PIXAR CONTINUES ITS REIGN WITH BRAVE

It’s been 25+ proud years for PIXAR. 25+ years of adventure, love, inspiration, beauty and above all, friendship. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that PIXAR is The Beatles of Film Industry. With masterpiece after masterpiece since their first full feature in 1995, they are now said to be the most inventive and successful Hollywood Studio. But is it all well and good for PIXAR? With great success comes great expectations. PIXAR branding has become too phenomenal for its own good.

When I walked into the dark auditorium to watch Brave, I was smiling; smiling because it was my first PIXAR film on big screen. When I walked out of the auditorium after finishing the movie, I was still smiling; smiling because I was now carrying some beautiful memories with me.

Brave feels like a different PIXAR film for many reasons. It’s a medieval adventure story. The story is told only with the humans. We mostly remember PIXAR for the toys, the bugs, the cars, the dogs, the monsters, the robots, the fishes.  The animation in Brave is done by a whole new system for the first time in PIXAR films, which is why it looks so gorgeous and elegant in comparison to other PIXAR films. And it has the protagonist as a female for the first time. And how fearless and adorable that protagonist is!
The character of Princess Merida may not be as complex as her fiery red hairs look in animation but it’s the one you will remember and adore. The story starts in a nostalgic Disney tradition manner. A young princess who seeks an adventure. A caring  and defensive mother. A father who is as fearless to beasts as friendly he is to family.  A birth of an adventure out of an emotional falling out between the mother and the daughter. 

But don’t let this fool you. The film takes an unexpected turn which might come as a pleasant or a foolish surprise to you depending upon how strong your inner child is! All the promos of Brave have carefully and successfully managed to hide the real plot, which is why in the second half the film feels almost different, different than you’d expect it to be.

Brave has its moments and charm like all PIXAR films. It’s the innocent laugh of young Merida and how REAL her face looks when she emotionally breaks down! It can break down any grown man. It’s in her confident eyes when she strikes an arrow and shoots the target successfully and elegantly one after another! It’s in the complex and resolving relationship of young daughter and mother! It carries a beautiful message of communication between parents and children. Like all PIXAR films, the film has some moments that’ll make you smile and teary eyed at the same time. These moments might not be in abundance but they are there.

So should I watch the film in theatre or not, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you this. When I was watching the movie I could hear innocent laughs of children and joyful laughs of their parents at the same time. It’s the moments like this that makes you think, this is what cinema is for! Don’t go to the theatre thinking that you are watching a PIXAR film. Because I’ve seen people coming out disappointed because they walked in expecting another Toy Story or Up or Wall.E. I don’t think it’s fair to Brave. This is not Toy Story or Up or Wall.E. This is BRAVE. And Brave stands alone on its own feet as fearless as the eyes of the young Princess Merida. 

I walked in the auditorium smiling and walked out with the same smile with some beautiful memories to cherish myself with.  Are 93 mins of being a child again worth the price of admission for you?

        

P.S. Don’t miss the beautiful short “La Luna” which plays before the main feature presentation. It aims for the moon, literally!

-By Mahek Ravia. You can sample more of his awesome writing here.