I still can't decided if i like this film or not. I love Disney films and i am always excited when i here of a new one come out but this time i don't know. I felt like there was something missing from the story and it took me a few times of watching to work out why and then it hit me . . . there is no Prince Charming or a character of his type which is a constant present in Disney films which i am missing this idea of living happily ever after doesn't occur. I think its because i am so use to the way in which the Disney narrative goes that i feel like the film is missing something with out the 'Prince Charming' type character.
But with that said the film is really good and the animation is spectacular but you wouldn't expect anything less from a Disney Pixar film and it lives up to the Oscar it won for the animation in the film, it is well deserved. The landscape of the film is spectacular and is always outstanding when it comes to modern day animation.
The story follows Merida (Kelly MacDonald) the only daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) but she doesn't act the way she is suppose to, she likes to go off exploring the land and we see this in the opening of the film but her mother Elinor (Emma Thompson) has other ideas on how a Princess should be and Merida doesn't like it at all. She has invited the clans to compete in the Highland Games for Merida's hand in marriage which she isn't to happy about and isn't afraid to voice her opinions.
This leads to a fight between her and her mother which results in Merida running away. She finds herself at the home of a witch (Julie Walters) and gets a spell to 'change her fate' if she gives it to her mother which can only mean one thing, everything goes horribly wrong and Merida has to fix what she has done, not going to tell you what happens because Spoiler!
The story line is quite predictable but we don't watch Disney films for their over complicated story lines because their target audience is children and they want to be able to laugh which this film has plenty off especially with Merida's little brothers Hamish, Harris and Hubert the triplets who provide some of the best bits of the film with all the antics that they get up to they steal every scene that they are in and add that something extra to the story line
The film is really good and the characters are brilliant, with an excellent plot and i really enjoyed the film but in my opinion there was just that little something missing that would have made the story even better. But the bond that grows between Merida and her mother is touching but hilarious at the same time. All the characters make you laugh especially the triplets and its just a fun family film.
The film stars the voices of Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane.
If you haven't seen Brave then check it out its currently running on Sky Movies and is available on DVD from amazon for £13.50
Rating: 7.5/10
