from a company that seemed to have the ethos ‘only tell stories worth telling’.

But now they’re back with their first fantasy, fairy-tale adventure and I’ve been to see it.

‘Brave’ centres on Merida (Kelly Macdonald), a Scottish Princess from Clan Dunbroch. Merida is a free-spirited teenager who loves riding her horse, rock climbing and archery but this all comes to a halt when she is told by her Mother Elinor (Emma Thompson) that she is to be betrothed to one of the Princes of the other Clans. Merida is none too pleased about this and sets about finding a way to change her fate.

This is just lovely :-)

First and foremost, this is aimed at an older audience. Obviously it’s still a children’s film but probably more the older end of the scale rather than the under 7’s at which ‘Cars’ and ‘Cars 2’ was obviously aimed. As a result the film has a darker edge to it. ‘Brave’ seems to have been made in the same mold as the original Brother’s Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen tales, all of which have sinister undertones. It is, by all accounts, Pixar’s first fantasy film.

The standard of animation and voice work is as high as always (say what you will about the muddled plot of ‘Cars 2’, at least it still looked nice).

The filmmakers have done a wonderful job of capturing the breathtaking vistas north of the border (unsurprisingly the Scottish tourist board have jumped on this and are using it in their current promotional ads). It not only looks beautiful but they weave Scotland into the tapestry of the story so ultimately it isn’t just an incidental gorgeous setting, it makes it seem like this story couldn’t take place anywhere other than the highlands.

The cast is excellent. Billy Connolly as Fergus is such a big, warm, bear of a voice it’s easy to see why Merida is a Daddy’s girl and Emma Thompson does very well as the prim and proper Queen Elinor. Originally Reese Witherspoon was down to play Merida which sounds too horrible for words (that’s not a slight on Reese Witherspoon, I love Reese Witherspoon, I just wouldn’t have been able to cope with a Scottish Princess with an American twang…). Thankfully the always wonderful Kelly Macdonald is on hand to lend her native Gaelic brogue to proceedings.

I’m always astounded by how much chemistry Pixar seem to get from their characters. Considering the act of voice recording is usually a solo endeavor, Macdonald and Thompson bounce off each other, as if they recorded their dialogue together and really convince as a Mother/Daughter duo.

It’s not as continually funny as Pixar’s films aimed at a younger audience, but there are some choice scenes that I liked, most of which come from the conflict between Clans and choice lines from the incomprehensible Young MacGuffin. King Fergus is great and the triplets Hamish, Hubert and Harris are adorable.

Like almost all of the Pixar films that have gone before it, ‘Brave’ is a story about parent-child relationships. More obvious in that respect than the ‘Toy Story’ trilogy; the central pairing in ‘Brave’ is Merida and her Mother, Queen Elinor. I’m not sure whether it was the way the story was told or the simple fact that it was a Mother and Daughter pairing but it tugged at my heartstrings and my friends and I were in tears before the end (any of you that follow me on Twitter will know that me in tears is a common occurrence but I assure you, my friends are made of sterner stuff).

As someone that went through a (albeit brief) rebellious period, when I came out of the screening of ‘Brave’ I just wanted to ring my Mum and apologise for all the times I’ve ever been a pain in the arse.

It’s not as instantly iconic as ‘Toy Story’ and it’s not as bright and colourful as ‘Finding Nemo’ but ‘Brave has a charm, wit and beauty all of its own. Whilst I’m sure it can be enjoyed by both genders ‘Brave’ might be particularly effective on a female audience, it’s likely that you’ve either been or know an unruly teenager or a pushy Mother. Back on form, Pixar have given us a gem.

Now, let’s a have a look at some…

Reasons to be Cheerful :-)

1. ‘The Avengers/Assemble’ has made $1.5 billion worldwide. That makes me so happy! It’s great to see a fun, well written film do so well. I also love the little note at the end of that article. “Nolan's box office figures have been achieved without the financial fillip of 3D cinema screenings, which incur a higher ticket price.” Hahaha!!! In your FACE 3D!

2. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ looks set to be Marvel’s big 2014 release. It’ll be released in May 2014, the same year as ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’.

3. We have a Finnick Odair! His name is Sam Clafin. I’m not familiar with his work but he’s a bit cute :-) This could work!

That’s all for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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