“I’ll be shooting fer my own hand,” proclaims Merida in a TV spot for Disney and Pixar’s last animated movie, Brave (2012). This and other promotional advertisements for the film pitched it as a novel adaptation of a classic fairy tale, updated for 21st century sensibilities and technologies. Brave follows a recent string of successful fairy tale animations released in the past decade—such as The Princess and the Frog in 2009 and Tangled in 2010. These three features all utilize the recognizable princess-centered plots that continue to bring success and popularity to Disney with each new generation of youth.
As its title would suggest, Brave adds to the new princess archetype an element of independence not previously found among her older heroine relatives. Merida is a tomboy who rides horses and excels in archery; she has hair as unruly as her deportment; and she gets along better with her father and three brothers than with her own mother. Scenes of her coming of age show her behaving in manners unfit for a “lady,” culminating in the game day when the princes will battle for her hand. All arrows point to a plot that revolves around Merida’s attempt to avoid an arranged marriage with a boy from another Scottish clan and gain freedom for herself. “If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?” another teaser asks. When she escapes her home and meets a magical witch who will grant her any wish, it seems certain her answer to the question will be a resounding “Yes.”
Instead, Brave surprises most by extending the plot beyond a simple princess love story to one about the mother-daughter relationship. In a time when production studios increasingly target teenagers as their audience, at the expense of narratives suitable and entertaining for all ages, the film underscores the importance of the family. For this reason, viewers young and old will enjoy watching this film, and remember while doing so to the take time to appreciate the people in their lives who have loved them and helped them unconditionally up to now—their parents.
Author Biography
Daniela Mejia is a 3rd year film studies major at the University of Florida. Kenji Mizoguchi might be her favorite director. She offended someone on the internet once by commenting that Hiroshima, mon amour (1959) was just a “pretty average” movie.
Film Credits
Brave (2012)
United States
Director Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell
Runtime 93 minutes
