PLANET FURY - BRAVE

Brave (2012)

Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell
Written by: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi
Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, John Ratzenberger

It isn't easy to learn what it is to be Brave.

Such it is with Merida (Kelly Macdonald), a young princess living in the Scottish highlands somewhere in the 10th century. Her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), has spent a lot of energy training the girl to be a proper princess. From oratory lessons, to etiquette and cleanliness, to being demure "perfection", Elinor has strove to give her daughter what she sees as the necessary skills for the young girl to thrive.

As can be expected, Merida doesn't really want the future planned for her by her mother. The girl loves nothing more than thundering about on her horse and shooting arrows at various targets; a practice not really in line with Elinor's vision of approved princess behavior.

This conflict comes to a peak when Elinor calls together the clans, so that their sons may compete for the honor of winning Merida's hand in marriage. This is according to custom. Merida is outraged, and so a mother/daughter battle ensues, with Merida pushing towards revolt at every turn. This culminates when Merida realizes the rules of the competition are that the "first born" from each clan are allowed to attempt to win her hand, and thus finds a loophole which allows her to join the contest herself to win her own freedom.

However, this theme I've describe - a young girl battling to choose her own path instead of following her mother's wishes - is not what Brave is really about. Sure, it is a subtheme, but it is not the theme. Midway, Brave takes a marvelous turn that moves it towards something much more moving and powerful.

Merida stumbles upon a witch in the woods. This is a nice, bumbling sort of witch that doesn't necessarily seem to be trouble. Merida manages to strike a deal to win a spell from the witch that will supposedly "change her mother". She hopes this means "change her mind", but she doesn't realize that the spell is a bit more literal than that (as spells often are). What the spell does is transform her royal mother into a lumbering bear; a fact that is extremely complicating considering her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly), lost his foot in a fight with a bear and now attacks the animals on sight. Merida must somehow hide her mother and discover the secret to removing the spell before two days time pass and she is a bear forever - or at least until the king discovers her and kills her.

This - marvelously, wonderfully, unexpectedly - is what Brave is about. It is a mother/daughter film, and it finds its heart in exploring the conflicts and love that exist in such a bonding relationship. The issues of a young girl choosing her own path are touched upon, but are really done with a winking and dismissive touch which acknowledges the well trodden nature of that subject. What is really at stake here is something more fundamental; the love and loyalty between child and parent that can be rent asunder by stubborn pride.

This is a deeply emotional and family oriented theme; however, it is handled with all of the joy and humor that can be expected from a Disney and Pixar film. The Scots themselves are an uproarious lot, particularly in the scenes of the various clans competing with - and beating the crap out of - one another. The humor is all done with exuberant style, and dabbles with Scottish stereotypes (such as one young man whose accent is so thick that no one can understand him) as well as good old-fashioned slapstick. While certainly for all ages, Brave does have humor for everyone, including one moment involving a small bear diving into a woman's cleavage that admittedly set me to laughing out loud.

While Brave can certainly be enjoyed by all members of attending family, it does have a special place for mothers and daughters. I honestly cannot recall any other Disney film that specifically related itself to this very special family bond. Brave is filled with great style, humor, beauty, and heart; go see this movie.