A BRAVE NEW FEMALE HEROINE
We all can recall several Disney movies where the lead female character is beautiful, somewhat naïve and usually needs to be saved in some way by a male character that is usually a Prince. It’s very rare that you get to see a young, female character that is strong, smart and that can take care of herself just fine. That is exactly what Merida, the lead, female character in the new Disney/Pixar movie Brave is!
It was refreshing to see a different type of Princess for once. Merida is a Scottish Princess that defied traditions and old customs that her mother, the Queen tried to force upon her. Instead of being one of those teenage girls that wanted to be just like their mother, Merida actually took after her father more. She didn’t play with dolls and wasn’t concerned with boys. Instead, her favorite hobby was riding her horse, while shooting arrows from a bow that her father gave her as a child. The fiery, redhead was everything that her mother was against.
“Brave is about a teenager’s struggle with finding herself, with creating her own destiny,” said director Mark Andrews. “More specifically, it’s about Merida’s struggle in reconciling how the world sees her versus how she sees herself. True courage must be found on the inside.” It is an inspiring story not just for kids but even for adults that may have fear of doing what makes them truly happy and finding the courage to do it.
There were parts in the movie for audiences of all ages. Some situations and lines may have been too advanced for kids of a younger age group to understand but they would still enjoy it. Brave was very different than what we’ve seen in the past with Disney/Pixar movies. The human animation was phenomenal! Watching it in 3D made the characters come to life more. The authenticity of the setting of Scotland, the hair and clothing, the history, everything was done very well. It was easy to forget that we were watching an animated film because everything looked so real.
The storyline was unique and broke a lot of tradition with female characters. The message was loud and clear that it is ok to change your fate if it’s not what will make you truly happy. There was also a great lesson that there are consequences, however, when you attempt to take the easy way out and not have patience. Merida is a true inspiration and a great role-model for girls and women that aspire to follow their own path and let nothing get in their way. Brave is a must-see movie and PPLA was happy to catch it as it debuted this week at the LA Film Festival.
Visit Disney/Pixar to watch the trailer and behind the scenes videos!
Check out the full photo gallery from the Brave premiere red carpet.
