Movie Review--"Brave"

Yesterday my granddaughter Megan and I went to see Pixar's latest film, Brave. We thoroughly enjoyed it! It would probably be classified as in the fairy tale genre, for there are will o'the wisps, a wood-carving witch, and a magic spell that wreaks all sorts of havoc.

It's fun, funny, serious, and touching. It is set in 10th century Scotland. I enjoyed the Scottish accents, which, while definitely Scottish, were not so heavy as to make it hard for us non-Scots to understand. The artwork was simply awesome! I would pay to see it just for that. Gorgeous landscapes, effects, and backgrounds.

The heroine is a teenage princess, who would rather ride her horse and shoot at targets (she is an archery expert) than consider the responsibilities that go along with being a princess--especially when it comes to marriage. Her mother is the perfect queen--smart, lovely, capable, and determined to carry out her own responsibilities and teach her daughter to do the same. This leads to conflict, a spell that is not what the purchaser of the spell intended, and the suspenseful portion of the story. There are also the triplet little brothers of the princess, who are terrible scamps but come through for their sister when needed. And they are really cute.

My only criticism of the film would be that it falls into the trap so often the case in today's films and TV shows. The men are shown as dunderheads--brave but needing a smart woman to guide them.

At least the princess has two living parents and there is real family love.

There are also a couple of very good morals to the story!