Brave

I generally life Pixar films; I often don't find them as incredible as others.  The first time I watched Up, I thought it was pretty good, but I haven't watched it since.  The only part I really remember was the intro; it was so moving that it stuck with you.  I love the Incredibles, but I thought Finding Nemo was over-rated.  I felt the same way about Wall-E.  I loved Wall-E while I was watching it, but I felt preached at afterwards.  Pixar is an incredible studio capable of providing amazing stories.  Even the ones that don't excite me are still very good.  I'm happy to say that Brave is one of my more favored entries.

Brave is the story of a headstrong girl who doesn't want to live her life as she's being told.  It's a classic premise, but Brave is told so well that it doesn't matter.  I was never really surprised by where the story went, but I enjoyed the journey.

Merida, the main character, strikes the right balance.  You can understand why she rebels, and you can understand why her mother directs her the way she does.  The relationship between mother and daughter is the centerpiece of the film and provides the bulk of the emotion.  As Finding Nemo was more focused on a father and son, so Brave focuses on a mother and daughter.  The fact that both characters are sympathetic is wonderful, but I would expect no less from Pixar.

While the story is nothing remarkable, the animation is beautiful and exquisitely done.  The setting is breath-taking, while the characters are perfectly created.  Small movements convey emotion.  There is a scene where the Queen is playing an instrument and watching her fingers on the strings was impressive.  There is a scene around the middle of the film where you see a bear, and I was just struck by how realistic it looked.  From the way it walked to the way the fur looked, it was one of the best animated bears I had ever seen.

I know I've been primarily saying how beautiful Brave was, but it just didn't have that something special.  I know that sounds weird, but I wasn't in awe.  I was entertained, and I really liked the film.  At the same time, the film never elevated to that level.  Of course, it still made me feel emotions.*  As the film ended, I missed my mom.  I called her on the way home, so Brave definitely had an impact.

Go see Brave.  Pixar is more to form with this production, and you won't regret it.  Afterwards, be prepared to call your mom and tell her you love her.

One more thing, we saw it in 3D because the only showing that worked for us was 3D.  I had heard bad things about the conversion, but it was just fine for us.  It wasn't too dark.  I'm still not a huge fan of 3D, but if that's the only way you can see it, it doesn't hurt the film.

*That's how Mark explains it.