The princess is Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), seen in an action-packed prologue as a flame-haired Scottish tomboy whose life is changed by an early birthday gift of a bow, which quickly inspires her to become the best archer in the kingdom. Then we flash forward to Merida as a young lady of marriageable age, who is startled by request from Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) to choose among three possible husbands chosen by her clan.
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse. Pixar Animation Studios, the creator of Toy Story 3, whisks you away on an astonishing adventure to an ancient land full of mystery and tradition. Bursting with heart, unforgettable characters and Pixar's signature humor, Brave is incredible entertainment for the whole family. Take a heroic journey with Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor.
Nothing doing, especially since all three candidates are doofuses. Merida leaps upon her trusty steed and flees into the forest, where her friends the will-o-the-wisps lead her to the cottage of a gnarled old witch (Julie Walters). She begs for a magic spell that will change Queen Elinor's mind, but it changes more than that: It turns Elinor into a bear. Witches never know how to stop when they're ahead.
Luckily, the magic spell comes with an escape clause. Merida has exactly two days to reverse the charm. After she and her mother absorb what has happened, they begin to work together and grow closer than ever, even though the queen cannot speak. There is a tricky complication. King Fergus (Billy Connolly) had his leg bitten off by a bear (in the prologue), and has been indisposed toward them ever since. Unsurprisingly, when he sees his wife as a bear, he fails to recognize her.
And so on. This is a great-looking movie, much enlivened by the inspiration of giving Merida three small brothers, little redheaded triplets. The Scottish Highlands are thrillingly painted in astonishing detail, and some action shows Merida's archery more than equal in assorted emergencies.
'Brave' has an uplifting message about improving communication between mothers and daughters, although transforming your mom into a bear is a rather extreme first step. Elinor is a good sport, under the circumstances. But Merida is far from being a typical fairy-tale princess. Having flatly rejected the three suitors proposed by her family, she is apparently prepared to go through life quite happily without a husband, and we can imagine her in later years, a weathered and indomitable Amazon queen, sort of a Boudica for the Scots. 'Brave' seems at a loss to deal with her as a girl and makes her a sort of honorary boy.
*If you haven’t yet seen Brave and want to avoid any spoilers at all, avoid this post. If you don’t mind minor spoilers for plot points (but not outcome) continue reading*
I avoided any reviews or spoilers before seeing the new Pixar movie Brave yesterday. I wanted to go into the movie about a young heroine archer Merida unbiased by group think.
While I enjoyed the film, I was underwhelmed. Perhaps, I was in need of a plot, centered around this medieval Scottish princess with firey red curls, that packed more of an emotional punch. After I got home I went to read my favorite culture blogger Alyssa Rosenberg over at ThinkProgress who highlighted one of the more problematic themes in the reviews of Brave.
Alyssa cites EW.com’s review which includes this nugget about Merida’s propensity for outdoorsy activities like horseback riding and archery:
But could Merida be gay? Absolutely. She bristles at the traditional gender roles that she’s expected to play: the demure daughter, the obedient fiancée. Her love of unprincess-like hobbies, including archery and rock-climbing, is sure to strike a chord with gay viewers who felt similarly “not like the other kids” growing up. And she hates the prospect of marriage — at least, to any of the three oafish clansmen that compete for her hand — enough to run away from home and put her own mother’s life at risk. She’s certainly not a swooning, boy-crazy Disney princess like The Little Mermaid’s Ariel or Snow White. In fact, Merida may be the first in that group to be completely romantically disinclined (even cross-dressing Mulan had a soft spot for Li Shang).
Brave Pixar Wiki
I agree with Alyssa that, “The movie takes a strong stand against the idea that the best way for girls to be good daughters, or to perform girlhood correctly, is to become sexually available when they’re expected to. The prize to be won isn’t a prince. It’s autonomy and self-knowledge.”
Brave Pixar Film
It’s particularly problematic that Merida can only be viewed through a sexual lens even when the entire theme of the movie in many ways is her rejecting this frame and instead opting for more independence and free will. Her desire to postpone an arranged marriage until later was not because she has a preference for women versus men, it’s that she simply was not ready for either in a romantic context. The idea that because Merida enjoyed outdoor activities she must be gay lacks creativity and is downright offensive.
In addition, it was extremely disappointing for Pixar to have so much hype surrounding Brave and it’s expert arrow shooting heroine in a year when The Hunger Games smashed records. And to have an overbearing mother as the central plot point and subtext of Merida’s struggles. Sure having a controlling mother might be relateable to the masses, but it’s also a particularly stale and uninspiring challenge for a breakthrough character to overcome.
Brave Pixar Easter Eggs
Apparently, EW.com isn’t the only place creatively challenged.