★★★☆☆
Brave is Disney Pixar's latest animated film, and it's one of the best. It tells the story of a young girl who is told she must choose a husband from the eldest sons of the 3 other tribe leaders in Scotland, and refuses. She meets a witch and gets a spell to change her fate, which ends up turning her mother into a bear! The main action of the story is Merida's efforts to return her mother into human form (before it's too late)!Billy Connelly, Emma Thompson and Kelly Macdonald are brilliant voicing the protagonists, Fergus, Elinor and their rebellious daughter Merida, and even though the Scottish accents are realistic, they aren't so thick that they can't be understood by people unfamiliar with it. The plot is original, and it's refreshing to see another independent young girl in a Disney film, setting a more realistic and healthy example to the main audience, young girls.It's definitely visually just as good as Tangled (another fantastic animated Disney film - I really recommend it), it's really bright and colourful, making it really enjoyable for young children to watch. The animation effects are brilliant, especially Merida's hair - which took engineers and artists 3 years to construct - it's bounce and vitality is amazing, and the color of it is beautiful!
Don't be afraid to enjoy it as an adult, Disney films are definitely becoming more adult-friendly, and I enjoyed this film just as much as films targeted completely at adults. Call it a guilty pleasure if you like but - as a 19-year old girl - I have loved watching the majority of the latest Disney Pixar films! Up is one of my all-time favorite films, and although Brave wasn't quite up there for me, I did really enjoy it.
The cheeky little brothers will have the kids laughing, and the humor of Fergus and the other tribe leaders will tickle you! Sure, the ending is obvious and cheesy, but what do you expect from Disney? It's predictable in the best way possible, and everyone loves a bit of cheese!
I'd definitely recommend this film if you want something light, and easy to watch, it's simple enough that it's OK if you doze off for ten minutes in the middle, but funny enough to keep you hooked! It's definitely worth an hour and a half of your time.
If you enjoy this film, I recommend: Tangled (2010), Despicable Me (2010), and Megamind (2010) which are all brilliant animated films that both children and adults can enjoy, and are really funny.
