But while Merida may think her mother’s a beast, and Elinor might consider Merida a brat, there are no villains here: only two strong, caring and (might as well say it) brave women who, in spite of their differences, love each other very much. Merida and Elinor’s difficult, complex relationship lies at the very soul of Brave.

Pixar’s stories are rooted in relationships, and the studio manages to examine even the most fractious with honesty, sensitivity and grace. We’ve come to expect a lot from Disney’s brilliant animated adjunct, Pixar-beautiful art, great comedy and, most of all, fantastic storytelling. When the witch tries to sell Merida a bit of her handiwork, the princess suggests a different deal: I’ll buy all your woodstuffs if you sell me a spell. The argument grows uglier, and Merida flees from the castle with her face as red as her lashes, tears streaming down her cheeks … as she finds herself in the cottage of an old, mysterious witch with a passion for woodcarving. Back in the castle, she slices through a tapestry depicting her family-severing Elinor from Merida’s side. In a breathtaking moment of rebellion, she competes for her own hand and wins it, enraging the lords and infuriating the queen. She’s to be the grand prize in an archery contest, and whatever union results won’t be of love, but of duty-duty to the clans and the kingdom. And not to the kilted boy next door, either, but to the son of one of the kingdom’s three fractious lords. That she’s imprisoned in a world of her mom’s making.Īnd now the final lock is in place: Elinor’s marrying Merida off. The lessons are relentless, and with each new rule, familiar scold and look of disappointment Elinor piles on, Merida feels as if her life’s not her own. “A princess strives for, well, perfection,” Elinor tells her. She teaches her lute-playing and schools her in the kingdom’s history and geography. Practically every day, Elinor trains Merida in the finer points of ladyship: how to stand, how to eat, how to talk, how to walk.

And Princess Merida-a headstrong young lass with a spirit as fiery as her own unruly hair? Her mother wants her to grow up to be … a bride. In Tangled, Rapunzel’s wanted to comb the ever-loving life out of her hair. Snow White’s stepmother wanted to kill her. To be a Disney princess is to have mommy issues.

Brave 2012 review